The Magic Of Christmas Read Free Page B

him."
    Except that it  was  Logan Valliente and every part of Cecilia knew it.  Or she thought she did.  Maybe she was wrong.  Maybe she just  wanted  it to be Logan, to see him after so many years and know that he was alive and well.  Though she had always thought that if he had died, she would know.  Or maybe that was her fanciful youth talking again.  Where Logan was concerned, there was a part of Cecilia that had never given up the schoolgirl crush.
    "Sweetie, Manda is right.  This Drake Vale guy?  It isn't Logan.  He was cute.  Not scorching hot like this guy."  Lily was kinder now, her voice softer.  "And even if by some odd stroke of luck that it is, you haven't seen him in years.  Hell, you haven't mentioned him in years.  He's nothing to you.  Never was.  So what's really got you all worked up?"
    "Nothing.  I'm fine.  Just tired.  It was a really long semester."  And it had been.  As head of the English department at College Heights High School, the same role her father had once held, Cecilia was finding it more and more difficult to be her own woman.  Instead, she was expected to be exactly like her father, make the same decisions he did and, in general, be him.  It was, quite frankly, exhausting and not something she had ever really wanted for herself.  She was only an English teacher because her father had been, because it was expected of her, and not from any real desire to teach.
    "I hear that."  Lily nodded in agreement, the sparkling red sequins of her dress shimmering under the theater's lights as she moved.  "We all need a break.  I just didn't realize things were so bad for you."
    Cecilia shrugged, not wanting to reveal too much, even to one of her best friends.  "They aren't, at least not always.  Still, this year was pretty bad."  Not that she would expect Lily to understand.  As the school's drama teacher, Lily lived her life in the spotlight, being brutally honest and generally telling everyone precisely what she thought, even if it hurt the other person's feelings.
    Then again, when one looked like Lily, one could get away with quite a lot.  With her light brown skin, dark eyes, and gorgeous dark hair, she looked like a model and had the body of one too, with stunning curves and breasts so large that she was often asked if they were real.  They were, of course, and nothing gave Lily a bigger thrill than making certain everyone knew it.
    "You're not your father, Cee," Amanda chimed in, ever the stalwart friend.  "Nobody expects you to be.  It'll get better.  I know it."  With long blonde hair and doe brown eyes, Amanda was the very picture of girl-next-door perfection.  That she was also sweet, charming and intelligent didn't hurt either.  Not to mention always optimistic.
    And both of them were extremely loyal friends to Cecilia and had been since they were all six years old and navigating the rough waters of elementary school together.
    That was why it pained Cecilia not to be able to tell them the truth about the real reason for her unrest.  However, she also knew that if she did tell them what had been keeping her preoccupied for the last few weeks, they would try to talk her out of making a change in her life.  They would tell her that she was being rash and to not throw away everything she had worked so hard for - her career, her life, her place in College Heights society.  Such as it was.
    Except that the life she was living was one that Cecilia never would have chosen for herself.  It was one that others chose for her, expecting her to be a carbon copy of her parents - both wonderful, caring teachers who had made a real difference in the lives of many College Heights students over the years.  They gave their all, often times to the point of sacrificing time with their own family, much to the detriment and annoyance of Cecilia and her brothers.
    That wasn't Cecilia and never would be.  This life she was living wasn't making her happy.  It hadn't