“Whatcha doing?” I ask when I get into the office. Lucas is sitting at his desk, and the blue glow of his computer screen illuminates his face. He’s wearing a white t-shirt and my favorite gray sweatpants.
“A property in Paradise Valley just came up for sale.”
“Are you going to buy it?” I sit on the window seat, admiring the snow for a second before going back to my food. Freya jumps up next to me, and I let her steal a bite of eggs from plate.
“We might,” he presses, insistent as always to remind me that I’m not only his wife but his partner in everything. “I need to do a bit of research on the area. They have a university, which I’m not familiar with, but it seems they have decent traffic through the downtown area, which would be good for a business.”
“It’s the Saturday after Thanksgiving. You shouldn’t be working,” I say and then take a bite of food.
“The last downtown property that went up for sale sold in two weeks. The market is hot right now, and if it’s a good investment, I don’t want to miss out.” He glances up from his computer. “We could go out tonight. You can get dinner and we can check out the area. It’s been a while since I took you out on a proper date.”
“I have heard about a pasta place in Paradise Valley that’s supposed to be to die for.”
“Have you been to Paradise Valley before?”
I nod since I just shoveled another piece of pancake into my mouth. “A few times,” I say once I’m done chewing. “They do have some good shops and places to eat. It has a small-town feel but is bigger than Thorne Hill since they do have that college. It’s a Catholic college, I think.”
“Yes, the website says it’s known for its nursing school, and it appears to be very selective and hard to get into.”
“I didn’t go to college in the traditional sense.”
“Neither did I.” Lucas grins and gets up from his desk. “Would you like to go out tonight? I did see there is a Christmas store that’s only open from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve.”
My eyes light up. “Really? We’re going. As soon as the sun sets.”
Lucas chuckles. “I still don’t understand your obsession with Christmas, but if it makes you happy, I’ll indulge you.”
“I’m aware it’s weird,” I admit. “Any psychologist would love to analyze the shit out of it. That feeling of safety got so ingrained in me, and the older I get, the more I do like Christmas. Obviously, we’re both aware my life can be crazy, and I never know what’s going to happen or if I’ll live to see another day.”
Lucas frowns at me, but I continue.
“Being able to be all cheery and invite people over for drinks and food and getting everyone I care about gifts just makes me happy.”
“I do understand that. Except for the food and drinks part. Lie naked on the table with your legs open for me, though, and I’ll eat.”
We had sex not that long ago, but a shiver goes through me, making my pussy quiver for him. Fuck, I’m one lucky lady.
“Your phone is ringing,” he says, able to hear it while I can’t. “I’ll get it for you.”
I pick up a piece of bacon and get one bite in before Lucas speeds back into the office. Kristy’s name and photo show up on the screen. I quickly finish chewing and answer.
“Hello?”
“Hey, how are you?” she asks.
“I’m good. You?”
“Good, too, freezing right now, though,” she replies.
“You must have stepped outside the door.”
“Yeah, and Ruby is with me, so don’t worry. We’re being extra cautious, and I take it you are.”
“Of course.” I pick up another piece of bacon. “Everything is going to be fine.” The lie rolls off my tongue so easily I almost believe it. “I trust Michael.”
“Yeah,” Kristy says, unconvinced but humoring me for my own sake. “Me too.”
“Go back into the Covenstead,” I tell her. “It’s snowing and I’m cold just thinking about being outside.”
“It’s freezing. I work this afternoon, so I’ll be back in town. Text me if you need anything.”
“I will. And same if you need anything.”
“Love you, Cal.”
“Love ya, too, Kristy.” I end the call and put my phone down, trading it for my coffee. “Show me the property you’re interested in?” I ask Lucas.
He goes back to his desk and picks up his phone, coming back over and sitting by me on the window seat. It was original to the house, and while we hoped to keep the century-old woodwork, it was beyond repair from years of water damage. The vampire carpenter Lucas found did an amazing job making this look like it fit right in with the rest of the house, especially this office, which looks like something from the Victorian era. Lucas wanted it like this on purpose, saying he rather enjoyed that period of time.