Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86828 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86828 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Casey, our father, and I had just climbed into a taxi at the front of the church my mother was due to wed in when she raced out its double doors and begged to come with us.
Casey and I weren’t given the chance to speak. Our father cranked open his door and pulled my mother onto his lap before we could respond.
She’s used his lap as a seat several times since then.
I tried to talk to my father about his inability to let go. Then I realized it wasn’t my right to insert myself into anyone’s relationship, so I shut my mouth, soundlessly wished him well, and continued to work on bettering myself instead.
It’s only been a week, but I’ve made some drastic changes. I refunded the money I had received for my “friendships” with the women I had duped. I also set up a foundation with my share of the profits from Casey’s many restaurants and sound investment decisions I’ve made over the past decade to ensure even unmarried people know what they’re entitled to in the event of a separation.
I even penned apologies for my wayward thoughts to every Kelsey from LA to Florida.
I’ve had a handful of replies, but not from the Kelsey I’m seeking.
I don’t want her to forgive me. I just want her to know that I never meant any harm. I honestly thought I was helping women move on as I had my mother, but my week with Kelsey proved my clients would have done it on their own even if I hadn’t forged a way into their lives.
Kelsey initiated every step necessary to move on from her ex. I was merely a witness to her strength and determination.
Half a block later, Casey balks. When I glance down at her, unappreciative of the ribbing her sudden stop caused, she stares at me as if I have rocks in my head.
“What?” I ask, shocked by the surprise on her face.
“Did you not hear that?”
She doesn’t breathe while waiting for the noise I’m fighting like hell to ignore to occur again.
Fortunately for her, Santa is quick, or she may have passed out.
“Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas.”
Casey’s eyes bulge as she grabs my arm. “It’s him. It’s charity Santa from the restaurant. I’d recognize his deep rumble anywhere.”
“It’s not him.” I try not to sound disappointed. I miserably fail.
When charity Santa’s voice rings through Ravenshoe’s main street again, Casey stomps her foot down like she’s years younger than she is before saying, “I swear to God, if you don’t pull your finger out of your butt, I’ll… I’ll…” An evil expression crosses her face when the perfect threat smacks into her. “I’ll tell everyone you cried when I told you Santa wasn’t real.”
I stare at her like she’s a monster. That’s our secret. We’re not meant to share our secrets. If we were, I would have told Kelsey how Casey peed in the sandpit like a cat throughout kindergarten, while sharing details about the tears I shed when my big sis broke my Christmas spirit.
I was willing to face a lifetime of embarrassment just to ensure Kelsey knew the handful of tears she released about the end of her engagement were perfectly acceptable.
When I realize the threat on Casey’s face is authentic, I say, “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wanna bet?” She grabs the first couple she finds and shouts in their faces, “My brother cried when I told him Santa isn’t real. He was ten and still believed a fat man in a red suit came down the chimney every Christmas Eve!”
When she shares the same story with another three couples, I clamp my hand over her mouth before dragging her into the alley. Our parents are oblivious to our imminent tiff since they only seem to have eyes for each other.
“You’re damn insane. You know that, right?” I don’t wait for her to answer me. “You’re telling people I believed in Santa when I was a child because I won’t listen to your stupid notion that the charity Santa from your restaurant is the real Santa.”
“He knew about your wish, Zane. You never told anyone about that, not even me until after he disclosed it, so how did he know?”
“I don’t know! He just did.” I take a moment to calm down before confessing, “He also said I wasn’t ready and that I’d have to wait another year before trying again.”
Mindful of the cause of the dip in my tone, Casey drops her angsty expression while stepping closer. “Maybe he changed his mind?”
“He didn’t change his mind. I haven’t improved enough yet not to fuck it up. No one improves in a week.”
“Kelsey did.”
Just hearing her name hurts.
I didn’t realize how quickly she had snowed me under until the avalanche overwhelmed me.
Casey hits the nail on the head over and over again. “She found you that night and wowed you so quickly that in under a minute, you broke every rule you’d made to protect yourself. She saw the positive in being let go so she could pursue her dreams of her own company, and she didn’t let that ass steal the magic of Christmas when he stole her damn tree and decorated it with her decorations. She did all that, Zane. You were merely there for—”