Free Twist of Fate (A Holiday Romance Novella) by Rachael Anderson

glanced at Kenzie. “So I noticed. Don’t worry, Kenz, she only does it because she cares. Right, Mom?”
    “That’s right. I’m glad to see you’re finally beginning to understand.”
    Huh. Not exactly the point he was trying to make. Ty frowned, while the corners of Kenzie’s mouth tugged up. He suddenly felt like they were on a teeter-totter with his mom doing the pushing. Up, Ty, down, Kenzie. Then up Kenzie, down Ty.
    But Kenzie was here, in his apartment—a place she obviously didn’t want to be.
    Up, Ty.
    It didn’t take long for Kenzie to warm up and get caught up in decorating his mother’s homemade gingerbread house. She ooh-ed and ah-ed over the stained, hard candy windows. Laughed at the story of Ty wanting to use candy corns and pumpkins as decorations one year. And used her artistic abilities to make the coolest gingerbread house ever. She lined the roof ridgeline with Hershey Kisses, rolled out gumdrops to make her own version of a wreath, and made a flagstone walkway out of broken candy wafers.
    After she’d added the last frosting icicle to the roof, they all sat back and admired their efforts.
    “That has to be the coolest gingerbread house ever,” said Ty. “I feel like we should put it on display in the foyer or something. Seems like such a waste to leave it here.”
    His mother walked to the kitchen, pulling down mugs from the cupboard. “Kenzie, I know you only have a few days left of school, but would you like it for your classroom?”
    “I was about to suggest the same thing, LouAnn,” Kenzie said. “The kids would love that.”
    His mother beamed. “I was hoping you’d say that. I even made an extra batch of gingerbread cookies that I put in Ty’s freezer. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind dropping by Monday afternoon during his lunch break to bring both the house and the cookies for the kids.” She shrugged. “And if you twist his arm, he might even bring some of those computer games he works so hard to create. I’m sure the kids would get a kick of actually playing them.” She shot Ty a meaningful look.
    Some of the apprehension from earlier reappeared on Kenzie’s face. “Oh, he doesn’t need to do that. I can take the cookies and the house.”
    “I don’t mind,” said Ty.
    She eyed him with a nervous expression. “Okay,” she finally said. “That would be great.”
    At least she didn’t say no.
    Ty glanced at his mom, not in the frustrating way he’d so often looked at her in the past, but in a grateful, how-did-you-do-that way. Not only had she managed to get Kenzie to spend the evening with them, she’d found a way for Ty to make up for his failure of a presentation.
    Thank you, Mom.
    In that moment, he realized something. In his mom’s mind, it wasn’t that she always had to be right. She sincerely believed that she knew what was best for Ty. And sometimes she did. Maybe if he tried to look beyond her controlling ways and discover what motivated them, he’d be able to understand her better. Maybe he’d even start to think of her as quirky instead of frustrating—the way Kenzie did.
    As his mom worked to clean up the kitchen, Ty caught Kenzie watching him. She quickly looked away and stood to help his mom, but for a few seconds Ty saw something that went beyond like and friendship. He saw longing.
    It made his night.
     

TY’S MOM WRAPPED her arms around him in a tight squeeze near the security section of the airport. “Don’t be a stranger now, you hear?”
    “I won’t,” he promised, patting her back before letting go. “Thanks for coming, Mom. Believe it or not, I’m really glad that you did.”
    She smiled, blinking quickly to hide the moisture pooling in her eyes. She reached to take her overnight bag from Ty. “I know you think I’m too opinionated for my own good, but whether you like it or not, I’m still going to leave you with one last piece of advice: Don’t let Kenzie slip away. She’s perfect for you.”
    For once they agreed on