If asked, Ben intended to say it was for the children. Which it was, but it was also for him - since somehow the Deck had lasted so many years without some enterprising Scotsman building a golf course. Admittedly, his mini golf course, composed mostly of obstacles that he'd collected from various Diamond storage rooms and barns, was definitely not ( Read more... )

A new year. A whole twelve months for more ghastly screw ups. Ethan snorted as he swigged from his third longneck, feet up and a scattering of magazines on the table in front of him. He'd somewhat belatedly realized he'd forgotten to give himself a Christmas present. And really, what was the use in having money if one didn't splurge it every so ( Read more... )

Now that the holiday season was more or less officially over, there were no more excuses. it had been a nice couple of weeks, parties and dinners and gifts given and received, but January Second meant that Eden officially had ninety-four days to design, make, and fit a wedding gown and two bridesmaids' dresses, not to mention helping a hapless King ( Read more... )

She'd been up late, the night before, wrapping all the presents she hadn't gotten started on before, and now there was a small pile in their rooms - for Victor and Chives - and Zoe had a shopping tote full of presents for everyone else in one hand. A few had been handed out already, but for the last few minutes Zoe had been paused in front of the ( Read more... )

Peter isn't exactly what you'd call a jock. He's pretty much the opposite of that, honestly, and spent most of his time in the locker rooms at Harrow getting wedgies and getting picked last for football and rugby and lacrosse and polo and pretty much every other sport that poncy English aristocrats liked to play to make them feel robust and vital ( Read more... )

Chicago had been grand; so much food, a lot of family time that surprisingly wasn't laced with cold expressions and frowns, shopping (he had to get a whole new suitcase to bring home the clothing Audrey and Aunt Debbie had simply insisted he needed), yet more food, and then the countless presents. However grand Chicago had been though, coming home ( Read more... )

Ben was not, strictly speaking, an impulsive kind of man. At least...not anymore. He'd grown out of the tendency, sometime between when he slid into the gray area between legal and illegal, back in Aberdeen, and when he'd run his way to Diamond Castle. In his old age, he'd grown more cautious. A little analytical, and certainly one to think through ( Read more... )

Less than two weeks now til Christmas, and Eden's holiday spirit is in full swing. She's finished almost all her shopping, presents mostly wrapped and waiting. She's gone ice skating once already with Avery, and has made plans to talk more folks into the same. She's still singing carols almost nonstop. There's only been one thing missing from the ( Read more... )

Evan isn't supposed to be coming back to the Deck until Christmas time. He's in fact supposed to be studying this weekend. He will be studying this weekend. Definitely 100% going to spend time studying here despite not having his study group to force him to when it starts to get boring ( Read more... )

She's done this every year, lighting a white and a blue candle in the windows. It's one of the traditions of her homeland that she still clings to after having lived here so many years. Certainly now that she's Queen, she could commandeer the entire castle's windows and light all the candles.

But, you know, that's a bit extreme. So, candles in the ( Read more... )