Chapter 21 Cocoa Kisses - Almost
Andrea took a sip of her cocoa and stared at the falling snow out the window. The Christmas tree lights twinkled to her right, the scent of pine and cinnamon mingling with her chocolaty drink. She felt much more at peace now than she had a few moments ago with all of the commotion in the kitchen.
Case was sitting to her left, and surprisingly, his presence didn’t make her feel anxious at all. It was sort of soothing to know he was there. Even though she hadn’t truly known him long at all, having spent the day with him at the hospital had opened her eyes to what an amazing guy he really was. She still couldn’t’ quite figure out how he had ever dated a witch like Sarah Lockton, but she decided that wasn’t any of her business. It was nice just to sit near him, sip her drink, and watch the snowflakes tumble down.
“Tomorrow is Christmas Eve,” Case said in a hushed tone.
Andrea had forgotten just how close it was. “You’re right. Have you talked to your family today? Are they expecting you tomorrow?”
“I spoke to them. My mom is pretty disappointed that I might not make it home, but my sister and her family are excited that I might spend the holidays with you. Do you think your mom meant that, when she invited me? Or was she just being nice?”
Andrea grinned at him. “Oh, she meant it. Can’t you tell she adores you? It might be hard to believe, but she doesn’t flirt with everyone in front of her husband.”
That made Case chuckle. “I wouldn’t call it flirting....”
“No, I guess it’s not really, but she does gush all over you.”
“I think it’s cute. Your mama’s a sweet lady. And boy, I sure do like your grandpa.”
“He likes you, too. Thanks so much for spending your day with him. It meant a lot to him.” She reached over and gently put her hand on his leg, unable to keep herself from it. “It meant a lot to me, too.”
Case’s green eyes focused on her hand for a moment. Andrea could feel his muscle beneath the thick fabric of his jeans, and her hand began to tingle, but she didn’t pull it away. Case placed his hand on top of hers, interlacing their fingers. “I’m glad I got to spend the day with him. He’s a pretty great guy.”
“I think so,” she laughed, loving the electricity shooting up her arm from his touch and the warmth of his hand on top of hers.
“Do you... think... after the holidays, when you start shooting your movie, you’ll have any time at all to, maybe, keep getting to know each other?”
Andrea looked into his eyes, realizing he was putting himself out there, that he was nervous about asking her the question, afraid of what she might say. In the moment, she forgot all about Sarah and what that woman was capable of, the horrible things she'd already done, and focused solely on the man in front of her, as if he had no link to Sarah Lockton at all. A gentle smile parted Andrea's lips. “I hope so....”
Case grinned back at her, and she couldn’t help but stare at his lips, wondering what it would feel like if they were pressed against hers. They looked warm and soft.
She found herself leaning in, breathing his intoxicating scent, and Case moved closer to her, closing the gap. She could practically feel his mouth on hers.
The light came on, and her mother’s voice cut through the revelry, sending Andrea flying back away from Case on the couch so quickly, her hot cocoa sloshed out of the cup and burned her hand. She didn’t feel the pain though, her heart was beating so heavily in her chest. Both of their heads turned to look at the front door behind them.
“Oh, hi, honey,” Karen said, Tim behind her. “Sorry—were you watching the snow? We were just chatting about dinner.”
“Yes, we were... watching the snow.” Andrea could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. Could her mother tell she’d just interrupted what would’ve been their first kiss? She didn’t seem to realize it.
“How about chicken casserole? I can throw that together quickly enough.”
“Okay....” Andrea caught Case’s eyes. He flashed a crooked grin at her. “I think Leslie and Brent ate already.” She’d tell her mom they were arguing later if it came up, but not now.
“All right then. I’ll go get it started.” Tim waved and headed up the stairs, and her mother tittered off into the kitchen, talking to herself.
“Maybe I should go help her.” Andrea realized she had hot chocolate dripping off of her hand and grabbed a tissue from a side table to wipe it up.
“I’m happy to help,” Case offered.
“No, it’s okay. Mom and I like to cook together. Enjoy your cocoa.” She stood and gave him one last longing look before she headed into the kitchen. It would be best to put some space between herself and Case right now anyway, since her parents were home. The fact that he’d almost kissed her made her heart race in her chest. Was there a chance they could actually get together, despite stupid Sarah Lockton? Andrea was beginning to think there was—so long as nothing happened to ruin it. The more she thought about being Case’s girlfriend, the more she realized she wanted it to work out, and the last thing she would ever do was let someone like Sarah Lockton dictate her happiness.
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