“Ha!” Kylie told them all, finishing off what was left of her coffee.
“Where to after this?” Jessie asked, pushing her own credit card back into her wallet. Apparently, Kylie’s little sister was trying to be sneaky, but she didn’t win this round.
“The mall, where else?” V announced, grabbing her purse and placing it on the table in front of her.
“What are we going to find at the mall?” Kylie asked, mentally skimming the list of stores and hoping one of them would have something she could get Travis and Gage.
“Candy,” Zoey said sweetly, her hands gently cradling her swollen belly.
“How in the world can you think of candy? You just ate pancakes with syrup.”
“No, the question is, how can you not think about candy? Ever.” Zoey laughed.
The waitress brought the credit card and receipt back for Kylie to sign, which she did quickly. Once that was taken care of, the four of them escaped from the booth and disappeared out into the bright, morning sunlight.
“I heard it might actually snow on Christmas this year,” Kylie said as they walked toward her truck. Or rather Gage’s truck. Out of all of their vehicles, his was the only one large enough to carry the four of them and any packages they might pick up. Well, unless they considered Jessie’s little Honda, but that thing was on its last leg and Kylie certainly hadn’t been in the mood to walk from the mall if the thing gave out on them.
“That’s what I heard. When’s the last time it snowed on Christmas?” V asked. “Or anytime for that matter.”
Zoey’s hearty chuckle followed them into the truck as they all four climbed in before Kylie cranked the engine and then backed out of the parking spot.
“It’s been a while,” Jessie added from the backseat with V.
“Wouldn’t that be awesome? For it to snow on Christmas?” Zoey asked, staring out the window as they accelerated onto the interstate and into Austin.
“I’m all for the snow, but I could do without the cold,” Jessie explained.
“Not sure you can have one without the other,” V added with a chuckle.
“Sure you can,” Zoey told them, turning to peer over the seat at the two women in the back.
Kylie glanced over quickly but then focused on the road. “How’s that possible?”
“Remember that one year when the twins rented that snow machine?”
V barked out a laugh, which in turn, made Kylie laugh.
“Oh, Lord. Let’s hear it,” Jessie instructed the two women.
Stories about the twins and their mischief never ceased to amaze Kylie. And every time she turned around, it seemed as though there was another one ready to be told. And now that Jessie was dating Brendon – although she claimed it wasn’t anything as serious as dating – there were tons more to be heard.
“I’m pretty sure their parents had no idea they’d rented it,” V began.
“Not that it would’ve mattered one way or another,” Zoey added.
“So, they took the ice machine up to the high school. Keep in mind, they had graduated years before.”
Zoey laughed. “But Zane was a senior that year.”
Kylie could actually imagine how this would’ve played out.
“I’m not sure how they managed to get into the school, but they did. And they set up this snow machine in the cafeteria of all places,” V explained.
“It was the day before winter break,” Zoey continued. “I’m sure they had someone on the inside helping them, although that person never did come forward.”
“Needless to say, it took a while to get all of that cleaned up. And yes, it must’ve had the twins’ signature all over it because Zane was called out on it.”
“Did they suspend him?” Jessie asked, sounding eager to hear more.
“Oh, no. Zane, despite the fact that he was a wild one, was a straight A student. He never did get in trouble for it.”
“Did their parents find out?” Jessie questioned.
“Of course,” Zoey said with a giggle. “Curtis gave them props for being creative.”
The four of them were still laughing when Kylie pulled the truck into the parking lot of the mall.
Based on how their morning had gone so far, she had high hopes for what the rest of the day would bring. But she wasn’t all that convinced she’d find a gift that would stun Travis or Gage.
Chapter Ten
♂♀♂
Gage
How in the world did he not know that Kylie was planning to come to the mall?
Gage disappeared into one of the stores and watched as Kylie walked past with Zoey, Jessie and V all in tow. Keeping his eyes on the women, Gage snagged his phone out of his pocket and shot a short text to Travis: Did you know K was coming to the mall today?