The Cuffing Season (The Anti-Cinderella Chronicles)

by Tawdra Kandle

  Sophia ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. “Friends?” It was a question as much as it was a statement.

  “We’ve been friends for a long time.” I took a deep breath. “I think I need to repair that friendship and make sure I’ve made it whole again before I earn the right to ask for anything else from you.”

  Sophia nodded slowly. “Okay. I understand that.” She paused for a moment. “I accept your apology, Harry. I want you to be my friend again.”

  Relief flooded through me. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Soph. I really—I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life. You mean everything to me.”

  “I know.” She was nearly whispering. “I feel the same way. I hate being in a fight with you. Nothing in my world feels right when the two of us are mad at each other.”

  “Good. I mean, not good that it didn’t feel right, but good that we’ve worked it out.” I exhaled long. I’d gotten over the first hard part, but we hadn’t navigated the more treacherous seas. I didn’t know if I should wait to move on or jump right into it now.

  But as usual, Sophia was two steps ahead of me.

  “So now we’ve fixed the friendship, right?” Sophia’s eyes were shining now as they gazed up at me. “We’re whole again?”

  I nodded. “I hope so. I think so. But here’s the thing.” I allowed myself to stretch one hand toward her, catching a strand of her silky black hair and letting it sift over my fingers. “The problem, Soph, is that now that my eyes are open to how I feel—to how we both feel, I’m not sure I can be satisfied with only being your friend. Friendship is important,” I hurried to add. “I want that. But what if I wanted more?”

  Her mouth tipped into a half-smile. “I think I’d be willing to entertain that idea. Tell me what it might look like—this friendship that’s . . . more?”

  “I’d like to take you out on dates.” I slid my fingers from her hair to the side of her neck, cupping the warmth there and feeling her skittering pulse. “I’d like to hold your hand while we’re walking. I’d like to call you my girlfriend. I’d like to not have either of us worry about cuffing season again for the rest of our lives because we’re already cuffed to each other.”

  She laughed softly. “That’s an interesting visual. Go on.”

  “Most of all, though, I want the right to be able to do this whenever I want.” I drew her into the circle of my arms and held her close to me. Bending my head, my heart pounding so loudly that I was certain the entire town could march to its rhythm, I touched my lips to Sophia’s.

  First kisses are tricky things. They can be awkward, and they can be self-conscious and even messy. But this one was not. Maybe because Sophia and I had known each other for so long—maybe because this kiss had been destined for ages—it was utter perfection.

  Her head tilted, and her lips softened and parted beneath mine. Endless sparks shot out to each part of my body, setting me on fire and lighting me up like a Christmas tree. All of the agonies of decision I’d suffered became laughable in the light of the inescapable rightness of this kiss.

  I’d been made to kiss this woman, and I had no doubt that she’d been born to kiss me. The only regret I had was that I’d waited so long to make this happen. I could have been enjoying her kisses all along if only I’d opened my eyes . . .

  “No looking back.” As if she were reading my thoughts—and maybe she was—Sophia murmured against me. “This is the right time for us. We’re only looking forward from now on.”

  And since I’d discovered long ago that arguing with this woman was an exercise in futility, I gave in and just kissed her again.

  9

  I want to thank all of you who have become loyal readers of The Cuffing Season. As you know, my mission was successful: I found the perfect woman, a yee of yees, and I’m cuffing myself to her not only for the season but for the rest of our lives.

  Now that’s what we call a happy ending.

  But wait! There’s more.

  I ended the last column just before Friendsgiving Dinner, and honestly, wasn’t that the best way to fade to The End? All the best stories come to a close on a kiss.

  But what happened next? Yes, I’m fully aware that you want to know that answer. Your emails and social media messages have made that abundantly clear.

  I’d like to say that I swept Sophia into my arms and took her off into the sunset, making sweet love to her for hours, but the truth is that the woman had a turkey in the oven and guests arriving all too soon. So once we kissed to our hearts’ content (for the time being), she put me to work on peeling potatoes and plating up food.

  Vivian, Charlie and baby Gus arrived, and there was much joy when they heard our news. Vivian insisted on taking my place in the kitchen, helping Soph, and Charlie suggested it would be good for me to get used to babies, which was how I ended up with a grinning, drooling Gus in my lap for the next thirty minutes.

  But you know what? He’s a pretty great kid. I have to say, I could see myself wanting one of those someday in the future.

  The DISTANT future.

  About ten minutes before dinner, Preston showed up, but that was our next surprise because our boy did not arrive solo. No, friends, Preston was accompanied by a yee—specifically, by Amber, the yee who had caught his eye and stolen his heart. As we found out later, Amber had popped into the juice bar and taken back her early refusal. She told Preston that she thought maybe she could try a relationship again, as long as they take things slow. Preston is all over that. And my boy was grinning ear to ear when he saw me holding Sophia’s hand.

  “We did it, Harry.” He nodded enthusiastically. “The Cuffing Season is an official success—for real this time. It’s you and Sophia, and me and Amber . . . no lonely hearts this Christmas.”

  I hope that’s true. I know Sophia and I are meant to be, but I was a little worried about Amber—maybe she was just looking to be cuffed for the holidays? I can’t say at this point, but time will tell. They might have to navigate a long-distance relationship soon, because the day after Friendsgiving, our local outdoor adventure store committed to sponsoring Preston. He’s going on the circuit, starting right after the holidays.

  A week after my Friendsgiving column went live, Vivian called me squealing—quietly, because it was Gus’s nap time—that a publisher was interested in my work. I now have an agent (the same one who reps Vivian) and in February, Sophia and I are taking a romantic trip to New York City to talk about selling my very first book.

  Life is good, my friends. Again, thanks for taking this journey with me. I appreciate all of your encouragement and cheering—and Jake S., glad you were so excited to find an adult leisure park here in Florida that you can enjoy. You do you, boo.

  This is the final edition of The Cuffing Season. Next week, Vivian’s Fifty Frogs will return. I’m grateful for the opportunity that she gave me here, and I hope you all enjoy jumping back into the frogs.

  So until we meet again . . . happy holidays. And keep your eyes open: true love might be closer than you think.

  “I read your last column.” Sophia snuggled closer to me on the sofa. We were sitting in her apartment, and the only lights in the entire place came from the tiny bulbs on her tree. “It was a perfect way to end things.”

  “Hmmm.” I nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent. “Do you think we’d be here, where we are now, together, if I hadn’t taken over the column when I did?”

  Sophia considered that question. “I like to think we would have found our way to each other anyway, but the way things worked out . . . I don’t have any regrets. We have amazing friends, including Vivian and Charlie now. You’re on the verge of a book deal. Preston’s with Amber—”

  “For as long as that lasts,” I interjected.

  She rolled her eyes. “They’re happy together. They’re enjoying each other and taking it day by day—why can’t you just accept that?”

  I shrugged. “Okay. Preston’s with Amber. What next?”

  “I got
that sweet contract with the marketing firm based on my work with Tyla’s park . . .”

  “Ugh.” I buried my face in Sophia’s neck. “Don’t remind me about Tyla. That embarrassment is going to linger.”

  She giggled. “But it was so much fun for the rest of us . . .okay. No more Tyla talk. Although, you know, she offered us free memberships to her park.”

  I glared at Sophia. “No, thank you. If you’d gotten a load of what I did, with the volleyball and the bouncing—” I shuddered. “Just no.”

  “Fine. No naturist parks for us.” She sighed in contentment and rested her head on my chest. “This might possibly be the most perfect Christmas in the history of Christmases.”

  I thought about all of my plans for the future, for the vision I already for the two of us . . . and how, if things went well, I planned to celebrate next Christmas with a diamond ring . . . and I smiled.

  “Merry Christmas, Sophia.” I brushed my lips over her cheek. “I love you.”

  “Merry Christmas, Harry,” she answered, shivering. “You better.”

  The End

  The Cuffing Season Play List

  Of course, it’s Christmas music.

  Only the best Harry approved tunes for the season!

  Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree Brenda Lee

  White Christmas Bing Crosby

  The Christmas Song Nat King Cole

  Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Sam Smith

  It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas Michael Bublé

  All I Want for Christmas is You Mariah Carey

  Christmastime Is Here Vince Guaraldi Trio

  We Need a Little Christmas Johnny Mathis

  Christmas Darlene Love

  Christmas With You Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash

  Find the play list here and follow me on Spotify!

  The Cuffing Season Play List

  About the Author

  Tawdra Kandle writes romance, in just about all its forms. She loves unlikely pairings, strong women, sexy guys, hot love scenes and just enough conflict to make it interesting. Her books include new adult and adult contemporary romance; under the pen name Tamara Kendall, she writes paranormal romance, and under the pen name Tessa Kent, she writes erotic romance. Tawdra lives in central Florida with her husband, two sweet pups and too many cats. Assorted grown children and a perfect granddaughter live nearby. And yeah, she rocks purple hair.

  Photo by Heather Batchelder.

  Also by Tawdra Kandle

  For more information on Tawdra’s books and buy links to all vendors, please visit Tawdra’s website at tawdrakandle.com.

  The Anti-Cinderella Chronicles

  Fifty Frogs

  The Anti-Cinderella

  Hot Off The Press

  The Anti-Cinderella Takes London

  The Anti-Cinderella Conquers the World

  The Cuffing Season

  Love in a Small Town

  Love Me Home (A LIAST Prequel)

  The Last One

  The First One

  The Only One

  The Perfect One

  The Always One

  The Hard One

  My One and Always

  The Forever One

  The Love Song One

  The Meant To Be One

  Love in a Small Town Volume I

  Love in a Small Town Volume II

  Crystal Cove Romances

  The Posse

  The Plan

  The Path

  Underneath My Christmas Tree

  The Problem

  The Keeping Score Series

  When We Were Us

  Hanging By A Moment

  Days of You and Me

  Not Broken Anymore

  Your Wildest Dreams

  Sway

  The Keeping Score Box Set

  The Career Soldier Series

  Maximum Force

  Temporary Duty

  Hitting the Silk

  Zone of Action

  Damage Assessment

  Scheme of Maneuver

  Evergreen

  Army Blue

  The Career Soldier Collection

  The Perfect Dish Romances

  Best Served Cold

  Just Desserts

  I Choose You

  Just Roll With It

  Books Written As Tessa Kent

  Good Vibrations

  More Than Words

  Baby, I’m Yours

  Save It For Me

  Small Town Swingers

  Welcome to Paradise

  Night Moves

  The Heat Is On

  Fading Into You

  Third Date Rule Romances

  Crush

  Crave

  Crescendo

  Tease

  Tempt

  Take

  Tiny Bit Taboo

  The Conference Taboo

  The Ex In-Law Taboo

  The Business Trip Taboo

  The Client Taboo

  Books Written as Tamara Kendall

  The King Quartet (Young Adult)

  Fearless

  Breathless

  Restless

  Endless

  The King Series Box Set

  Serendipity

  Undeniable

  Stardust on the Sea

  Unquenchable

  The Shadow Bells

  Moonlight on the Meadow

  The Fox’s Wager

  Recipe for Death

  Death Fricassee

  Unforgettable

  Death A La Mode

  Death Over Easy

  The Recipe for Death Box Set

  Age Of Aquarius

  The Save Tomorrow Collection