Mistletoe & Molly by Jennifer Snow Read Free Book Online Page A

sight. He was careful who he introduced to his family. He’d suspected Molly would be a hit.
    “Did you two slow pokes have fun?” Samantha asked as they approached.
    “It was awesome.” Josh signed. “Uncle Aiden even let me drive.”
    Aiden swatted his nephew’s head. “You weren’t supposed to tell.”
    “You let him drive?!” Samantha gave her brother a stern look.
    “Only in an empty ice rink parking lot.” Aiden held his hands up in defense of the verbal lashing he was about to get.
    “He’s eight.”
    “He’s a good driver.” Aiden chuckled. He rubbed his sister’s arm. “Don’t be mad. I promised him last week if we found an empty, big parking lot he could drive the Land Rover.”
    “Can I drive home?” Josh asked his mother.
    “No.” She signed. “Look what you started.” She waved an accusatory finger at her brother.
    He shrugged and grinned.
    “Well that’s the last of them.” Molly sorted the last few items into their designated bins. She smiled at Aiden.
    It was unexpected, and his tongue didn’t work as he looked at her pretty pink lips and flushed cheeks.
    “So, I guess I should be going…” She looked at her watch.
    Aiden felt a jab in his ribs from his sister.
    She nodded in Molly’s direction.
    “Oh…right...Molly, Samantha is having a dinner party…well it’s actually a poker night…just a few friends…”
    Samantha rolled her eyes and interjected. “We would love for you to join us tonight for poker and martinis. We do it once a month.”
    “Oh I can’t…”
    “Please!” Josh signed.
    “Yeah, please!” Aiden mimicked the puppy dog face his nephew sported.
    Molly paused, speechless as she looked from one sad face to the other. She laughed. “Fine…okay, but only because of you.” She tousled Josh’s hair.
    “Great. I can pick you up around seven?” Aiden asked, helping her slide into her coat.
    “No, that’s okay. It’s probably out of your way. I’ll meet you there.” She moved away from him and buttoned the coat.
    What a stubborn woman . At least she agreed to go. Small steps. “Okay,” he agreed.
    After jotting down Samantha’s address and promising once again she’d be there, Molly left.
    “I can see why you’re so infatuated with her.” Samantha turned to face her brother, who had busied himself with the toys.
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Aiden refused to meet his sister’s gaze. “It was your idea to invite her tonight.”
    “Only because I was afraid my bumbling idiot of a brother would let her leave without asking her out again.” Samantha took a doll from the box, tagged it with a pink ribbon, and placed it in the appropriate bin.
    “Molly and I are…friends…sort of.” He knew his sister could see through him, but he wasn’t ready to admit his feelings for Molly just yet. In truth, he struggled to define them himself. She frustrated him. She had turned his life upside down and flat out refused to give him a chance. His mind wandered to her more than he cared to admit, and the sight of her made his heart ache with a longing he didn’t recognize. No woman had ever had such an effect.
    “For a friend , she knew very little about you.” Samantha assembled a cardboard box and tagged it with a blue sticker.
    “What did you tell her?” Aiden stopped placing toys and studied his sister’s innocent expression.
    “Not much.” She shrugged, avoiding his stare.
    “Samantha…”
    “Hey, you let my son drive,” she countered.
    “Don’t change the subject. What did you tell her?”
    “Nothing really. Just about how you took care of us after Mom and Dad died. She was surprised and impressed. I got the feeling she had a skewed view of who you are, and I’m willing to bet it’s your fault,” she accused, folding her arms across her chest.
    “My fault?”
    “Yes. Uncle Bob told me you paid for her winter tires, and she mentioned you helped secure her intern position at Rollins and Clarke.”
    “She