by Sarah Spade
Yeah. Right. As if that’s going to happen.
“I’m not kidding. You just told me this… this Zack of yours makes you happy. Fine. You’re right. You told me last year that you were old enough to live on your own on the other side of the country. So you’re old enough to get married. That’s good. That’s great. Congratulations. But I want to meet this guy.”
“You really don’t have to—”
I snort. “Yes. I do.”
My conversation with my sister lasts a couple of more minutes. It’s mainly Dani, trying to wheedle me into agreeing that I would stay in California, and me, steadfast and determined that I would meet Zackary Banks as soon as possible.
Closing my office door and putting my cell on speaker, I spend the rest of our talk googling this guy. The fact that there’s nothing on him past a couple of years ago sets my alarm bells off. Did he fall off the grid or something?
Where did he come from?
I’m gonna find out.
Dani eventually accepts that I’m going whether she wants me to or not and, no matter how begrudgingly, she invites me to stay in the apartment she shares with her new fiancé and the cat. As much as I don’t want to stay at her place, since it’s obvious my sister is gonna be sleeping with some guy in another room, I accept. If I want to get to know this Zack, I’ve got to spend time with him.
Merry fucking Christmas, Max.
And it wasn’t like I was actually looking forward to Christmas this year. Nothing can compare to what happened last Christmas Eve, and maybe I’m a sentimental fool, but as much as I want to see my sister for Christmas, I couldn’t get the idea of going back to Salem for Christmas out of my head.
But now?
I pick up my cell, think about if for a second, then make a decision. I punch in a number and wait as the ring chimes in my ear.
“Hey, Max. What’s up?”
“Tristan, buddy, I’ve got a big favor to ask you.”
“Anything. Shoot.”
“Okay, here’s the thing. I was already planning on flying out to Salem again this year for Christmas, but I think I’m gonna have to book a sooner flight. Get this. I just heard from Dani, and you won’t believe this shit. She’s fucking engaged!”
On the other end, Tristan is absolutely silent. Realization hits me like a punch to the gut and I wince. What the fuck was I thinking? Running my fingers through my hair in agitation, I swivel in my desk chair and close my eyes.
“Shit, Trist, I wasn’t thinking. She just dropped the bomb on me right before I called you. I should’ve—”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. That fling with Dani was over ages ago. It’s not your fault that I never got the balls to make something out of it.”
No, but it is my fault that Tristan never pursued it. I couldn’t help it. The idea of my best friend plowing my kid sister had me so twisted up that I flipped the fuck out. I drove to his place, waited for Dani to leave, then slugged him dead in the face.
They sort of fizzled out after that. I never told Dani I went to see Tristan, but I’m sure the black eye was a big enough clue that something went down between us. Tristan promised he’d back off, and by the time I cooled down enough and saw that it might not be as terrible as I first thought, Dani was so pissed I interfered that she didn’t talk to me or Trist for close to a month.
And to think we were surprised when she eventually put in for a transfer the September before last. I know a lot of her need for distance had to do with the fact she didn’t want anyone who worked for and with us to know that we were family.
But part of it? She couldn’t stand to be around Tristan.
Who might’ve been in love with her.
Shit.
I can feel a headache brewing in the back of my skull. Shifting my cell to the other ear, I reach into my desk drawer and pull out a bottle of aspirin. I crank off the lid, shake two pills into my hand, pop them into mouth, and swallow them dry.
Ugh. Awful.
Once they’re down, I purposely avoid that minefield off a topic. “So, yeah. I actually had a reason why I’m calling. Might sound like déjà vu, but I’m gonna need you to handle business on your own again this Christmas. Dani thinks she’s marrying some wacko out of the blue, she’s fucking nuts. I’ve gotta go there, check him out. Sooner than later, too.”
I’ve know Tristan my whole life. Brothers from another mother, we went to school together, graduated together, started our firm together. He’s my hetero life partner.
And he can spot an ulterior motive a mile away—even on the phone.
“Mm-hmm. You sure that’s why you’re heading to Massachusetts?”
My back goes up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know, it’s just you came back home last year a fucking mess, Max. Your head was wrapped around that Mary chick. I took half your meetings that month before you gave up on looking for her.”
I… I didn’t give up. It’s just hard to keep up the search year-round when I’ve exhausted every possibility to find her.
Due to the holiday, it took a couple of days to straighten out the mess that Tristan called me back to help him fix. I was tied to my desk; the only time I wasn’t there, I was in meetings, with Trist or the client. I thought of her constantly but I never found the time to call her until just after New Years.
By then, it was too late.
The number I coaxed out of her before I followed her home? Not in service. I looked into and discovered that it hadn’t been in service for a while, either.
Fake number.
Even worse?
As tired as I was when I dragged my ass out of her condo, I never thought to jot down the address. I kinda remembered the street but that wasn’t any help. I resorted to calling the Grand Crown Taproom and hoping the bartender knew who she was.
Mary told me that she went there fairly often. Only problem was, when I finally tracked down the bartender who worked Christmas Eve, he acknowledged that he knew the gorgeous blonde I was talking about—but he pointblank shut down when I called her Mary.
Her name isn’t Mary. The phone number is a fake.
And I finally learned what it was she wanted to tell me.
I have to believe that she would’ve confessed the truth if I gave her a chance. Or if I had been able to stay longer than I had.
This headache keeps getting worse. First Dani’s surprise, then Trist’s reminder that I screwed up so fucking royally last Christmas. As if I needed that.
When will this aspirin kick in?
“She’s got nothing to do with it,” I snap. Truth. In the back of my mind, where I still haven’t gotten that night of out my head, I know that Mary—whoever she is—has got everything to do with it. “C’mon, Trist. You gonna help me or what?”
Tristan sighs. As much as he knows me, he damn well knows how useless it is to try to change my mind once it’s set.
“Yeah. Yeah, buddy. You know it.”
“Thanks. I owe you one.”
“So when are you leaving?”
I’m already out of my chair, gathering my computer and slipping it into my laptop bag. “As soon as I get a ticket.” I glance at the time on my phone. “I might have to take a red-eye, but I’ll be there for lunch tomorrow.”
With a chuckle under his breath, Tristan says, “Poor Dani.”
I huff. “You mean poor new guy.”
“Yeah. That, too.”
Chapter 4
Allison
I finish straightening up my living room and give it a quick once-over.
My parents will be here any minute. Their flight landed about three hours ago at Logan. The airport is only half an hour away from my condo in Salem, but factoring in the time to pick up their luggage, get their rental car, stop for some food, and then drive up from Boston and I figure they’ve got to be close.
One of the decorative throw pillows on my couch has flopped over. It’s red and white and says Peace, Joy and Love on it in a fancy cursive. I s
et it back in its proper place.
Then, imagining I was Mom giving it a once-over, I shake my head and put it on the other side.
There.
I’m reaching to rearrange another one when I swear I hear the soft chimes of music coming from somewhere in my condo. After a second, I realize it’s my phone. I dart through the hall, dash into my bedroom, and snag the phone off of my dresser before it stops ringing.
I see that it’s Dani, her personal cell and not her office line.
I’m a little out of breath as I answer. “Hi, Dani.”
“You busy?” she says as a greeting. “I need to rant.”
“Is it work? What’s going on in the office today?”
I took the day off because I knew my parents were flying in. Last year, they drove, and their disastrous trip home in the snow meant they were all for taking a flight this year, instead. I thought I might have to pick them up, get them settled in at my condo, so I requested the day.
Dani makes a choked noise that I don’t understand. Then she says, “I, uh, got permission to take the day last minute. And you know why?”
I cross my fingers that it doesn’t have anything to do with Zack. Watching her pine over him while he was gone for all those weeks was painful.
It reminded me of how much of a moping mess I was last Christmas.
“No. Why?”
“Because of Max!”
“Your brother?”
“My flippin’ dictator!”
Oh… I guess someone’s overprotective brother just found out about the engagement. I admit, I thought it was sudden, too, but also super romantic.
From what she told me about her brother, Max Williams probably didn’t agree.
“What happened?” I ask.
“I just spent the last two hours picking him up at Logan and chauffeuring him back to my apartment! He told me he was coming for Christmas, but then he found out about Zack, and he showed up this morning instead. I could kill him!”
Now, I know Dani loves her brother. She just loves him on the other side of the country. I totally understand. I much, much prefer for my parents to be in Florida.
But it’s Christmas. Even if it’s only the middle of December, it’s still Christmas.
“How’s Zack taking it?”
She makes another strangled noise, with the underlying whoosh of a car driving by in the distance, and I guess she must’ve retreated to her outside balcony so that she could have the freedom to rant in peace.
“Zack? He’s flippin’ loving it! From the second we got engaged, he’s been pestering me to introduce him to my family. I already got to meet his mom, dad, and Emile. He thinks it’s only fair and that him and Max will be best bros by New Years.”
I giggle. “And what do you think?”
“That Max is already trying to figure out where he’s going to dump the body. Ugh!”
“Don’t worry, Dani. It’ll be fine. Yeah, you’re stuck in the middle of two guys who love you—” And isn’t that a fantasy just there, I think wistfully to myself “—but it’s Christmas, and who can really stay mad at Christmas?”
“Why do you have to be so upbeat and helpful?” she mumbles.
I know she doesn’t mean it to be mean so I keep on smiling. “Ask me that again after my parents get here.”
“That’s right! Oh my god, aren’t they flying in today, too?”
“Yup. I’m waiting for them to get to my place.” Leaving my bedroom, heading toward the kitchen so I can check on the chicken I’m roasting for dinner, I hear impatient knocking against my front door. “Oh, crap, Dani. I think they might actually be here. I’ll talk to you later.”
“If I don’t kill Max first and have to go on the run,” mutters Dani. “Anyway, good luck with your parents, Allison.”
“Don’t kill your brother,” I respond, and considering how much Dani is seething, I’m only half joking. “Bye.”
As soon as Dani says goodbye, I hang up my phone and toss it on my couch as I pass it on the way to the door. Taking only a second to brace myself, I paste a welcoming smile on my face and tug on the doorknob.
And there they are.
“What kept you, kiddo? We’ve been knocking for ages.”
I rush out into the hall, giving Mom and Dad each a quick squeeze. Mom is smiling, and while Dad sounds peeved, there’s a twinkle in his green eyes that says that he’s glad to see me.
“Sorry about that. I was on the phone and it took a minute for me to hear that you were out here.”
“Oh? Who were you talking to? New boyfriend?”
Mom smacks Dad in the side. “Barry, don’t tease—”
My smile freezes on my face. Right. Because the idea of me having a boyfriend must mean it’s a joke.
I don’t know what gets into me. I’m normally such a people-pleaser, and I’ve spent my whole life trying to please my parents more than anyone else. And maybe it was Dani’s phone call that made me realize that ranting is all good and fine but that, sometimes, the only way to make a change is to do just do it.
Whatever it is, when the words pop out of my mouth, I’m as surprised as Mom and Dad:
“Actually, yes. I didn’t mean for you to find out like this, but, um, I was talking to my boyfriend.”
Mom’s hands fly to her face. Dad’s pale eyebrow rises high, nearly disappearing in his mop of grey-dusted blonde hair.
“Oh, Allison, honey—”
Oh, God, are those happy tears in Mom’s eyes?
Dad’s laugh starts deep in his belly, then barks out. “Well, it’s about time, pumpkin. What a wonderful Christmas surprise! Tell us all about him.”
I probably look like a deer in headlights. There’s no going back, though, and I say the first thing that pops into my head. “Well, his name is Max, and he’s from out of town. He’s, uh, my best friend’s brother, actually. He lives in California, but he visits us in Salem whenever he can. It’s kinda new, that’s why I haven’t told you, but I really like him.”
At least, I like the things Dani tells me about her brother. She always teases me that we would be perfect for each other. If I wasn’t still stuck on what happened with Nick last Christmas, I might’ve taken her up on her offer of introducing us earlier.
Now, I just pretend like she has—and it led to a love connection.
Mom has a million questions, of course, and Dad looks torn between being proud and wanting to go find Max himself and ask him some questions of his own.
And then there’s the inevitable demand—
“We have to meet him!”
“Yes, pumpkin, when can we meet him?”
Crap. I… I should’ve seen that coming.
How can they meet a man that doesn’t even know who I am? I didn’t quite make him up, but it’s close enough.
Unless...
With a frantic smile, I settle on telling them soon, before adding hurriedly, “Excuse me. I just need to use the restroom real quick. Make yourself comfortable, okay? You know where the guest room is. Be right back.”
As my parents haul their luggage into the room across from mine, I dash into my own bedroom, then hide in my bathroom. I grabbed my phone from the couch when Mom turned her back. Feeling a little like I’m going to throw up, I punch in Dani’s number and wait.
She answers on the second ring. “Hello?”
I take a deep breath. “Dani. Hi. It’s me. Listen. I’ve, um, I’ve got a really big favor to ask...”
Chapter 5
Allison
Dani is amazing. I’m so glad I have her. I’m not even halfway through my explanation before she enthusiastically agrees to my hare-brained idea.
She can’t exactly promise that her brother will go along with it, since he’s sleeping off the jet lag and she can’t ask him for his help, but she swears that she’ll nag him until he agrees.
Dani tells me to come over around seven for an after dinner drink with her, her brother, and Zack. And I’m not so naive that I don’t realize t
hat she is hoping my presence will make things less awkward between Zack and Max.
I’ll take what I can get.
As often as my parents want to ask me about Max again, I always steer the topic away as fast as I can. The trip has taken a lot out of them, so they do rest for a couple of hours, and by the time dinner is done, Mom entertains herself with picking apart every bit of my meal.
The chicken is dry.
The gravy is loose.
Did I get the stuffing out of a box? For shame, Allison.
Normally her well-meaning criticisms drive me up the wall. Tonight, though? I take it all in with a grin because it means that she’s dropped the subject of my new boyfriend.
After dinner, they turn in early. I wait until they’re back in the guest room before cowardly leaving a note that I’d be back in a couple of hours. I don’t tell them explicitly that I’m going off to see Max. They can infer it if they want.
If all goes to plan, it’ll be true soon enough.
Fingers crossed.
I dress up a little, brush my hair loose, and put a little mascara on before I leave. I want to make a good first impression on Max Williams, if only because I’m about to ask this stranger for the biggest favor ever.
I need him to pretend to be my boyfriend just long enough to get my parents off my back.
On the drive over to Dani’s apartment complex, I work it all out. He doesn’t have to meet them, though—not gonna lie—that would be a big plus. Even if all he’ll do is get on the phone and talk to my mom for a few minutes, I’d be ecstatic. Then I can tell my parents he went back home and the distance made it too difficult for us to work out.
Perfect.
Okay, Allison. You can do this.
Dani’s apartment is on the third floor. Parking my car out front, I take a deep breath, and head inside. There’s a scent of cookies in the air, as if someone is getting an early start on their Christmas baking. I can’t help but smile as I breathe it in.
Mmm. Chocolate chip.
The ride up the elevator is a short one and, before I know it, I’m standing in front of Dani’s door, my hand posed in a fist. One more deep breath and I knock.
