“Mine.” Dex shook her head. “Too many fucking games in highschool. Someday they’ll realize how useless it all was.”
Emma’s gaze moved to Dex. “Sounds like you may have a history withthat.”
The ball return clanked as it spit up the missing ball. “Too muchhistory,” Dex said and got up to bowl, avoiding the subject. Talking about itonly made it all rush back, and that made her heart hurt.
* * *
Darkness was just beginning to take hold when Dex plugged in thelights. She ran to the curb, stood next to Emma, and grabbed her hand, lacingtheir fingers together. She watched Emma’s face as she stared at the lights. Ithadn’t been a difficult job. The house was medium-sized, not too large, as werethe rest of the homes in the Forest Park neighborhood. It was a nice littlesuburb with somewhat of a city feel to it that included lots of smallindependent shops and restaurants. Plus it wasn’t too far from where Dex livedin Oak Park.
Emma hadn’t wanted to be the attraction of the block or create acompetition with her neighbors who decorated every year. Turning the streetinto a traffic circus wasn’t one of her goals either. She’d simply wanted tojoin in the celebration and not be the only house on the street withoutChristmas lights. So Dex created a zigzag pattern on the holly bushes flankingeach window, strung lights from the eves, and added a nice border to the frontdoor—all in multicolored lights, which Emma had said she preferred. Anotherlittle something they had in common.
“They’re absolutely gorgeous.”
“Are you sure? I can set them up to run with music if you want.”
“No. They’re perfect just like this.” Emma turned and gave her asoft kiss. “I can see why your boss keeps you on. You do excellent work, Ms.Putnam.”
“I hold my own.” She smiled, savoring the reward she’d justreceived. Dex wasn’t used to not being asked to change something or do more.
“Well, you are now my official Christmas light hanger-upper. Ifthere is such a thing.”
“Oh, there’s definitely a thing.” She smiled, enjoying Emma’swarmth.
“Come on. Let’s go inside and get something warm to drink.” Emmatook her hand and pulled her along with her to the house. “I have hotchocolate.”
“Packaged or homemade?”
“Homemade, of course.” Emma shot her a wild-eyed stare.
“I’m in.” She stopped on the porch to show Emma the light timerhidden just behind the holly bush. “This is all set, so the lights will go onat dusk and off at sunrise automatically.” She turned the knob and opened thedoor for Emma.
“You’re awesome, Dex.” Emma stopped and stared into her eyes. “Ireally mean that.”
The rush that flooded Dex was like a one-hundred-mile-an-hour windgust. She’d never expected to have these emotions ever again. Dex took Emmainto her arms and kicked the door shut with her foot. She let her hands roam upunder Emma’s jacket to the warm, soft skin of her waist.
“Oh my God.” Emma grabbed her arms, yanked them from her waist,and held them firmly. “You need to warm those hands up.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do.” Dex broke loose, took Emma into herarms again, and slid her hands up the back of Emma’s shirt and jacket.
“Ack! Beforeyou touch me.” Emma squealed and tried to wrestle out of her arms.
“Don’t I get some kind of reward for putting up your lights?” Shebounced her eyebrows at Emma playfully.
“Absolutely not.” Emma arched an eyebrow and blew out a breath. “Ididn’t ask you to. You lost that bet.”
“What if I let you win?” She hadn’t, and she would’ve put up thelights, win or lose.
“You’d better not’ve.”
Dex laughed. “You’re sounding a little like that teenage girl atthe bowling alley.”
“I am not.” Emma’s voice rose. “You didn’t let me win, did you?”
Dex shook her head. “No. You kicked my butt fair and square,champ.” She let her smile drop to her best sad-puppy-dog face. “But doesn’t theloser deserve some sort of consolation prize?” She glanced up at the sprig ofmistletoe she’d hung from the entryway light above them earlier.
Emma snaked her arms around Dex’s neck and grinned. “Yes.” Shesighed. “You definitely earned something.” She gave her a long, lingering kissthat made Dex wish she’d actually won the bet. The stakes would’ve been muchhigher and included definite heat after dinner.
“That and hot chocolate.” She gave her another quick kiss beforebolting out of her arms and leading her into the kitchen.
Dex glanced around the room, which felt oddly familiar. Shenoticed the pink notepad with the faded rose border on the counter withsomething scribbled on it.
“I’ve been here before.”
Emma rolled her lips in but didn’t speak. She just leaned againstthe counter.
A memory flitted through Dex’s head, but she couldn’t quite placeit. A sinking feeling hit her stomach. Themorning after the wedding. She glanced back to Emma. “You took mehome after the wedding?” Pieces of that morning flashed through her thoughts.The note she’d found on the counter, the hangover cure beside it, the adviceabout Grace. Dex’s cheeks warmed. “What a schmuck I am. I didn’t even recognizeyou.”
“You were in a bit of a state that night.”
“That’s being polite.” She shook her head. “I was a fucking mess.”
Emma laughed as she smiled and nodded. “A total mess.”
“Did we…”
Emma laughed abruptly. “Definitely not. I don’t think you could’veeven if I’d tried. Which I didn’t.” She stared at her hands. “I’m really notinto that kind of thing. One-night stands, I mean. Especially with plasteredwomen.”
Dex moved closer and kissed her. “How about this kind of thingwe’re doing here?” She moved a stray strand of hair from Emma’s forehead beforeshe took her face into her hands and searched her eyes. This news made thingsdifferent somehow, and Dex wanted permission to move further. When she feltEmma’s hands on her waist, she took in a breath and went for it.
“Definitely this kind of thing.” Emma clasped Dex’s hand and ledher to the bedroom.
She stopped in the doorway, remembering the muted beige andsage-green colors before she entered the room. It
