An Angel for Christmas

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Book: Read An Angel for Christmas for Free Online
Authors: Heather Graham
the bathroom, one towel tied around his waist as he used a second to dry his hair.
    â€œI can’t tell you how good it feels to be warm,” Gabe said.
    â€œAh, great. Yeah. I can imagine.”
    â€œAre you from here? Winter can be pretty brutal, huh?”
    â€œMy mom is actually from here. I was born in Philadelphia. We were all born in Philadelphia. I mean, Shayne, Morwenna and I,” Bobby said. “What about you?”
    â€œDown in the city,” Gabe said. “Richmond.”
    â€œNice. So—how did you come to be out here in the mountains?” Bobby asked.
    â€œState police—we go wherever. Within the state, of course. So, are you a college student?” Gabe asked him.
    Bobby couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Yes, and no. I’ve just applied again. I’ve been to Columbia and Northwestern.”
    â€œThose are good schools. Where are you trying to go now?”
    The question was entirely innocent, and a natural get-to-know-you question. Bobby looked at the door; he didn’t want Shayne to hear him.
    â€œThey don’t know it—none of them know it—I applied to Juilliard.”
    â€œAh. For—”
    â€œI’m a guitarist, and I want to write my own music,” Bobby said, warmth entering his voice; he was speaking quickly. “My family—they’re all superachievers. My dad could write his ticket anywhere, though he’s stayed with the D.A.’s office. Maybe he’ll run for something someday, who knows? My brother is, as you know, an M.D., and my sister, bless her heart, is an executive with one of Manhattan’s finest ad agencies. All respectable moneymakers.”
    â€œAnd are they happy?” Gabe asked him.
    â€œWell, yeah, I think. Shayne loves medicine.I know—through the years—that my folks have talked about his work every time he got an offer to go into private practice. And Morwenna…”
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œShe was an artist once. A really good artist.”
    â€œDoesn’t she get to use that talent at the ad agency?”
    â€œI think that was the idea. But I think it got lost in one of the executive meetings,” Bobby said wryly. “I loved it when I was a kid. She was always drawing fantasy creatures for me. Being snowed in up here isn’t really anything all that new. It’s happened before. God forbid they sell this place and head south!”
    â€œWould you want them to?” Gabe asked him.
    Bobby thought about that for a minute. “Palm Springs, Daytona Beach…snowbound mountains!” He laughed. “No, I don’t suppose I would want them to sell. The house is historic—really historic. You can tell by the horrible plumbing and the really bad electricity. But the place really means something to my mom. And, in all honesty, I guess it means something to me, too.”
    â€œThat’s nice to hear. But, what’s the story with your music?” Gabe asked.
    â€œAccording to my father, music is a hobby. Not a career. You go to school for a career.” Bobby looked at the door again. “I’m an adult. If I really want it, I can just stop taking parental financial aid and go it on my own. It will be much harder, but I’m willing to give it go. The thing is…” Bobby trailed off.
    â€œYeah?” Gabe pressed.
    He laughed suddenly. “I guess it’s a good thing. We fight like cats and dogs, and it’s hard to plan a family dinner with a pack of overachievers…but, still, my parents always loved us. It’s the way that they look at me that kills me. It’s the disappointment.” Bobby shut up, wondering why the hell he had just kind of spilled out so much to a stranger. Maybe, he thought, because he’d needed to tell someone, but he didn’t want to tell them until he knew what might happen. He knew the odds were against him; getting into Juilliard was a numbers game, and there

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