Read Online White Christmas by Tanya Stowe - Free Book Online

her candy canes all over the asphalt road. She bent over quickly and her green cap nearly fell off her head, so she grabbed it. At the same time her little sister, Emma, ran up behind her and bumped her from behind.
    “Emma! You almost knocked me down.”
    “I wanna ask Aunt Tessa. She wants to go with me.”
    Chad recognized the little imp who’d run into him the first time he’d met Tessa. She was too young to be a Brownie and obviously felt left out. She seemed to have made it her mission to make her sister pay for her feelings of abandonment.
    “Whatever. It’s my pizza party!”
    “That’s why Aunt Tessa wants to sit with me!”
    Michelle sighed and rolled her eyes. “Are you gonna come?”
    “Yes, I’ll be there. And I’ll sit with both of you.”
    “Yeah!” Michelle ran off and Emma followed, obviously determined to be a part of everything.
    Tessa and Chad laughed before Tessa turned back to Chad.
    “We could talk at the pizza party,” she suggested.
    “I have a better idea. I know the whole family will go to the dance tonight, but how about you go with me?”
    “You mean together, like a date?” she asked.
    “Like a date.” Chad was surprised to find himself holding his breath as he waited for her answer.
    A slow smile spread over her lips. “I’d like that. I’d like it a lot.”
    “Great,” he said with a sigh of relief. “I’ll pick you up at six.”
     
     
     
     

6
     
    Tessa smoothed the skirt of her version of “the little black dress.” It had a boat neck that accentuated her long neck and tight, long sleeves. Since black made her look washed out, she chose a dark plum, so dark it looked almost black. But when she put it on, the color brought out the ivory tones of her skin. With a little bronzer on her cheeks, her skin glowed like burnished copper.
    A single strand of ivory pearls with her hair swept up and contained, and she was ready. She took a deep breath, grabbed her coat and headed down the stairs of their two-story, hundred-year-old house.
    Her dad was sitting in the front room reading the paper. When he looked up, all he said was, “Wow.” Then he shot a surprised look at her mother, sitting across from him.
    At that moment the doorbell rang and Tessa hurried to the entryway to answer it. As she walked away, she heard her dad very quietly ask her mother, “How serious is this?”
    Tessa paused before she opened the door. That’s the million dollar question, Dad. I wish I had the answer.
    Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. Chad filled it with all of his six foot presence. He looked as she had seen him so many times in the city. Dark suit and overcoat. Dark hair with a slight wave. So calm, collected, professional, and drop dead gorgeous. He could have been a model in a magazine.
    When he saw her, his lips parted and his gaze swept over her. He said, “You look…”
    At last, more than uncomfortable, Tessa said, “Thanks. Come in and meet my parents.”
    She took his hand. His fingers were cool and dry. Even though his words had seemed to slip away, his grip was firm and sure. Tessa needed that reassurance as they walked into the front room.
    Her dad set his newspaper on the coffee table as he slid glasses up over his head. “So you’re Nell’s nephew we hear so much about,” he said, coming to his feet.
    Chad smiled that small, crooked little smile he seemed to have for his aunt. “Yes, I am. I’m surprised we’ve never met. I think I’ve met everyone else in the family.”
    Her dad nodded. “Yes, this is usually the busiest time of the year for the paper with all the celebrations and events. We’ll be writing local articles for months.”
    “It’s encouraging to know your paper seems to be thriving when so many others are failing.”
    “Well, we’re not out of the woods completely, but we learned a long time ago to focus on the local events and folks. If you want to know what’s really exciting, my nephew has been working on increasing our