Part of the One Touch, One Glance Romance Anthology coming to Freya’s Bower.com December 9, 2008
Do two wrong guys and a pair of pink mittens spell doom for Lana’s love life, or will a kiss under the Christmas stars prove that love was right under her nose?
Midway through the party, Lana received her bonus and was extremely pleased with the amount. Alone, she stood in a corner, sipping spiked punch and nibbling a sugar-sprinkled cookie. What was keeping Derek? It was time to leave for the skating pond; several co-workers had already left the party. A few stragglers by the door debated about the stock market during Christmas, and, clustered round the Christmas tree, the wallflowers discussed something about plans for New Year’s. Worried and sensing the worst, Lana grabbed her things and hurried out to the smoker’s area to see if Derek had left the building.
Cars pulled out of the icy parking lot. Down the street, the traffic light blinked from red to green and back again. Lana picked her way across the pavement toward Derek’s Mustang. A filigree of frost had spread across the windshield and the passenger’s side. She checked the driver’s door and found it unlocked. Maybe she’d get lucky and find the keys in it too. That way, she could listen to music with the heater on while she waited for Derek and Melody to come out. Surely they would realize she wasn’t in the office and come looking for her.
Sliding behind the steering wheel, Lana shut the door. Damn. No keys. Come to think of it, she recalled Derek slipping them into his coat pocket. Headlights swept the Mustang’s interior. A disturbing thought flittered through her brain, and Lana twisted to look out the rearview window. Many of the employees had carpooled to the farm and would pick up their vehicles later. She hoped that Derek and Melody hadn’t carpooled to the farm without her.
She started to get out of the car, but something in the backseat caught her attention.
Her mouth dropped open. Pain stabbed her gut.
A pair of fuzzy, pink mittens.
Oh, no. Not again.
“I can’t seem to find my pink mittens anywhere. I just wore them yesterday.”
Furious, she stepped out of the car and slammed the door-hard. How could she be so stupid again?
Determined to find Derek and confront him, Lana stormed across the parking lot. As she passed the side entrance to the building, a giggle erupted from the breezeway where the janitors had curtained it off to keep the wind from drifting snow there. She paused and backtracked. Dread pooled in her heart. She peeped around the edge of the tarpaulin, sensing the worst.