Read Online Chosen for Power (Women of Power, #1) by Kathleen Brooks - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kathleen Brooks
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mother still hung.
She set her cup of hot chocolate and the plate of remaining cookies by the fireplace, walked over to the window, and looked up to the stars shining in the dark night sky. “Santa, all I want for Christmas is to find the man I’ve fallen in love with.”
She closed her eyes and made a wish, too, just for extra luck. Then she quickly looked around and made sure none of her siblings were on the stairs. She felt foolish enough as it was, but she’d never hear the end of it if she were caught making a wish to Santa for a man.
Elle snapped her fingers. She got it. She’d hire a professional investigator to find Mr. Right. Feeling as if she’d done everything she could do on Christmas Eve, she headed upstairs for what little sleep she could get. She’d need it to pretend everything was all right in the morning and to settle the nervous excitement she felt. At least she had a game plan now.
CHAPTER NINE
Elle was peacefully dreaming of dancing with the black-haired, blue-eyed mystery man beneath the mistletoe when suddenly she felt as if she were falling. And not in love. She cracked her eyes and found her two sisters smiling down at her as they bounced on her bed.
It didn’t matter that Bree was thirty-one and Allegra was twenty-nine. They loved Christmas and still woke Elle every Christmas to tell her Santa had come. When they’d grown older and had discovered there was no Santa Claus, they’d stayed up late trying to catch their mother, but never could. Somehow it just added to the magic of Christmas and Elle couldn’t help but laugh now.
“I listened all night,” Allegra laughed as she bounced again on the bed. “All I heard was Elle going down around eleven-thirty, but she was back before midnight. Do you think she pulled it off again?”
“I didn’t hear Mom, either. It’s embarrassing to admit at thirty-one, but I too stayed up to listen. Shall we see if there are more presents under the tree?” Bree tried to hide her excitement but failed.
Elle grabbed her pillow and threw it at them as she leaped off the bed. “I’m gonna beat you.”
The three sisters tore out of the room and barreled over Reid as he made his way sleepily down the hall.
“I can’t believe it.” Elle slid to a stop behind Allegra and looked into the living room. The gifts had multiplied, the stockings were full, the hot chocolate had been drunk, and only crumbs were left on the cookie plate.
“She did it again. Twenty-five straight years we’ve tried to catch her and she’s eluded us every time.” Bree shook her head and went to grab a cup of coffee.
“Maybe you can’t catch her because there really is a Santa Claus,” Reid teased his sisters. They all smacked him as Bree held his cup of coffee hostage.
Elle laughed as they teased and joked with each other until their mother came downstairs, having been awoken by their noise. They all just laughed harder. Every year their mother and father had come downstairs exactly eighteen minutes after the kids ran downstairs. When Elle and her siblings were younger, they’d enjoyed those eighteen minutes of wonder by shaking gifts and trying to guess what they were. Now they just enjoyed the time with each other, dropping into the habits of old and acting like those same kids again.
“Oh, it looks like Santa came last night,” Margaret said as she took her seat. “Are we going to open them?”
“Yes,” her children all screamed as they took a seat on the floor and couch. Elle and her siblings laughed. They knew they were being childish, but this was what family was about—relaxing and being silly together. They were there for each other every day with serious and pressing business matters, but today was a day to have fun.
Elle tried not to laugh as her brother opened his last gift from her. He tore into the paper and ripped the tape off the box. He reached in and pulled out his gift.
“Fuzzy dice? Really, Elle?” Reid smiled. “They’ll
She set her cup of hot chocolate and the plate of remaining cookies by the fireplace, walked over to the window, and looked up to the stars shining in the dark night sky. “Santa, all I want for Christmas is to find the man I’ve fallen in love with.”
She closed her eyes and made a wish, too, just for extra luck. Then she quickly looked around and made sure none of her siblings were on the stairs. She felt foolish enough as it was, but she’d never hear the end of it if she were caught making a wish to Santa for a man.
Elle snapped her fingers. She got it. She’d hire a professional investigator to find Mr. Right. Feeling as if she’d done everything she could do on Christmas Eve, she headed upstairs for what little sleep she could get. She’d need it to pretend everything was all right in the morning and to settle the nervous excitement she felt. At least she had a game plan now.
CHAPTER NINE
Elle was peacefully dreaming of dancing with the black-haired, blue-eyed mystery man beneath the mistletoe when suddenly she felt as if she were falling. And not in love. She cracked her eyes and found her two sisters smiling down at her as they bounced on her bed.
It didn’t matter that Bree was thirty-one and Allegra was twenty-nine. They loved Christmas and still woke Elle every Christmas to tell her Santa had come. When they’d grown older and had discovered there was no Santa Claus, they’d stayed up late trying to catch their mother, but never could. Somehow it just added to the magic of Christmas and Elle couldn’t help but laugh now.
“I listened all night,” Allegra laughed as she bounced again on the bed. “All I heard was Elle going down around eleven-thirty, but she was back before midnight. Do you think she pulled it off again?”
“I didn’t hear Mom, either. It’s embarrassing to admit at thirty-one, but I too stayed up to listen. Shall we see if there are more presents under the tree?” Bree tried to hide her excitement but failed.
Elle grabbed her pillow and threw it at them as she leaped off the bed. “I’m gonna beat you.”
The three sisters tore out of the room and barreled over Reid as he made his way sleepily down the hall.
“I can’t believe it.” Elle slid to a stop behind Allegra and looked into the living room. The gifts had multiplied, the stockings were full, the hot chocolate had been drunk, and only crumbs were left on the cookie plate.
“She did it again. Twenty-five straight years we’ve tried to catch her and she’s eluded us every time.” Bree shook her head and went to grab a cup of coffee.
“Maybe you can’t catch her because there really is a Santa Claus,” Reid teased his sisters. They all smacked him as Bree held his cup of coffee hostage.
Elle laughed as they teased and joked with each other until their mother came downstairs, having been awoken by their noise. They all just laughed harder. Every year their mother and father had come downstairs exactly eighteen minutes after the kids ran downstairs. When Elle and her siblings were younger, they’d enjoyed those eighteen minutes of wonder by shaking gifts and trying to guess what they were. Now they just enjoyed the time with each other, dropping into the habits of old and acting like those same kids again.
“Oh, it looks like Santa came last night,” Margaret said as she took her seat. “Are we going to open them?”
“Yes,” her children all screamed as they took a seat on the floor and couch. Elle and her siblings laughed. They knew they were being childish, but this was what family was about—relaxing and being silly together. They were there for each other every day with serious and pressing business matters, but today was a day to have fun.
Elle tried not to laugh as her brother opened his last gift from her. He tore into the paper and ripped the tape off the box. He reached in and pulled out his gift.
“Fuzzy dice? Really, Elle?” Reid smiled. “They’ll
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