asked.
“I got it,” Ben confirmed.
“This is perfect.” She gave him another squeeze, then let go. “Guess that means we’re neighbors.”
“I can’t think of a better person to be neighbors with,” Ben said. He pushed Whitney into the furthest recesses of his mind, already anticipating the move.
Andi locked her condo door and followed Ben down the hallway to the elevator. “When do you think you’ll move in?” she asked. She couldn’t wait.
Ben pushed the down button. “Rachel will probably insist I wait until Saturday, so she and Adam can help.”
“That’s probably best. It’ll give you tomorrow to track down a moving truck.”
The elevator dinged open, and they both stepped inside. Andi barely held back a shiver as Ben’s shoulder brushed against hers.
Ben was moving in down the hall. Every time she thought about it, warmth flowed through her, delicious and unnerving.
They drove to the movie theater, Christmas music filling the car. Andi wondered if having Ben as a neighbor meant they’d see each other often. Would he want to hang out? It had been a long time since they’d been in daily contact with each other.
Ben nudged her with his shoulder. “Penny for your thoughts?”
Andi realized she’d been silent for several minutes as they drove. She scrambled to think of something she could say that wouldn’t implicate her thoughts. “I’m thinking about how this is kind of a weird Christmas. It’s the first one I haven’t spent with my parents.”
“Do you miss them?”
“A little, in the oh-it’s-Christmas-I-should-be-with-family kind of way. But in another way, it’s relaxing and nice. Christmas was pretty formal at our house.”
“Tell me about it.”
Andi cocked her head to the side, but his earnest expression convinced her he really was interested. “We had to get ready for the day before coming down to open presents on Christmas morning. I would wake up early, so excited to see what Santa had brought me. But my mom would make me get dressed and then she’d do my hair before we went downstairs, where we’d open presents one at a time, admiring each one.”
“And after opening presents, then what?”
“We’d have a very civilized breakfast in the formal dining room before my grandparents arrived.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Andi saw Ben shake his head. The air from the heater vents tousled his hair, making him look like a teenager again.
“I can’t even imagine a Christmas like that,” Ben said. “It was chaos at my house. Rachel and I would wake our parents up at the crack of dawn, then we’d rush downstairs and tear into the wrapping paper as fast as we could.”
Andi smiled, pulling into the movie theater parking lot. This was nice, talking to Ben. They’d talked before, of course. But never about such personal things. She’d never talked to any guy like this. “Your Christmas mornings sound a lot more fun than mine.”
“What happened after your grandparents came?”
“We’d get ready for the big Christmas party. It was one of those formal affairs for rich clients. My job was to stay out of the way.”
“Wow. I didn’t know Christmas could be so lame.”
Andi shot Ben a stern look, but couldn’t hold it and burst out laughing. “It wasn’t all bad. My parents are excellent gift-givers, and I think they felt guilty about being so busy, because they certainly tried to buy my love. I got enough new toys and gadgets to keep me occupied all day, trust me.”
“That’s so different from what it was like at my house. After Rachel and I had torn into our presents, we’d go to our grandparents’ house and play with cousins. There was a lot of food, a lot of fun, and a fair amount of fighting involved. Everyone brought treats and we’d snack all day so no one had to spend time in the kitchen. We’d usually go to a movie that evening, so I’m actually glad you wanted to do that.”
Andi smiled. She’d
“I got it,” Ben confirmed.
“This is perfect.” She gave him another squeeze, then let go. “Guess that means we’re neighbors.”
“I can’t think of a better person to be neighbors with,” Ben said. He pushed Whitney into the furthest recesses of his mind, already anticipating the move.
Andi locked her condo door and followed Ben down the hallway to the elevator. “When do you think you’ll move in?” she asked. She couldn’t wait.
Ben pushed the down button. “Rachel will probably insist I wait until Saturday, so she and Adam can help.”
“That’s probably best. It’ll give you tomorrow to track down a moving truck.”
The elevator dinged open, and they both stepped inside. Andi barely held back a shiver as Ben’s shoulder brushed against hers.
Ben was moving in down the hall. Every time she thought about it, warmth flowed through her, delicious and unnerving.
They drove to the movie theater, Christmas music filling the car. Andi wondered if having Ben as a neighbor meant they’d see each other often. Would he want to hang out? It had been a long time since they’d been in daily contact with each other.
Ben nudged her with his shoulder. “Penny for your thoughts?”
Andi realized she’d been silent for several minutes as they drove. She scrambled to think of something she could say that wouldn’t implicate her thoughts. “I’m thinking about how this is kind of a weird Christmas. It’s the first one I haven’t spent with my parents.”
“Do you miss them?”
“A little, in the oh-it’s-Christmas-I-should-be-with-family kind of way. But in another way, it’s relaxing and nice. Christmas was pretty formal at our house.”
“Tell me about it.”
Andi cocked her head to the side, but his earnest expression convinced her he really was interested. “We had to get ready for the day before coming down to open presents on Christmas morning. I would wake up early, so excited to see what Santa had brought me. But my mom would make me get dressed and then she’d do my hair before we went downstairs, where we’d open presents one at a time, admiring each one.”
“And after opening presents, then what?”
“We’d have a very civilized breakfast in the formal dining room before my grandparents arrived.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Andi saw Ben shake his head. The air from the heater vents tousled his hair, making him look like a teenager again.
“I can’t even imagine a Christmas like that,” Ben said. “It was chaos at my house. Rachel and I would wake our parents up at the crack of dawn, then we’d rush downstairs and tear into the wrapping paper as fast as we could.”
Andi smiled, pulling into the movie theater parking lot. This was nice, talking to Ben. They’d talked before, of course. But never about such personal things. She’d never talked to any guy like this. “Your Christmas mornings sound a lot more fun than mine.”
“What happened after your grandparents came?”
“We’d get ready for the big Christmas party. It was one of those formal affairs for rich clients. My job was to stay out of the way.”
“Wow. I didn’t know Christmas could be so lame.”
Andi shot Ben a stern look, but couldn’t hold it and burst out laughing. “It wasn’t all bad. My parents are excellent gift-givers, and I think they felt guilty about being so busy, because they certainly tried to buy my love. I got enough new toys and gadgets to keep me occupied all day, trust me.”
“That’s so different from what it was like at my house. After Rachel and I had torn into our presents, we’d go to our grandparents’ house and play with cousins. There was a lot of food, a lot of fun, and a fair amount of fighting involved. Everyone brought treats and we’d snack all day so no one had to spend time in the kitchen. We’d usually go to a movie that evening, so I’m actually glad you wanted to do that.”
Andi smiled. She’d
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