Holly Jolly Read Online Free PDF Page A

his feet, but he was still laughing. "You okay?"
    "Yeah, I am." And I was. The fall hadn't even hurt my pride since Dane fell first. "You owe me some beer."
    He laughed. "That I do. Now let's see if either of us can stay on our feet long enough to make it all the way around the rink."
    "Deal."
    We did, barely. I crashed to the ice just as we passed our starting point. Dane pulled me up, managing to stay on his feet while he did so. We made another round, and another. The Christmas carols that usually irritated me, the piles of fake snow that I typically dismissed as wasteful nonsense, and the happy, smiling crowd that would have made me grumble on another night all combined with Dane's presence to make me warm and cozy despite the un-Louisiana-like chill coming off the ice. Possibly, I was experiencing Christmas cheer.
    * * * * *
    We skated for a couple of hours, long enough that I would have sore legs the next day, but it was worth it, more than worth it. Afterward, we took a walk along the river. After several minutes of comfortable silence—Dane truly seemed to understand quiet companionship—he asked, "What are you doing for Christmas?"
    I shrugged. "No plans really. I don't talk to my family anymore." I needed to confess my past, to have Dane understand what he was getting into if he wanted to see me again. I wanted to push him to decide right then whether I was too fucked up to bother with.
    We stopped walking and sat on a bench. Dane studied me for a few seconds before speaking. "You told me you'd never been out with a man, so I'm assuming the rift didn't happen because of your sexuality."
    I shook my head. "No, not that they'd accept it. They're fundamentalists, and they expect me to believe what they do. Unless I go to a church they approve of and pledge to follow what they believe is God's plan for my life, they refuse to even acknowledge me."
    "That's got to be hard." Dane laid a hand on my leg.
    "Not as hard as pretending I believe something I don't. I never really agreed with the things their church teaches, the judgmental attitude, the belief that God would punish you if you stepped out of line, a line their church created. After two years at a Christian college where I was punished for arguing with a professor, I applied for scholarships and loans and transferred to LSU. I haven't communicated with my family since. They send postcards occasionally, letting me know they're praying for me. Sometimes, I get those from other people in their church too." I leaned my head back on the bench and covered my face with my hands, realizing how long I'd been babbling. "I'm sorry, you probably don't want to hear all this."
    Dane caressed my thigh, his touch easing the tension in my chest. "I'm sorry about your family, and I want to hear whatever you want to tell me."
    "Listening to me whine is no way to spend Christmas Eve." I still couldn't look at him.
    "So you've got some crap you're dealing with. That isn't going to scare me away."
    How the hell did he know what I was thinking? "I didn't mean to spew all that." Finally, I opened my eyes. His expression was just as warm and caring as it had been while we skated.
    He brushed my hair back from my forehead. "I don't mind, truly."
    "Do you want to come home with me?" I asked, not actually sure I'd said the words out loud instead of letting them run on repeat in my head.
    He smiled. "I'd love to. We could watch a movie, help you catch up on things you may have missed."
    "I think I've finally watched all the Christmas movies necessary to give me a full understanding of the American commercialized Christmas nightmare."
    He laughed. "What about Die Hard ?"
    " Die Hard ? With Bruce Willis? How is that a Christmas movie?"
    Dane just shook his head. "I'm going to show you. Nothing puts me in the holiday mood quite like it."
    "Okay. Why not?" What wouldn't I try with him? Shelley's comment from our lunch came back to me and I coughed.
    "What's wrong?"
    "Nothing just thinking about