“Um.” I reined in my curiosity and refocused. “Yeah. Spider took them down for me as soon as we got here.”
Dermott leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “Okay. Then let’s get the hell out of here while we’ve still got a few hours of Christmas Eve left. Monday is Boxing Day so if nothing else blows up between now and then, we’ll do a briefing Tuesday morning at nine with Stemp.”
We abandoned the office with alacrity and Dermott strode off down the hall. As he vanished into the stairwell, Spider turned to me with a grin. “And we’ve got a party to go to!”
The others began to drift away, and inspiration illuminated Spider’s eyes. “Hey, wait, hang on.” He turned his buoyant smile on them. “I know it’s really short notice, but can you guys come? Linda and I would love to have you. The more the merrier.”
Jack’s smile bloomed. “Thank you, I’d love to! My ex has the kids until tomorrow and I always feel blue spending Christmas Eve alone.”
“Beats the hell out of watching TV in a hotel room,” Germain seconded. “Thanks!”
Kane hesitated. “I appreciate the invitation, but my dad flew into Calgary this morning. He’s visiting with Arnie now, and I was planning to drive back there tonight to join them. ”
“Your dad would probably prefer that you got some rest.” Jack shot a pointed glance at Kane’s bandaged head. “It would be nearly ten by the time you got there anyway. You should take it easy tonight and leave in the morning instead.”
Kane grimaced. “Is there an echo in here? That’s exactly what he said at the hospital before we left.”
Jack laughed. “You should listen to your dad. And to me.”
Kane shrugged, smiling. “All right. I know when I’m outnumbered.”
“Great, then let’s go!” Spider beamed at us and we all turned to head for the stairs.
Under cover of the general exodus, I slipped the small velvet sack into his hand. He blew out a long breath. “Thanks, Aydan. Thanks for everything. For getting my job back. For keeping the ring safe…”
I grimaced. “Safe isn’t the word I would have used. I hope you’re going to put it back in the box. The velvet still smells like smoke.”
“I will. I have the box with me.” He turned wide hazel eyes on me. “I’m so… I feel like I’m going to explode, I’m so excited. And scared. Maybe this was a dumb idea. Maybe I should have proposed in private.” His lips trembled. “What if she says no?”
“She won’t.” I squeezed his shoulders. “Come on, let’s go do it. Then you can enjoy the party.”
The festivities were already under way when we arrived. Lights and garlands brightened the small living room, and a decorated Christmas tree sparkled in the corner. Spider’s two boisterous older sisters circulated, offering cups of eggnog and singing along to the Christmas carols on the stereo. His parents smiled in the background while a group of young people I didn’t recognize bantered noisily.
Lola greeted me with a hug, wearing a spangled blue sweater almost as bright as the Christmas tree. Another couple about my age nodded and smiled a greeting from behind her, and I recognized Linda and Lola’s fine bones in the diminutive woman. I surmised they were Linda’s parents, but Spider didn’t give us time to chat.
He leaned down to whisper in Lola’s ear, and a moment later she stuck two fingers in her mouth and let fly with a whistle that could have summoned cabs all the way from New York.
Silence fell, and Lola shouted, “Hey, Linda, where are you?”
“Here, I’m here.” Linda emerged from the kitchen, looking like a teenager playing Mrs. Santa in a red-and-white ruffled apron and a Santa hat perched at a jaunty angle on her shiny dark hair. Her smile sought Spider as always, and she scooted across the room to insert herself under his arm. “What’s up?”
Spider gently disengaged his arm and turned to face her. “Well…” He was trembling visibly, his face pale. “I… I tried and tried to think of some way to make this special…”
Linda sobered, her eyes widening.
“I thought about all kinds of fancy ways to do this,” Spider continued. “But…” He gestured at the room full of people and decorations. The Christmas carols were the only sound in the silence. “This is what’s really special.” His voice trembled, and he swallowed audibly. “Family… and friends… and you.”
He sank down on one knee, extracting the ring box, and a faint ‘aaah’ whispered from the watchers. Linda’s eyes began to fill.
“Will you share it with me?” Spider gazed earnestly at her. “Forever?”
She was already starting to nod when he opened the box and offered it to her. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes! Yes-yes-yes!” She flung herself at him.
He let out a yelp and overbalanced, landing on his butt on the floor. Linda pounced, smothering him with kisses, and a shout of laughter rose to the ceiling.
“Yippee! That’s my little brother! And my new sister!” Spider’s sister bounced to her knees to fling her arms around both of them.
“Dogpile!” The second sister landed atop the heap.
Laughter and shouts of congratulations rocked the small house, and in the bedlam I quietly ignored the vibration of my waist pouch. I knew who was calling me. Archibald Rankin and Fuzzy Bunny could wait.
Kane grinned beside me, and we all joined in the applause when the ring was finally extracted from its box and fitted on Linda’s finger to be duly admired.
“Mistletoe!” One of the irrepressible sisters pointed ceilingward.
There was mistletoe indeed. Lots of it, scattered in various places throughout the room. Smooching ensued, and I relaxed into the almost-palpable joy. In a quieter corner, I noticed Jack and Germain taking advantage of the tradition, and I nudged Kane and inclined my head in their direction.
He smiled. “That’s nice to see. Germain’s been on his own for a long time.” His gaze met mine and he sobered, but the smile still lingered in his eyes. “Merry Christmas, Aydan.”
I moved just a bit nearer. Not touching, but close enough so I could feel his warmth.
“Merry Christmas,” I whispered.
A Request
Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed this book, I’d really appreciate it if you’d take a moment to review it online. If you’ve never reviewed a book before, I have a couple of quick videos at http://www.dianehenders.com/reviews that will walk you through the process.
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Books in the NEVER SAY SPY series:
Book 1: Never Say Spy
Book 2: The Spy Is Cast
Book 3: Reach For The Spy
Book 4: Tell Me No Spies
Book 5: How Spy I Am
Book 6: A Spy For A Spy
Book 7: Spy, Spy Away
Book 8: To be released Spring/Summer 2014
Humour by Diane Henders
Probably Inappropriate
Definitely Inappropriate
Totally Inappropriate (to be released Spring 2014)
More books coming!
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About Me
By profession, I’m a technical writer, computer geek, and ex-interior designer. I’m good at two out of three of these things. I had the sense to quit the one I sucked at.
To deal with my mid-life crisis, I also write adventure novels featuring a middle-aged female protagonist. And I kickbox.
This seemed more productive than indulging in more typical mid-life crisis activities like getting a divorce, buying a Harley Crossbones, and cruising across the country picking up men in sleazy bars. Especially since it’s winter most of the months of the year here.
It’s much more comfortable to sit at my computer. And hell, Harleys are expensive. Come to think of it, so are beer and gasoline.
Oh, and I still love my husband. There’s that. I’ll stick with the writing.
Diane Henders
Since You Asked...
People frequently ask if my protagonist, Aydan Kelly, is really me.
Yeah, you got me. These novels are an autobiography of my secret life as a government agent, working with highly-classified computer technology… Oh, wait, what’s that? You want the truth? Um, you do realize fiction writers get paid to lie, don’t you?
…well, shit, that’s not nearly as much fun. It’s also a long story.
I swore I’d never write fiction. “Too personal,” I said. “People read novels and automatically assume the author is talking about him/herself.”
Well, apparently I lied about the fiction-writing part. One day, a story sprang into my head and wouldn’t leave. The only way to get it out was to write it down. So I did.
But when I wrote that first book, I never intended to show it to anyone, so I created a character that looked like me just to thumb my nose at the stereotype. I’ve always had a defective sense of humour, and this time it turned around and bit me in the ass.
Because after I’d written the third novel, I realized I actually wanted other people to read my books. And when I went back to change my main character to not look like me, my beta readers wouldn’t let me. They rose up against me and said, “No! Aydan is a tall woman with long red hair and brown eyes. End of discussion!”
Jeez, no wonder readers get the idea that authors write about themselves. So no, I’m not Aydan Kelly. I just look like her.
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