Once Upon a Fiery Christmas (Return to Avalore Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

even notice.” Katie reached over and pried Chantelle’s fingers from around her fork.
    She hadn’t noticed the grip with which she’d held it, until her fingers loosened and the circulation reached her fingertips again. “I’m fine. I think I need to have that talk with Sebastian after all.”
    “Eat your cake. You can talk to him after the chocolate infusion is done.” Katie settled back into her seat, continuing their earlier conversation without batting an eye. “I wish we could see the Santa parade. Rhia says it’s quite an event, although I can’t figure out why they do it in November instead of December. Seems to me that if they’re honoring that chubby man in a red suit, they’d do it at Christmas, not a month before the celebration.”
    “One would think.” Chantelle shrugged and polished off the rest of her cake. Of all confections, this was her absolute favorite, and she had to restrain herself from licking the sticky frosting from her plate. “All right, so what else can we do to make this thing special for Rhia? I think we have the tree covered. I mean, I don’t actually have one, but now that I know what we need, it’ll be easy to get one.”
    Katie tapped her fork on her bottom lip. “We need to find out what kind of food and drink they serve at these get-togethers. Surely, it’s not every day fare.”
    “Of course. You’re right. Perhaps some of the men who have been to the lands of humans can give us some insight. I’ll start questioning them tomorrow.”
    “And we’ll have to ask Barbara and Clayton Matthews if they would mind if we included Max. We can put a few gifts under the tree for him.” Katie’s excitement vibrated around them both.
    “Yes. I’m certain they wouldn’t mind.” Chantelle clapped her hands, her own joy climbing. “We’ll go shopping and wrap the gifts in bright paper and bows.”
    A sharp knock rapped at the door. “Are you expecting anyone?”
    Katie dashed from the room before Chantelle could respond to her question, unabashed about answering her friend’s door.
    The moment the door opened, her heart rate spiked. Sebastian. She would recognize his energy anywhere. She couldn’t hear the words, but the low rumble of his voice following Katie’s softer greeting reached for her and was getting louder.
    “Hi.” She nibbled on her lower lip and forced herself to keep his gaze.
    “If this isn’t a good time, I can come back later, or tomorrow.” Once he entered the kitchen, he didn’t spare Katie a second glance.
    “I was just leaving.” Katie snatched her bag from the table. “Let me know if you need another dose of chocolate later.” One tight hug later, she retreated to the front of the house and out the door.
    “I didn’t mean to chase your friend away.”
    “It’s fine. Can I get you something to drink?” She stacked the plates in the sink to wash later.
    “A glass of water would be great.”
    The fork she was rinsing slipped from her fingers and made a loud clank in the sink. “Uh, yeah, no problem.”
    Other than the one meal they’d shared, he didn’t usually stick around long enough to have a drink of water or anything else for that matter. In fact, he had never come by without an express invitation.
    Sebastian traced a finger down the side of the glass she had set before him. He stared at its contents as though it were the most fascinating thing in the world. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for what happened this afternoon.”
    As embarrassed as she’d been, she didn’t want him beating himself up over it. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have come on to you like I did.” She waited until he looked up at her before continuing, “I’d still love your help with Rhia’s surprise, but I’d understand if you’d rather not.” As much as it hurt, she’d rather have him as a friend than not have him at all. If pasting a smile on her face and pretending her heart didn’t have any bruises would make it possible, she’d