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Chapter One
Kendall
“Burr,” I shudderedas I stepped into the coffee shop. It was freezing outside, and winter had finally come to Georgia. That meant it was the perfect time for me to get warmed up with a cup of hot cocoa from my favorite cafe and read the latest book from Cassidy Stone.
I spent most of my weekends reading or working on school stuff for the week to come. This was a rare weekend where I actually took time to go shopping. I had to get something for my family members when I went home for Christmas, so I’d spent the morning looking for gifts.
Mom and Dad were easy to shop for, and not just because they would love anything I got them, but because they were truly easy to get a gift for. Mom liked anything sentimental, so I got her a big electric photo frame that I was going to load photos of hers and dad’s life together on there.
Kelsey, my older sister, she wasn’t so easy to shop for. I loved my sister, but our relationship was stained at best. We were polar opposites and constantly butted heads. I hated that we were so different and that we couldn’t get along, but it had been that way since junior high.
Before I went to the next store to figure out what exactly to get my big sister, I wanted to spend a few minutes diving into another world with a cup of hot chocolate and extra foamy whipped cream.
“Miss Porter.” I heard my name and looked up to a group of women surrounding a table in the corner. There were five of them crammed in the corner around the too small table, and I only recognized two of them. Olivia Blake’s stepmom of a few years and Bow Winchester’s new mom.
“Hi,” I offered a smile. “It’s so cold out there. Winter has come with a vengeance.”
“I know. Luckily the men stayed with the kids so we could come out and do some shopping. We decided to take a break, would you like to join us?” Serena Blake was about two years younger than me, she was a young mom, but she loved Olivia like her own and was always so nice and helpful if I needed anything in the class. She was always volunteering and as much as I wanted to say no, I couldn’t bring myself to decline the offer.
“Sure. Let me go place my order.” I quickly went to the counter and placed my order before returning to the corner where another chair had been dragged over. The women in the group all sized me up when I came back, and I kind of wondered what exactly they had been discussing when I went to go get my drink.
“Let me introduce you to everyone. Samantha, you know of course. This is my best friend Skylar.” She pointed to the young girl whose baby bump was on full display. The thin blonde looked like she was about to pop. “This is our friend Lexi and her best friend Paisley whose husband happens to be best friends with Samantha’s husband, Dax.”
“Nice to meet you all.” I smiled politely.
“We were just discussing the Christmas party at Deviance.”
“What’s Deviance?” I looked around at the women in the circle. They all seemed to know something I didn’t. I grew up in this town, but my circle was small. I was a loner by nature and spent more time in books than I did doing anything else. Probably the reason that at twenty-three I was still a virgin.
“How long have you lived here?” Paisley chuckled quietly.
“I’ve lived here most all my life, but I don’t really go out much. Pretty much work and home. I’m not a big fan of crowds.” I shrugged. “I always feel awkward around a lot of people.”
Samantha reached over and touched my arm, “Trust me, we all feel that way sometimes. You aren’t alone in that.”
“So, what is this Christmas Party you all were discussing? The only one I’m going to be going to is the one at school with the kids.”
