Maybe This Christmas. Sarah Morgan

around the kitchen.”

      “You love being busy.” Kayla stepped onto the machine next to her, her phone still in her other hand.

      Brenna exchanged a glance with Élise, who simply raised her eyes to the ceiling and gave a Gallic shrug.

      “She was born with the phone attached to her hand. Sometimes I think for Kayla, her phone is more important than her heart. It keeps the blood flowing. If she puts it down, part of her dies.”

      “Put the phone away, Kayla,” Brenna said mildly, “or you’ll have a horrible accident.”

      “And then blood would truly be flowing.” Élise slowed her pace and reached for her water. “And my Sean, he is very busy today already, so he will not have time to put your bones back together if they are crunched by a treadmill.”

      Kayla shuddered. “That is disgusting.”

      “It is his job.”

      “I know what his job is. I don’t need details.”

      “Sometimes I think our jobs have many similarities.” Élise put the water bottle down. “We both spend our day dealing with bones and raw meat.”

      “Oh, please.” Kayla turned green, and Brenna smiled.

      “She’s doing it on purpose to wind you up. She’s laughing at you.”

      “She won’t be laughing when I lose my breakfast over her feet. I am so glad I don’t live in your house, Élise. I wouldn’t want to be present for your end of workday conversations.”

      “You think we waste our time together talking about work? We are both passionate about what we do, but when we finish, that is it. Sometimes we don’t talk at all. We just have sex.”

      “Too much information.” Kayla grabbed the remote and turned up the music then realized it was French and turned it down with a disgusted sound.

      Élise turned it up again. “You are so uptight. What is wrong with sex?”

      “I never said there was anything wrong with it. I just don’t understand your need to talk about it all the time.”

      “Why not? Sex is a perfectly normal, healthy thing. And the O’Neil men are all very physical, sexual men. The moment Sean walks through that door, he stops thinking about his day.” Élise gave a naughty smile. “Last night we—”

      “No!” Kayla covered her ears with her hands. “Brenna, stop her! She listens to you.”

      Brenna glanced at Élise, envying the ease with which she talked about sex, and envying her relationship with Sean. How would it feel to come home to someone you loved at night instead of an empty house? How must it feel to know that the person you loved, loved you back? You wouldn’t have to hide it, or hold it in. You wouldn’t have to dig your nails into your palms to stop you from reaching out and touching.

      Kayla was clearly still in work mode. “Élise, I know you were thinking of closing the Boathouse for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but if we’re full, I think you might need to keep it open.”

      Élise was running fast again, her dark hair brushing her jaw. “Are you telling me how to manage my restaurants?”

      “I’m telling you our guest numbers have doubled.” Strolling on the treadmill, Kayla was still checking emails on her phone. “They’re going to need to be fed. I see an opportunity.”

      “I see a nervous breakdown.” Out of breath, Élise stabbed a button on the machine and slowed down. “I will need to hire extra staff for the Christmas week.”