A Santini Christmas Read Free Page B

friends.
    “ Uh, yeah.”
    That will impress her, Santini.
    “ It was nice to see Sam so happy. He’s been kind of off lately.”
    With Christmas approaching, it would mean one thing that would get Sam down. “It’s getting close.”
    “ To the anniversary of Mike’s death.” She nodded and he knew she understood. “Yes. Plus, with Thelma being hurt.”
    “ How did that happen? My mom said she didn’t have the whole story.”
    Joey sighed as she stretched out her back. “She was out on the bike in the rain. Sam’s been on her about driving the Harley during bad weather, but she doesn’t listen to him. Someone ran a red light; she had to swerve and lost control. The doctor said she was lucky only to have broken her arm.”
    “ Are you telling tales on me, girlie?” Thelma said. He had to look past Joey then down to see the miniature woman who had been a second mother to him.
    When he glanced at Joey, he saw her face turn pink as if she got caught being naughty. It made her even cuter. And sexier.
    “ No. I’m just telling Stewart that you were being bad and riding in the rain.”
    “ You and Sam.” Thelma shook her head and then looked at Papa. “Are you going to sit there and stare at me or are you going to come give me a hug?”
    He smiled, and did as he was ordered. He pulled the diminutive woman into a hug, being careful of her arm. Again, though, the woman surprised him. From the moment he’d met her all those years ago, he’d been surprised by her strength. When he let her go she smiled at him.
    “ Little Stewey Santini, all grown up. And in Special Forces. Hard to believe you’re the same boy who broke all my Christmas lights.”
    “ He broke your Christmas lights?” Joey asked, as she wiped off a nearby table and cleaned up the empty glasses.
    Great, now he knew Thelma would go to town on stories with an interested party.
    “ Yes. He was bored one day when we were stationed at Quantico together with his folks. We lived next door to each other at the time and your poor mother. She was not having an easy time of it with Dave, who was just a toddler. At that time, she must have been about four months along with Tony and sick as a dog still.”
    “ Mom says that should have been the omen that Tony would be a pain in the ass.”
    Thelma laughed, as he knew she would. “Well, ain’t that the truth. Either way, this one was about five years old.”
    “ Lord, your mother had two kids under five and was expecting another one?” Joey asked.
    “ Ahh, the Santinis couldn’t seem to keep their hands to themselves,” Thelma said, making him want to kill the woman he thought of as a second mother. “Anyway, I walk out and find little Stewey smacking all the lights on the bushes with a big stick. Of course, when he saw me, he dropped the branch and started to run.”
    Joey snorted. “Fleeing the scene of a crime.”
    “ We were all scared of Miss Thelma,” he said very seriously.
    Thelma belted out a laugh. “Well, that’s because you should have been.”
    Joey opened her mouth to say something, but there was a shout from the most recent table of college boys.
    “ Duty calls,” Joey said, and started to make her way over to the table. He couldn’t help but admire the way her full, rounded hips swayed from side to side. Damn the woman was put together just the way he liked. Lately it seemed like so many women were on diets trying to become as thin as a beanpole. Joey had curves—and in all the right places.
    “ You better watch where you’re looking, boy. Sam will definitely tear you a new one if you think you’re going to play around with Joey.”
    He felt his face heat as he glanced at Thelma. “Sorry. I can’t…”
    He heard Joey laugh and he couldn’t stop from looking over to see what it was.
    “ Oh…so that’s the way of it?” Thelma said, tsking. “The Santini Curse strikes another generation.”
    “ What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “ Boy, when a man looks ready to