Free Driving Me to Christmas (London Loves Book 5) by Julie Farrell Page A

okay?”
    Verlaine propelled himself out of the spotlight and over to the counter, where he flicked on the kettle.
    “How’s Sam’s headache now?” Ellie asked.
    “Um, I think she’s feeling better.”
    “Yes. It sure sounded like it.”
    “Best painkillers known to humanity,” Scott muttered.
    “Maybe we should all go out for a nice winter walk,” Paul suggested.
    Verlaine grabbed a teabag and chucked it in a mug. “You can.”
    Ellie sat up tall. “I think Sam should come down here and apologise.”
    Scott glared at her. “Are you serious? She hasn’t done anything wrong. Sex is just a natural thing for people enjoy – including women, believe it or not!”
    Ellie decapitated Scott with a stern glare. “I’m actually referring to the fact that she lied to us about having a headache. Just so she could stay here and have… intercourse.”
    Scott burst into giggles. Verlaine caught Paul’s eye and they both smirked.
    Ellie huffed. “You really need to grow up, young man!”
    Scott leaned towards her. “Well maybe you need to stop being–”
    “That’s enough, Scott,” Paul said. “Everyone just needs to calm down and keep this in perspective.”
    “Yeah,” Patty said. “It’s no biggie. I’m sure we’ll all be laughing about this later.”
    Rebecca stood up. “I agree.”
    Everyone watched as she floated over to join Verlaine at the granite counter.
    “I think we should try to understand things from Sam’s point of view,” Rebecca said. “We mustn’t forget that Verlaine is a very desirable man with an insatiable sexual appetite.”
    Verlaine picked up the mug of tea. “Am I?”
    “Yes. Is that Sam’s tea?”
    “Sure is.”
    “I’ll take it up for her.”
    “What? Why?”
    “When she finds out what we’ve all heard she’ll be devastated. I’d like to let her know everything’s fine – I think she’s in need of some sisterly solidarity at the moment.”
    Verlaine shook his head. “It’s really okay, Bex, I’m sure she’d want to see me at a time like this.”
    Rebecca eased the mug from his fingers. “Look, I just want to assure her that she needn’t be embarrassed. It’ll mean more to her coming from me – woman to woman. If you go up and tell her what we heard, I’m sure she won’t believe you if you say we don’t mind. But if it comes from me, well, she’ll appreciate me taking her side. You see?”
    “I’m not sure. Why don’t you just wait until she –?”
    “Yes,” Ellie said. “Get her to come down here and apologise.”
    Patty intervened. “Sam hasn’t really done anything wrong, Ellie. We mustn’t overreact. Maybe a nice walk would be a good idea as Paul suggested.”
    “She lied barefaced to your face,” Ellie said.
    “Too many faces in that sentence,” Scott said. “And Sam was probably compelled to lie to get away from you !”
    “Well, really!”
    “Scott,” Paul said. “Don’t waste your breath. She’s already made up her mind she doesn’t like Sam.”
    Verlaine leapt in before Paul, Scott, and Ellie could start their own side-argument.
    “Ellie,” Verlaine said. “Sam’s a good person. She just didn’t wanna get dragged around the gunpowder mill. And neither did I. Sorry, dad, but it’s not exactly thrilling stuff, is it?”
    Ellie and Jim both started speaking at the same time, and Verlaine tried to bat them down. He felt his heart twist with sadness at how his baby was going to react when she found out what they’d all just heard, and he knew a cup of tea wouldn’t be enough to fix everything this time. Speaking of tea…
    He turned to tell Rebecca to leave Sam alone for now. But she’d gone.

Chapter Eight
     
    Sam leaned against the plump feather pillows, swimming in the glorious feelings of her post-orgasmic glow. She grinned. Verlaine was the loveliest man she’d ever met. A surge of happiness flooded into her chest. Thing were never as bad as they seemed, were they? This house was okay really. And Verlaine’s