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The driver stopped at the Leon estate’s imposing gate.

Alex popped out and extended her hand to Charlotte.

“Ready?”

No .

Slipping inside the house with their shoes in their hands, Charlotte felt like a teenager sneaking in to avoid getting in trouble. In a house so huge, she doubted they were at risk of being heard, but they moved carefully anyway.

Their room, Charlotte’s sore feet were dismayed to discover, was on the third floor. They could’ve taken an elevator, but it was close to Alex’s parents’ bedroom on the first floor and potentially noisy.

“Is this real life?” Charlotte joked when Alex opened a set of double doors exposing a lavish suite bigger than most two-bedroom apartments.

Alex chuckled, her voice hoarse from the night of partying. “Wait until you see the view.”

O the sitting room, tall French doors led them to a sprawling deck. At one corner stood a raised pool, bright blue and gleaming thanks to the glowing light inside. Near the pool, modern furniture was arranged around a long, rectangular fire pit. Beyond that, the city lights twinkled like stars in the sky. During the day, they could probably see the ocean from there.

“I don’t know why you’d ever leave this,” Charlotte said as she floated toward the railing, the tiles cold against her feet as the breeze fluttered her hair around her face.

Alex clicked on the gas, igniting the stones in a long fiery line. “Everything has its charm.”

In her leather jacket and jeans, Alex looked like the woman her cousins had been describing all night. The troublemaker who loved Spanish rock and led a protest

against bullfighting when she was a teenager. This woman was locked away in Miami. Flickers of her appeared when they were hidden behind the gates of her home, but it was nothing compared to this. Back home, she was like a sun trapped in an endless eclipse.

Charlotte reached for her and pulled her close. “You should stay here. You’re so much happier.”

Alex smirked. “Wouldn’t we all like to live on vacation.”

“I’m serious.” Charlotte cupped her face. “Think about it.” Desperation surged through her chest before a new option appeared in her thoughts. “Maybe we can both stay.”

Alex circled her arms around Charlotte’s waist. “I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed spending time with my family. They’re big fans of yours too.” She smiled before pressing a kiss to Charlotte’s cheek. “My mom thinks you’re an absolute doll, her words, and Martica and Vera both asked me when I’m going to lock you down.” She laughed, Charlotte’s favorite sound in the world. “Lidia would have asked to if she wasn’t otherwise engaged with the human pretzel.”

Tell her the truth! Charlotte screamed at herself, but she couldn’t will her mouth to move. Fear and shame kept her jaws glued shut.

“Don’t worry,” Alex kissed her lower, “if you want, we can come back in the summer. The girls are really excited about it. Even Lidia is willing to make the trek from Nairobi again.”

“We’ll see how it goes with the acrobat. Maybe she won’t go back either.”

“She’ll be here until after the New Year, so who knows, maybe you’re right. Come on,” Alex took her hand. “Let’s go

to bed. It seems like we’ve been up for a week.”

“No,” Charlotte protested. “Let’s stay out here a little longer.” She glanced back at the horizon only just starting to lighten. “I want to watch the sun rise.”

Alex searched her face but didn’t object. “Let’s get warm.”

With her back against the corner of the sofa, Alex opened a chest and pulled out a thick blanket. Charlotte wasted no time in tucking in under her arm.

She wished she could freeze time. Stay in that moment with Alex’s arm around her as they warmed and waited for the city to wake.

“Thank you for coming on this trip with me,” Alex whispered against the shell of her ear. “It means more to me than you know.”

Charlotte turned, reading everything Alex wasn’t saying in her gleaming dark brown eyes. How she wanted to put words to the complicated emotions twisting in her chest.

Pushing hair out of Charlotte’s face, Alex trailed her thumb down her cheek and over to the mole near her lip she hated so much.

“Thank you for sharing this with me.” Charlotte’s voice cracked as her resolve wavered. “It’s been the best Christmas I’ve ever had.” She tried to smile. It was so much more than that.