The Valentine Grinch by Sheila Seabrook Read Free Book Online Page A

father up to
wake you.”
    “I’m off to grab Dane and then we’ll get the car
cleaned and decorated.”
    Her mom set aside the utensils, turned on the tap
and rinsed her hands. “Well, what do you think?”
    Rich creamy icing coated the four layers. Her mom
had added blush pink roses and wisps of green leaves. “It’s
gorgeous. You have a real talent for cake decorating.”
    “I do, don’t I?” With a satisfied smile, she turned
off the tap, grabbed a hand towel and faced Amanda. Her eyes
widened. “Wow, don’t you look nice today.”
    “It’s nothing, just old jeans and a shirt.”
    “But the makeup and hair. I mean, you always look
nice, honey, but today you look...” Her mom’s eyes narrowed, and
she leaned forward and sniffed. “Are you wearing perfume?”
    Amanda felt her face get warm. “Just a squirt.”
    “Mmmm.” Giving Amanda the once over again, she
turned back to the sink and started washing up the dishes. “The
decorations are all laid out for you.”
    “I know. I already ran into
Grandma. Is she ever going to put down that urn?”
    “I don’t know, but that’s not the issue right now.
The big Valentine heart with Elvira and Morty goes on the front of
the car, of course. And the tiny pink flowers can be placed in neat
rows from the front to the back.” She pointed to the cake and over
her shoulder, flashed a grin. “It took me two weeks of
experimenting to get it right, but now the color matches the roses
on the cake just perfectly.”
    “Mom, you have too much time on my hands.”
    “Well, if I had grandchildren. Just saying,
honey.”
    With a laugh, Amanda leaned forward, gave her mom a
peck on the cheek and headed out of the kitchen. “I’m heading over
to Dane’s right now so we can get the car done before lunch.”
    “If you’re looking for your dad or me, we’re taking
Elvira and Morty downtown to pick up their wedding attire. See you
later, honey.”
    At the front door, Amanda hesitated.
    What if Dane was still pissed?
    What if his Valentine’s note meant nothing?
    What if she chickened out and never found out? She’d
always wonder, always regret what might have been.
    The beginning of a headache pinched between her
brows. Ignoring it, she pulled on her jacket and boots, and while
she marched across the street and pounded on Dane’s front door, she
shored up her determination.
    No matter how sweet or how mad he was, she wasn’t
leaving without some kind of answer.
    Amanda leaned one shoulder against the door and
pounded on the wood again. “Damn it, Dane, open up.”
    The door opened and she caught her breath.
    He was wearing nothing more than water droplets on
his chest and a towel around his hips. Judging by the grim light in
his eyes and the tightness around his mouth, he was still
pissed.
    “Go away, Grinch.”
    They’d been friends for far too long to ruin it over
her grandpa’s threat to haunt her for the rest of her life. Just in
case Dane decided to slam the door in her face, she shoved her
booted foot into the opening. Words escaped her before she could
censor them. “I’m sorry for ruining supper last night. For not
reading your note the moment you gave it to me. Please forgive me?
You know I’m an idiot when it comes to Valentine’s Day.”
    “Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you
tried to ruin our grandparents’ wedding.”
    Okay, so he wasn’t pushing her out the door. Yet.
She shouldered her way inside and as the door clicked shut behind
her, she turned to face him. “I’m not trying to ruin their wedding.
Or at least, I don’t want to.”
    His frustration was evident in the tone of his
voice. “Then what’s going on?”
    Would he believe her if she told him about Grandpa
George? She studied him, fresh from the shower, his hair still wet,
his nipples pebbled from the chill of the outside temperature. A
bead of water ran down his chest, over his washboard abs, and
headed south toward the towel. A pleasant flush started deep in