Driving Me to Christmas (London Loves Book 5) by Julie Farrell Read Free Book Online Page B

said. “To welcome you back to the UK. I chose it myself. I hope you like it.”
    Verlaine handed the boutique bag to his mother and she glowed with gratitude. “Why, thank you, Sam. How sweet.”
    “It’s to keep you warm while you’re here!” Sam said.
    Patty took the bag from Verlaine and started to undo it. Sam’s gaze fell upon the bag’s logo and she braced herself to be thanked and hugged. The store she’d got the scarf from was expensive and Sam was certain Patty would recognise the label. Excited pride puffed in her chest; glad she’d finally done something right.
    But, wait a minute, why was the bag in Patty’s hands emblazoned with the logo of the lingerie store? Oh no ! Terror twisted in Sam’s chest and she opened her mouth to prevent the impending disaster. But it was too late. Patty had already reached inside and pulled out…
    “A negligee?”
    Sam felt the blush begin in her toes, spread up through her body, and radiate from her cheeks, burning them painfully. Verlaine threw her a baffled look. She closed her eyes, hoping to dissolve into nothingness.
    Laughter shot out of Rebecca. “That’s awesome!”
    Jim inspected the lacy material. “It’s not gonna keep you very warm, is it, hon?”
    “I’m sure it’ll look very nice,” Rebecca said. “It’s beautiful.”
    “It was supposed to be a scarf,” Sam muttered. “Verlaine gave you the wrong bag.”
    Patty was staring at the negligee with her mouth open, as if it was a used-condom. She composed herself, then forced a strained laugh. “It’s okay, Sam. Obviously it’s a misunderstanding. A woman of my age couldn’t get away with wearing such a sexy thing!”
    “Oh,” Sam said. “I think you look amazing for a woman in her sixties.”
    Patty’s grin froze. “I’m fifty-five.”
    Sam’s life unravelled before her and exploded. Someone find me a cliff to jump off! Oh yes, there’s one behind me, isn’t there. Perhaps the sea will take me.
    Rebecca’s sweet voice pulled Sam out of her melodramatic thoughts. “Why don’t we all go inside and grab some coffee, huh? It’s freezing out here.”
    “Good idea,” Jim said. “Then we can get going to the gunpowder mill.”
    Rebecca put her arm around Jim’s shoulders. “Awesome. Well, I’ll gladly make some lunch before we go if everyone’s hungry? I’ve smuggled over a box of taco shells, cuz apparently you can’t buy them here. I thought it would be nice for Verlaine to get a taste of home.”
    Sam opened her mouth to say this was Verlaine’s home.
    “Sounds swell,” Verlaine said. “Thanks, Bex.”
    Verlaine grabbed his and Sam’s luggage from the back of the car, then strolled inside with his parents, chatting animatedly about all the exciting things they planned to do this afternoon.
    Feeling abandoned, Sam propelled herself into life and decided to find Patty’s scarf. She leaned in the car and grabbed the bag off the floor, where it must’ve slipped thanks to the bumpy ride. Sam wondered whether she should give it to her over lunch. Or would she just end up humiliating herself even more?
    She stood up straight, then recoiled as she discovered Rebecca standing in front of her, smiling.
    “Hi, Sam,” she said.
    Sam fondled the door, again using it as a shield. “Hi.”
    “I just wanted to say, don’t worry about your faux pas. I’m sure Patty and Jim will forgive you. They’re such nice people.”
    “Yeah, I’m sure they will.” Sam smiled, trying to be polite.
    “Shall we go inside?” Rebecca said. “I’d love to get to know you better. I really hope we can be the best of friends.”
    “Um. Okay.”
    The sound of footsteps crunching across the gravel driveway caught Sam’s attention, and she glanced over to see a tall woman dressed in long black dress heading this way. Her hair was scraped back into a severe bun, and Sam wondered whether this was one of the resident ghosts.
    “Oh, here comes my mother,” Rebecca said.
    Ellie drifted over to