A Steele for Christmas by Brenda Jackson Read Free Book Online Page A

true love budding. Twenty years from now Tommy just might be Melissa’s husband. Don’t you know that’s what little boys do when they want to get little girls’ attention?”
    “Whatever. All I know is his hair pulling strategy is getting on my nerves.”
    Stacey couldn’t help but grin, grateful for Dee’s call. Her best friend was one of the few people who could get her out of a funk and she hated to admit she was definitely in one. Especially since it was past ten and Eli hadn’t been to her shop. In fact, he hadn’t dropped by in three days. She’d seen him stroll past without glancing her way. With a newspaper in his hand.
    The loss of sales didn’t bother her as much as the fact that after plying her lips off last Friday, he could so easily dismiss her.
    “I called to make sure you’re still coming to my parents’ anniversary party,” Dee said, reclaiming her attention.
    Stacey smiled thinking Dee’s parents were the greatest. Back in high school she had made their house her second home and whenever her aunt had to travel or work late, that was where Stacey would stay. “Of course I plan on being there,” she said, chuckling. It would be the couple’s fortieth year together and Dee and her two brothers were planning a celebration the first weekend in December. “Any reason I shouldn’t?”
    Dee paused longer than needed and Stacey suddenly felt the hairs on her neck stand up and wasn’t surprised when Dee said, “It seems Wallace is coming. And he’s bringing Gail with him.”
    Stacey leaned against the counter thinking about her ex-fiancé and her ex-friend. “Umm, in that case…”
    “Don’t you dare change your mind about coming, Stace. If Wallace and Gail being there will make you feel uncomfortable then I’ll talk to my parents about not—”
    “Don’t you dare talk to your parents.” Stacey knew the Lewises felt bad about how Wallace had treated her since they were the ones who’d introduced them. Wallace was the son of one of Mr. Lewis’s college friends who’d moved to Memphis. Since Dee had been dating some guy named Eric at the time, Mr. Lewis had introduced Wallace to Stacey. They hit it off immediately and the rest, like they say, was history.
    “Regardless of how Wallace treated me in the end, he’s still the son of your father’s close friend,” she said.
    “And you don’t care that he’ll be there with Gail?” Dee asked.
    “Of course I’ll care since the both of them deceived me, but I’ve gotten over it.” At least she tried convincing herself that she had—during her better days. Unfortunately, today wasn’t one of them and she blamed Eli Steele. The nerve of the man to kiss her senseless one day and treat her like she didn’t exist the next.
    “You know what you should do, Stace? What would serve both Wallace and Gail right?”
    She knew that tone of Dee’s. It meant she had a plan up her sleeve that would do neither of them any good. “No, what should I do?”
    “Show up with your own date, a hottie of the most intense kind. That would make Gail see that you’ve moved on to something a whole lot better.”
    Stacey laughed. She couldn’t help but like Dee’s idea. She would do it in a heartbeat if she had a date she could take to Memphis with her. “That sounds like a plan but I don’t have a date, especially one who’s a hottie.” She quickly pushed the vision of Eli Steele from her mind.
    “What about one of those hot-looking guys that were at Cohen’s birthday party? There were plenty of them and one group in particular I vividly recall were those guys with the green eyes. You said they were brothers and close friends of Cohen.”
    Stacey smiled, remembering Dee’s interest in the “Bad News” Steeles that night. Her friend had flown in for Cohen’s party and had seen Eli and his brothers. Like her, Dee had spent most of the evening salivating over what gorgeous hunks they were. Never had she been to a gathering with so much fine