Snow Flakes (Burnt Ashes #0.5) by K.E Taylor Read Free Book Online

coming…but Logan will be here in a little while.” My stomach clenches. Logan left with some floozy last night. He never commented on my outfit, either…the prick. I was sure I was going to get some kind of a reaction from him.
    Trying to cover my reaction, I say, “Lola is going to be over in a bit, too. I don’t think any of my other girlfriends will be, though.”
    Braden pauses in his peeling.
    “What is it?” I ask.
    “I…I don’t know if Lola will be coming.”
    “What? Why?”
    “I may have told her we need a break,” he says quietly, getting back to peeling. His pocket starts to vibrate. Casually, he wipes his hands on his pants before reaching in and grabbing his phone.
    “Braden, do we need to talk about you shitting on my friends?” Okay, that was a bit of a strong word, seeing as I don’t really think of her as a friend. I just think of her and Braden as an item. She is crazy about him, and I like that. The idea of my brother being with someone so head-over-heels for him makes me happy.
    He held up a finger to me, hushing me, while he spoke quietly into his phone, his face serious. A minute later, he hangs up and says, “I have to go.”
    “What’s wrong?” I ask, a little freaked out. Whenever I see my brother like this, it’s never good news. Harsh memories from the past start to sink in, as there is a knocking at the door.
    “I’ll get it,” he says, slipping his jacket and a scarf back on. There are a few mumbled tones and in walks Lola. She is smiling like nothing happened, coming right over to me in the kitchen.
    “Hey, Kayla,” she says, offering a sober smile.
    “Hey…” I say, a little confused. Braden made it sound like he told her to go take a hike, but here she was. Maybe he was just messing with me? Ugh… Fuck knows. My brother’s sense of humour is an odd one.
    “Do you know where Braden just went?” I ask her.
    “Trey is in jail,” she says, sounding cheery. “Do you need a hand with that turkey?”
    “Hang on… What? He’s in jail?”
    Lola shrugs, then takes off her coat and cotton mitts, setting them in a neat pile on the counter. “What was Braden doing?” she asks.
    “I guess going to get Trey,” I say, feeling a little shaken.
    “No. I mean, what was he helping with?” I nod toward the sink, and she smiles, heading over to the sink to finish up the potatoes.
    “I love Christmas, don’t you?” she says. I think she is speaking to me, but she may well have just been saying it to herself.
    “Yeah. Christmas used to be my favourite time of the year,” I say.
    She sets out her iPod and presses PLAY, rolls up the sleeves on her white woolly jumper, and gets to work. Bing Crosby starts singing in his sultry tone, while Lola carries on Braden’s job of peeling. She is an odd one, but I appreciate the music. It gives me the courage to tackle the turkey. I can’t remember if the heat is high enough…325 ° F or 450 ° F? Fuck it. Better to be safe than sorry. I throw a sprig of rosemary on top because, well…aren’t you supposed to? I use about ten metres of foil entombing the thing before finally shutting the door. Okay, six hours…enough time to figure out if I have doomed us all to food poisoning.
    Just as I want to sit back and think about everything else that has to be done, there is a frantic knocking at the door. I start to move for it, leaving Lola humming to herself with the potato peeler, when the door is flung open and in scampers a shivering, cross-dressing version of Logan Dale. I swear to god, I had a dream about this once.
    “Uh…Logan? Care to explain?”
    He is hugging his hands to his chest, his cheeks and nose rosy. He is wearing a pair of girl’s hot pants, a woman’s small t-shirt with a picture of a Nyan cat on it, and two different sized sandals. I have no idea what happened but, as much as it is jarring, it’s probably the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life.
    “P-p-please, Mac. I-I d-d-d-don’t w-w-want t-to