My Red, White, & Blue Christmas

by Julie Christianson

  Just past the cemetery, I turn into the parking lot. Somebody’s raked spruce leaves into piles along the curb. Even though the stone buildings are empty now, I can taste the thousands of bologna sandwiches I ate in the cafeteria. I pull up and park. Before I’ve even shut off the engine, Kasey’s out of her seatbelt, hopping down from the truck and slamming the door.

  She pokes her head in through the open window. “Follow me.”

  “Hold on a minute,” I say. But she doesn’t hold on a minute. She takes off at a run. “The concrete’s got to be hot,” I call out. “You want your sandals?” She’s either too far gone to hear, or she’s intentionally ignoring me. Either way, I collect her sandals from the floor of the truck to bring with me.

  I may not be able to kiss Kasey Graham, but I can make sure she doesn’t burn her feet. In fact, if she’d let me, I’d take care of that crazy, beautiful woman for the rest of my life.

  Get real, Beau. She hates you. And talking to yourself won’t change that.

  I make my way around the front of the school, but Kasey’s out of sight. I know where she went. Dang. As I head toward the gym, my stomach twists, and it keeps on twisting the closer I get to the spot where I broke Kasey. Not her heart. Kasey wasn’t in love with me. And now she never will be. But I sure broke her spirit then. And for that I’ll never forgive myself. She hasn’t forgiven me either.

  The whole rest of that summer I wanted to apologize, but I never saw her again. She was stuck in her room—grounded—we couldn’t talk there. Not with Brady around. If she’d just told her parents what Brady and I did, they might’ve let her off the hook. We might’ve seen each other. Had a conversation. It kills me to think she picked being grounded over running into me.

  By the time I come around the back of the gym, my guts are officially on fire. Then I see Kasey, standing in the same patch of dirt under the same trees where I almost kissed her. My pace slows. It’s been five years, but I can practically see Brady spying on us from the top branches.

  “Hey, there.” I practically choke out the words. She’s so beautiful, but her eyes flash a warning. So I duck my head and set her sandals on the ground a few feet away from her.

  “I figured you’d find me here.” She pulls her phone from her pocket. She messes with the screen for a moment then she holds up the phone, turned sideways like you’d do for a video.

  “What’s going on, Kasey?”

  She fixes me with a stare. “I want you to confess,” she tells me. “Say out loud what you and my brother did to me after graduation. I need to hear it.”

  “No way.” I shake my head. “Not on camera.”

  “You’re not in charge now, Beau. You’re going to do what I ask. You owe me.” I rub a hand across my chin, considering my options. I could refuse. Be stubborn and stand up to her. Show her who the man is here.

  Or.

  I could let down my guard like she did that day. She was so vulnerable, looking into my eyes, with hope on her face. Hope and trust. She’d been wrong to trust me then. But I want her to know she can trust me now. And she’s right. I do owe her one. I’ll do what she asks.

  “All right.” I shift my jaw and unclench my teeth. “If that’s what you want.”

  “Good.” A slow smile spreads across her face. Like she can’t believe I’m agreeing to this. “Give me one second to hit record, then you can start.” She presses a button and aims the camera at me again.

  “Okay. Here goes.” I take a deep breath, blow it out. “Five years ago, after graduation, I asked Kasey to meet me here, behind the gym. I told her I had something to give her and even though she had no reason to believe me—not after all the ways I’d messed with her—she showed up anyway.” My chest aches as I say this. What a supreme jerk, Beau. “I let her think my reasons were legitimate, but Brady was hiding up in those trees.” I glance up at the highest branches. The sun’s peeking through now, light streaking down on Kasey.

  She nods. “Don’t stop now, Beau. You’re just getting to the good part.”

  My mouth’s dry as a dust bowl and a bead of sweat rolls off my brow. “The thing is,” I say to the camera, “I knew Brady was up there watching, but I couldn’t help myself, and I moved in for a kiss.” I take a beat and Kasey makes a small noise in the back of her throat. This story can’t be easy for her to hear, but she might as well know the truth. “Anyway, before anything happened—before I got to kiss Kasey—Brady took over...”

  Kasey’s jaw goes tight. “Tell everyone what Brady did, Beau. What you let him do.”

  “He started pelting her with water balloons. A bucket full. The water must’ve been freezing, but Kasey barely flinched. She just stood there taking it, getting wetter and wetter. I think her strength made Brady even madder. And he was probably already mad at me for almost kissing his sister...” My voice trails off.

  “Then what happened?”

  “Brady was in the tree cracking up, and I stood there feeling like the world’s worst human. I was the worst for letting Brady hurt her.”

  Kasey flips her phone around and says, “The end.” She taps at her screen. But I wasn’t done yet. She looks up from her phone and rubs at her nose with a fist. Is she fighting back tears?

  “Kasey.” I take a step toward her, but she backs away.

  “That last part’s not entirely true, is it? When you said you let Brady hurt me. You hurt me. You, Beau.”

  “You’re right,” I nod. “I wanted to explain things to you. I would’ve apologized, but you ran off.” I move toward her again and she steps back again. “So I’m telling you now. From the bottom of my heart. I’m truly sorry I hurt you. I hurt you over and over again. But I’m not that stupid kid anymore.”

  She blinks, hard and fast, shaking her shoulders like she’s shaking off my apology. Then she starts back in on her phone, tapping away. She looks up at me. “Okay, Beau. I just forwarded that little video confession to your phone. Now there’s just one more thing you have to do for me.” I cock my head. A question. “Send it to your mom,” she says. “Then to mine.”

  My throat closes. “But...Why?” I’m being strangled by a boa constrictor.

  She shrugs. “So they know what happened with us back then. So they stop trying to make something happen with us now.” She lifts an eyebrow. “Maybe they thought it was a brilliant idea to push us together this week, but they don’t know the real you, do they?”

  “Maybe you don’t know me either.” I drag a hand through my hair, and Kasey shifts her weight, but the set to her mouth says she’s not budging. “Anyway, I can’t send that video to anyone because I don’t have my phone with me.”

  She narrows her eyes. “Fine.” She unlocks the screen on her phone and hands it over. “Use mine.”

  “All right, Kasey. I can do that. If this is really what you want.” She nods. A tight, quick one. “Okay,” I say. But instead of sending a text, I open up her camera app, switch the setting to video and flip the lens back at me. Right. Take a breath now, man. It’s time to say your piece.

  “Hi there, Kasey Graham. It’s me. Beau Slater. I’ve been an idiot. I’ve always been an idiot, but not the way you think. I didn’t actually set out to torment you back in high school. Not at first. I was just a fifteen-year-old kid who had the misfortune of falling for his best friend’s little sister. That would be you, Kasey. And yeah, I should’ve told Brady how I felt. I should’ve told you. Instead I told myself it was guy-code. You don’t date your friend’s sister, right? No way. Never. So I did everything I could to push you away.” When I take a breath, Kasey jumps in.

  “I get it. Now you’re blaming my brother?”

  Guess we’re in interview mode. But I keep the camera aimed at me. “No, it was my fault. Brady didn’t even know. Or maybe he did. Maybe that’s why he worked so hard to mess with you too. It’s not an excuse. Just the truth. I—”

  “Stop!” She puts a hand up.

  “Not before I tell you I really did have something to give you that day. A
charm bracelet. Got it at Murphy’s Jewelers. You can ask Pat Murphy. He’ll tell you. I had this idea that I’d give you the bracelet and ask you to meet up with me in Abieville every summer we were in college so I could give you a new charm. It was the only way I could think of to keep you coming back.” I pause and Kasey blinks. “I was afraid you might laugh in my face, but I was also hoping somewhere deep down, you might’ve been falling for me too.” Kasey’s eyes are shining now. She looks down at her bare feet. “Anyway,” I say. “That was my plan but...” I let the story trail off. She knows how it ends.

  I stop recording and Kasey lifts her face.

  “Beau.” Her voice is quiet. Almost a whisper. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I might believe you.”

  I step toward her. This time she stays put. Sweat’s rolling down my back, but Kasey’s shivering in her dress. I want to wrap my arms around her and keep her warm. But whatever happens between us now needs to be on her terms. I move another inch closer. Then reach out and poke the bare skin of her shoulder with my finger.

  “Tag,” I say. “You’re it.”

  She bends her head. “I don’t get it.”

  “You’re in charge, Kasey.” I hold up her phone. “Say the word, and I’ll send these

  videos to everyone in town. I’ll stay away from you for the rest of this week. Or I’ll stay with you for the rest of this week. Whatever you want.” I shift another inch closer. Close enough to feel the warmth coming off her. “So. What do you want, Kasey?”

  She looks up with those big bright eyes, her sharp gaze burrowing straight to my heart. She tips her chin and brushes her mouth against mine. Light and fast. Then slower. My lips. Her lips. Soft as I remember. Sweeter than cherries. All I want to do is pick up where we left off in her uncle’s truck, but I hold back. Let her take the lead.

  Instead of deepening the kiss, Kasey dips her head, and I inhale deeply. Her hair smells like sunshine. Like coconut. Like every good thing. I raise a hand to her waist. Not a grip. She’s still free. But she moves into me and lets me hold her. She presses her cheek to my chest and I realize she can feel my heart pounding hard. But I don’t care. I’m done pretending. She lifts her face to mine and our breath starts mixing, warm and quick. I’d do anything to kiss this woman. Quit my job. Give up Brady.

  Say the word and I’m yours, Kasey Graham.

  She parts her lips. “I want revenge.”

  9

  Kasey

  “R

  evenge?” Beau’s staring down at me and his eyes go wide. I’m still in his arms, and I should push away from him, but I kind of want to stay here for the rest of my life. I also want to believe him. Badly. I already told him I believed him—before I was sure—then I let my guard down again and my mouth started doing things I’m not sure my heart’s ready to back up.

  “Okay, Kasey. You win.” His shoulders slump and he releases me. As soon as his hands leave my waist I want them back. This doesn’t feel like winning at all. “What kind of revenge did you have in mind?”

  I chew my lip. “I haven’t come up with a plan yet. I just know I want to teach my mom a little lesson.” I take a beat. “And then we’ve got to mess with Brady, of course. And Natalie.”

  “Huh.” Beau takes a small step backward. “What does Nat have to do with this?”

  “Are you kidding?” Based on the tilt of his head, he doesn’t seem to be kidding. “Don’t you remember her threatening me with those brownies? The Ex-Lax?”

  He shakes his head and frowns. “Guess not. Man, she and Brady must’ve both figured out I had feelings for you.”

  At this my heart skips a beat and those darn butterflies rush back to my stomach. Why is Beau saying things like this to me? I had feelings for you. Then again he used the past tense. Had. Argh.

  As terrible as that word feels, it does make sense. Beau can’t afford to have feelings for me now. He’s got a globe-trotting career to pursue, and he won’t give up his dream job. The guy has wanted to be a photographer since high school. Just like I dreamed of being a journalist. Suddenly my cheeks flush pink remembering that Beau wasn’t the only one who took something from the other back then. And even though I hate losing the upper hand, I need to get something off my chest. Especially if we’re going to team up for any revenge plot. “I owe you an apology, Beau.”

  “Well. That’s unexpected.” His mouth quirks. “But you’re all about the lessons. So I guess you’re teaching me to expect the unexpected from you.” He tilts his head. “Still, what do you have to be sorry about?”

  I blink at him. Twice. If I had a collar to tug, I would. “I stole the title of yearbook editor right out from under you. I knew how much you wanted it too.”

  “Oof.” He winces. An exaggerated one, like I socked him in the belly. “Yeah, that was pretty rough, Graham. But I always figured you did that because I got editor of the paper first.”

  “That’s true.” A cloud passes over the sun and I suck in a hot breath. The air’s still thick and humid. “I guess I’m learning two wrongs don’t make a right.”

  He scrubs a hand through his chestnut hair and in that moment I don’t care about wrongs or rights, I just want to be those fingers in the waves. I want to sit in the shade of this pine tree and kiss Beau Slater. Maybe forever. But not yet.

  You mean not ever, Kasey

  “Here’s the thing, though,” he says. Then he reaches out and runs one of those lucky fingers down my arm, and my skin erupts in goose bumps in the exact path he traces. “Doesn’t the whole two wrongs don’t make a right idea go against your revenge plot?”

  Ugh. “Dang it, Beau!” He chuckles while I frown. “I hate it when you’ve got a point. Could you ease up on that please?” I shift my weight, still a bit unsteady from the best kiss of my life. With my insides and outsides all twisted, I can barely think straight. See straight. Feel straight. So I swallow hard and focus harder. It’s time to get a grip. “Okay.” I nod. “We won’t follow through with any plots involving laxatives or water balloons. Nothing mean.” I lift a brow. “But we can still have a little fun with everyone, right?”

  He grins. “Fun sounds right up my alley. What kind of fun, exactly?”

  “Hmm.” I tilt my head. “Well our moms have obviously been forcing us together this week, cooking up plans, being sneaky, thinking we wouldn’t notice what they’re doing.”

  Beau raises a hand. “In their defense”—he chuckles again—“I didn’t notice, either.”

  “That’s because you’re a guy. Guys can be clueless.” I avert my eyes. This next part I can’t say looking directly at Beau. “Anyway, if our moms want us to be a couple so bad, we could always mess with them by pretending we are. A couple, I mean.”

  As I say the words, my insides get warm. Really warm. Like apple pie warm. I’ll have to be careful not to enjoy this role too much. Because it will be just an act, with an end date. I lift my gaze to Beau’s and his eyes bore right through me.

  “Okay.” His voice has gone gravelly. He swallows. “I can do that.”

  Wow. My whole body’s hot now. “You know my family’s invited to your house to watch the fireworks tomorrow night. So I was thinking, while we’re all there together, you and I could put on a show.” I pause, waiting for Beau to say no way. But he doesn’t, so I keep going. “We can lay it on super thick in front of everyone. Like holding hands and snuggling up to each other.” I inhale. Exhale. “We’ll fake being in love.”

  Beau clears his throat. I’ll miss the gravel. “Our moms aren’t stupid, Kasey. Do you think they’ll buy it?”

  I think I don’t care. I think I want to do it anyway. But instead of admitting that, I offer a small smile. “Don’t worry. I can be a pretty good actress when I want to be.”

  This is truer than he needs to know. For instance, right now I’m doing a great job of pretending my knees aren’t weak just standing here, smelling Beau’s cologne, seeing the cords of his neck flex. “And don’t forget.” I gulp. “Love an
d hate are both very strong emotions. They’re just on opposite sides of the spectrum. If you’ve felt one, you should be able to flip the switch to the other whenever you want to. Easy peasy.”

  “Sure. Sounds easy.” He crosses his arms across his chest and oh my wow, those muscles. Dang! I shift my focus to his Adam’s apple. Beau’s nice, neutral Adam’s apple. Nothing sexy about that. Except every time he swallows and I kind of want to kiss him in that exact spot. But back to my strategy.

  “In the meantime, for very different reasons, Brady and Natalie will go absolutely nuts when they see us together. Snuggling. They’ll completely freak out. Lose their ever-loving minds.” I lift a finger, like Watson about to reveal the answer to Sherlock Holmes. “And that’s when you and I will hit them with the truth.”

  His mouth goes crooked. “Which is?”

  I shrug. “That there’s absolutely nothing going on between us.”

  “Right. Absolutely nothing.” He squeezes his arms even tighter across his chest and it’s like he’s squeezing all the breath out of me at the same time. “So what’s the end game, Kasey?”

  “Some harmless fun. They’ll all feel a little silly for being fooled. And hopefully my mom will learn to keep her nose out of my business. For my whole life she’s told me what she thought, how she felt, the things she wanted. I never got a word in edgewise. And now she wants me to be with you? Well. I’ll give that to her, then take it away. She’ll see how it feels not to be in control.”

  “Okay.” He nods. “That’s fair. But what will Brady and Nat learn?”

  “That we’re smarter than they are!” I splay my hands in anticipated triumph. “I can picture it now. The looks on their faces when they realize we pranked them will be priceless.”

  The more I keep talking, the more this seems perfect. Two birds with one short fake romance! Plus I’ll get to be close to Beau for one night. Even if it’s pretend, that’s still better than nothing.