From Heartbreak to Mate

Chapter 3

The world was silent in the way only a blanket of snow could create. Carissa was lying in bed with Kyle, who was still sleeping. She watched him as he slept. Kyle had striking good looks with his dark hair and blue eyes. His chiseled jaw had a bit of stubble, giving him a scruffy, rugged look. That thought made Carissa smile. They might have been born and raised in Montana, but Kyle hated the outdoors and was far from rugged.

Carissa slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Kyle. She hurried to pull on sweatpants and a hoodie before padding to the kitchen in bare feet. Carissa took an elastic hairband from a basket she kept on top of the refrigerator and pulled her long curls into a loose, messy bun. She wanted to make a good breakfast for all of them and to thank Hailey for dinner the night before.

In no time, Carissa had biscuits baking in the oven and sausage sizzling on the stove. She had everything ready to make scrambled eggs and gravy when the sausage was finished. While Carissa waited, she turned her attention to the notepad on the counter.

The to-do list for the day seemed to be growing, and that made her wrinkle her nose. She would admit she enjoyed the parties Hailey’s dad threw during the holidays, but she hated the preparation and anxiety before she arrived at his house.

Growing up, she always felt out of place around the people she looked at as the rich friends of her best friend’s father, as if they looked down on her or felt sorry for her. She did not grow up in poverty. Her parents were teachers, but they did not have the same money as most of the other guests. Now that her parents had retired and moved to the warmer climate of Louisiana, Carissa was on her own. She had to rely on Hailey and Kyle to be with her and keep her calm.

Carissa sighed before turning back to the skillet of sausage. She flipped the patties and sighed again before checking on the progress of the biscuits. When she opened the oven, she was greeted by the delectable aroma of freshly baked biscuits. That made her stomach rumble in anticipation of breakfast. She set the tray on the counter to cook, telling herself that she could wait until everyone was awake.

She went back to the list and scowled. Hailey would drive her SUV to her father’s as soon as they had eaten breakfast. Carissa and Kyle would quickly follow in Kyle’s truck. They would all dress and get ready for the party at the house beforehand. It was something she and Hailey had done for years. When they were kids, Carissa would even spend the night with Hailey so they could have all day to get ready together.

“Breakfast smells good,” Hailey said, stretching as she shuffled into the kitchen. “I could go for some biscuits and gravy.”

Carissa laughed, “That’s good, because I am making scrambled eggs and gravy as soon as the sausage is done.”

“Oh, yummy,” Hailey said as she hopped onto the counter. She studied Carissa and said, “You are worried about the party, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Carissa admitted with a sigh. “I know it’s silly, but I always feel like I am out of place there. Your dad has always treated me like a second daughter, but still, being around all his rich friends bugs me.”

“You say that about every party, and I always tell you the same thing. Dad and I want you there. We want your parents there, too, but they were smart enough to move south to escape our lovely Montana winters. That means you are it, and things would not be the same without you. The same rules apply as always; if anyone, and I do mean anyone, says anything derogatory to you, tell Dad or me, and they are out of there. Got it?” Hailey asked, smiling at her friend.

“Got it,” Carissa sighed.

The pair fell silent as Carissa took the sausage out of the skillet and started the gravy. Hailey hopped off the counter and placed a dishtowel in the basket that Carissa always used for bread. She put the biscuits in it and set it on the kitchen island before she set plates and utensils on the island where they would eat.

“Thanks for doing the dishes after I told you not to do them,” Carissa said with a smile.

“You’re welcome. You were exhausted last night, and I know that when I cook dinner, you always make breakfast if I spend the night. It only seemed fair that you had a clean kitchen this morning,” Hailey said as Carissa scrambled the eggs.

“That and you knew I would be stressing out for no reason about the party,” Carissa said, wrinkling her nose, irritated by her anxiety and dread for an event that she always enjoyed after she arrived.

“That too,” Hailey giggled as Kyle walked into the kitchen.

Carissa turned to look at her boyfriend, who was dressed only in low-slung lounge pants. He was running his hand through his disheveled dark hair. That action showed off his perfectly chiseled physique, from his broad shoulders to his sculpted abs to his defined V-line that disappeared into the top of his pants.

Carissa glanced over to see Hailey ogling Kyle as he yawned. She couldn’t blame her friend. Kyle was gorgeous, and he took pride in his looks. He smiled sleepily at Carissa before he slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her.

“Good morning. Breakfast smells great,” Kyle said, his voice husky with sleep.

“Good morning,” Carissa said, returning his kiss. “Have a seat. Everything is ready, and we need to hurry. The roads might still be icy this morning, so we need to leave as soon as we can.”

“That works for me,” Kyle said as he took a biscuit from the basket and bit into it as Carissa and Hailey moved the rest of the food to the kitchen island. “That gives you less chance to get cold feet and try to back out.” Kyle furrowed his brows at Carissa as she sat beside him. “Why do you do that anyway? I have only been going to these parties since we started dating, but I think they are awesome.”

“The parties that John throws are always amazing, and I enjoy them after I get there,” Carissa said as she served herself. “You know how I am. I start overthinking things and running through worst-case what-ifs in my head, which makes me anxious. I have always done it. Hailey can vouch for me.”

“It’s true. Carrie has always been like this,” Hailey confirmed as he spooned gravy onto her biscuits. “That is why it’s good that you are driving her today. She can’t make a U-turn and skip out on me.”

“I have never done that, and I never would,” Carissa said as she twisted her mouth. “I forgot to make coffee, didn’t I?”

“You did, but that’s OK,” Kyle said, kissing her cheek. “We can treat ourselves by getting coffee at that shop you like so much on the way to John’s.”

“Ooooh, and some of their pastries to go! We can eat them on the way,” Hailey grinned. “I promise to get cookies or donuts and eat only when I am at stop signs.”

Carissa smiled at her friend but said nothing as Hailey and Kyle talked about the different coffees and sweets they might get. This was typical for them, so it did not bother Carissa, but something was. She could not shake the feeling that the day would not go as planned and might end in disaster.