Blue Christmas (The Moody Blue Trilogy | Book One) by Diane Moody

you something.”
    “Ask me what?” Hannah asked, flaking the crust of her pie with her fork.
    “You and Jason.” She took her seat again, reaching for her cappuccino. “The
thing is, the last time I saw him, there was no one special in his life. Hasn’t
been for quite a while now.” Her eyes narrowed as she seemed to wait for
answers. “He was dating a little, mostly publicity appearances, but nothing serious.”
    She set the mug down and faced Hannah with a curious bright smile. “Then,
we come here and find this sweet angel of a girl who has quite clearly
stolen the heart of our Jason . . . and then some. And
the whole family already loves this angel. And I’ve just got to wonder, what
did we miss? When did this happen!? Because I’ve gotta tell you, Hannah, these
guys are my life. I love ’em all like they were my own brothers—well, okay, that’s
not exactly how I feel about Gevin now.” She chuckled quietly and
continued. “So, when all of a sudden, I see something going on with my man Jason,
I wonder. Where did this come from? And who is this girl who’s lighting
up his eyes again?”
    Marissa tented her fingers, resting her chin on them. “Hmm? C’mon, now
Hannah. Spill the beans to Auntie Rissa.”
    Hannah traced the rim of her mug. “Oh, ‘Auntie Rissa’ is it?” She smiled
back at the inquisitive face focused on her. “Geez, I don’t even know what to tell
you. This whole thing happened so fast. One minute I’m working at my
store, the next thing I know, this kind, wonderful lady invites me to dinner—though
I had no idea who she was, whose mother she was—then I’m sharing an intimate
holiday evening with them when suddenly my teen idol appears, for crying
out loud!” She covered her face with her hands, then raked her fingers through
her hair. “I mean, how crazy is that? I still can’t believe any of it. I keep
waiting to wake up. Because it’s got to be a dream. Has to be.”
    “Well, I’m here to tell you, this is no dream, girlfriend. No, ma’am, no
way. And I might as well tell you, I’ve known Jason McKenzie a long time, and—”
Marissa paused, cocking her head to one side. “I’m here to tell you, he’s got
it for you bad !”
    Hannah blew out a troubled sigh, resting her hand on Marissa’s arm. “No, no,
Marissa—I mean Rissa—listen to me. It’s not how it looks. Jason is wonderful.
He’s sweet, he’s unbelievably normal , all things considered. But I’m not
stupid. He’s home on vacation, he’s just being friendly since his parents
invited me over and—”
    “No way. Huh uh, I don’t buy that for one minute.”
    “Be serious, Rissa! You’ve got this all wrong. His parents were so nice
to me. I was having this stupid little pity party about spending Christmas
alone, and then Laura showed up, and she took me to this beautiful candlelight
service, and I met Frank, and . . . I’m not an idiot. It’s just
an exaggerated case of their holiday spirit, y’know? It’s Christmas. People go
out of their way to share their hearts and homes this time of year. And Jason?
Well, maybe he’s enjoying being out of the spotlight for a while and hanging
out with someone who’s . . . someone that’s—”
    Marissa waved her hand with attitude, letting Hannah know she wasn’t
having any of it. “Give it up, girl. Nice try. And if that’s what you want to
believe, then believe it. But I’m telling you this from someone who knows
Jason. He’s different with you. I’ve seen him with other women. I was there
when he and Jennifer were tight. This is different.” She drove home her point
by tapping her manicured nails on the counter. “You gotta listen to me, honey.
I won’t tell you wrong.”
    Hannah took a deep breath, then slowly let it out, her heart pounding
furiously. “Whoa . . . I don’t know what to say.” She felt a
little dizzy. The butterflies stormed back in.
    “Well, let me tell you one more thing about Jason.”
    “Go