Read Online A Holiday to Remember by Lynnette Kent - Free Book Online Page A

his own plan for the remainder of his time at Hawkridge. Maybe Juliet didn’t want him in her life. If so, she was going to have to explain why. Maybe she didn’t remember him and Ridgeville. Maybe she’d forgotten everything between them. If so, he wanted to know what had happened to her memory. Either way, there was a mystery here begging for an explanation. As a journalist committed to probing for the truth, Chris could never let a mystery go unsolved.
    And if Jayne Thomas turned out to be just who she claimed?
    Well, then Juliet would be dead. And he’d live with the guilt, as he had been for the last twelve years.
    But he would coax a real smile onto Jayne Thomas’s full lips before he moved on.
     
    A FTER MODERATING a discussion among the girls on anger management techniques, Jayne decreed a quiet time for individual activities during the ninety minutes before lunch. Reading, solo work on puzzles and games, even napping were acceptable activities. Communication of any kind was not. They needed the peace as much as she did.
    Chris Hammond had vanished when she looked for him out in the hallway, which was just as well. She didn’t want to interact with him, didn’t want to be reminded of that kiss by the doors last night, or those moments this morning when heheld her against him, his arms firm around her, his body like a tree trunk against which she could take shelter from the storm. She’d felt safe and cared for, guarded by his strength.
    Worst of all, his embrace, his body, had felt as familiar as her own. He smelled like…like home. And his taste—that blend of coffee with something deep and dark and intoxicating—hadn’t surprised her at all.
    He felt, smelled, tasted familiar. Damn it.
    “Ms. Thomas?”
    Jayne looked up from her mug of coffee and the book she’d pretended to read. “Yes, Taryn?”
    The girl stood beside her chair, twisting a strand of hair around her finger. “I’m hungry. When is lunch?”
    A glance at her watch showed that her ninety minutes of calm had almost ended. “As soon as we get it ready.” Once on her feet, she looked around the library at the girls in their various locations. “Let’s set up a sandwich bar,” she announced, “and everyone can make their own sub, exactly the way they want it.”
    Harmony reigned during the preparations, since no one wanted to spend the afternoon in isolation. Monique volunteered to slice tomatoes and even onions, at Haley’s request, while Selena spooned ice into cups for soft drinks. In less than fifteen minutes, the kitchen counter was transformed into a delicatessen offering a wide selection of sandwich options.
    “Line up alphabetically by last name,” Jayne told the girls. “Lunch is served!”
    She rethought her instructions when she realized that alphabetical order put Haley Farrish at the head of the line with Taryn Gage right behind her. But the girls assembled their lunches side by side without incident.
    Just to remind Jayne not to relax her guard, Yolanda began to complain. “Why am I always last?”
    Jayne stepped in behind her. “Now you’re not last. I am.”
    Yolanda rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but I still have to eat stuff that’s been picked over and everybody else has put their dirty fingers on.”
    “That’s why we have spoons,” Sarah pointed out. “And why we wash our hands before we eat.”
    “Blah, blah, blah,” Yolanda said. “Talk all you want. I know what I see.”
    Taryn turned around to glare at the older girl. “Why don’t you just—”
    “What?” Yolanda stepped closer to the seventh grader. “What do you want me to do?”
    When Taryn caught sight of Jayne’s warning look and the firm shake of her head, she settled for a superior sneer. “Never mind.”
    Lunch passed quietly after that, lacking conflict but also lacking the laughter that usually enlivened time with the girls. Lacking, as well, the challenge of dealing with Chris Hammond.
    “Where’d Mr. Hammond go?” Haley