Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70570 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Not even me. “Malcolm,” he sings, “I’m going to need you to put the damned phone away.”
I look up. “Why?”
“Because if I don’t tell you to put it away now, you’ll be on it all week, and I need my son all week, not just the top of his head.”
The reception out here is bad anyway. I slide my phone into a pocket and spread my hands. “Done. Is my father happy now?”
“Not until his son is singing All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
I wouldn’t be caught dead. “I’ll leave that singularly awful and terrifying task to Mariah Carey.”
“Tell me what’s going on with you, son. Let’s sort it out before we get to Nadine’s for this welcoming ceremony shindig. I don’t want this sulky mood of yours ruining the celebration.”
I stare ahead blankly at the road. “It’s easy. I loathe this time of the year. You know that.”
“That’s been a fact since you were six and woke up to Mom and I putting all your presents under the tree and had your entire childhood shattered in an instant, and you know damned well that isn’t what I’m talking about.” His tone softens. “It’s the Bobby boy, isn’t it? The one you had feelings for?”
In a flash, I relive the beauty and the horror of the single date we went on—my fleeting moment with Bobby Parker, the sweet, sensitive guy who’s about to marry the cocky asshole Jimmy who crashed our date and stole him away from me.
My father does love cutting to the chase. “No, Dad.”
He calls my bluff. “That date was well over three years ago, Malcolm. Are you saying you still have feelings for the boy?”
“I didn’t have feelings for him.” I hate lying. “Well, not exactly.”
“Then you hate Nadine’s son? You hate Jimmy? He … can be a bit overly confident from time to time, I’ll give you that much, but the boy’s got a heart of gold. He’s come around over the years. The two make a great match. What’s Jimmy ever done to you?”
I look away.
My loathing of Jimmy and Bobby’s union is more complicated than that. Everyone in the neighboring town of Spruce seemed to cheer for the two of them when they finally became a thing three or so years ago, conveniently forgetting all of the people they steamrolled over to get to that merry point, including some drama about ditching prom dates and breaking hearts. Apparently there was this whole cute Dirty Dancing moment at the end of that same summer to announce their love to the world, too.
I heard it was downright enchanting. Or whatever.
And as if that isn’t enough, they’re stealing the most magical time of year for themselves. Now, no one in Spruce nor Fairview will think of Christmas without thinking of them. Cunning thieves.
“I thought the date with Bobby was a bust anyway,” he says. “I was the one with the high hopes. Not you. I remember the phone call when Nadine set it up. ‘Is your sweet and adorable son still single? I have the perfect young man for him!’ Even took place at our restaurant, no less.”
“It was a date that Mr. Knight-In-Shining-Armor Jimmy had to come and rescue Bobby from,” I remind him.
“And?”
I give my dad a look. That isn’t enough? “In other words, I was apparently so repulsive to Bobby that he had to run away and never date another human being again.”
“You’re not repulsive, son, don’t be dramatic.”
“I’m not. It’s literally what happened. And it just so happens I haven’t dated anyone ever since, either … but not on account of having some unicorn dream boy named Jimmy Strong in my life.”
“So is that what this mood is about? You being single? After that date, I don’t remember you being all that crushed about it. Why’s it such a big deal that he’s getting married? Can’t you just be happy for them?”
Talking to my dad is sometimes impossible. “Never mind.”
He lets out a patient sigh. “You will find someone of your own when it’s time, just like Aurora did. I thought she was doomed to be a brainy bookworm with a house full of thirty cats …”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
“But now she’s happily married with a beautiful baby boy,” he goes on. “She’s made a career doing what she loves, caring for and studying animals.”
I wrinkle my nose. Animals can be cute from a distance. But up close, my nose clogs up, my skin gets itchy, and I sneeze until I hate my existence.
It’s a lot like my love life, actually.
“And,” he adds, “if she wasn’t swamped with her work up in Maine, she would be down here in Texas for Christmas saying the same words to you that are coming out of my mouth right now.”
He’s been comparing me to my younger sister my whole life. Also, she hasn’t visited since July of last year after the baby was born, and even that trip was cut short due to some work thing that came up. I barely have a sister anymore. “Why do you even need me at this thing, exactly?” I ask. “You have your guys and gals in bowties who you actually pay to boss around. It’s not even the actual wedding until the 23rd.”