“Man, the one time I had a parental figure rooting for me, and it backfired. Just my luck.”
With a crow of triumph, Natalie pulled out a string of Italian sausages encased in plastic. “Straight from the best Italian deli in Chicago. We’re definitely not starving tonight.”
He whistled as she unearthed more treats from her luggage. A small creamy wheel of brie. A box of rum raisin chocolates. A jar of hot mustard from Australia.
“I’m thinking this is the best Christmas Eve ever,” he joked as she finally closed her bag with a long exhale. “A lot better than the traditional pizza and cookies at the Last Chance open house.”
She smiled at him as they set about opening packages and unscrewing jar lids. “All I ask is that we save some of everything for Granny.”
She handed him the sausage and
