Chapter 17
CHASE
“Ican’t believe you’re finally here.” Nix squeals—yes, actually squeals—and runs toward my brother.
Russ barely manages to let go of his suitcase before his arms are full of Nix.
Those two have always been physical with each other.
I’m not the only one who expected them to end up together.
My whole family assumed they’d get together at some point.
But, as the years passed, I think we all finally got the hint that they were nothing but platonic.
Guess everyone was looking at the wrong Haywood kid.
“I see I come in second place when Nix is around.”
“Come here,” Russ says as he shakes Nix loose. “I’ve missed you.”
“Same.” I hold my arms open for Russ to step into. He’s much shorter than I am, a fact I like to lord over him as much as possible. My brother is smarter, better looking, and a far better person than I’ll ever be. I’ve got to win something.
“Come on, we’d better move, or the airport cops will come for us.” Nix has a point since we’re technically in a loading zone. One of us was probably supposed to stay in the car.
“Ready?” Nix asks once we’ve gotten Russ’s bag safely stowed in the trunk and piled in.
“Take me to your crazy Christmas town.”
“It’s not crazy,” Nix argues.
I’m not so sure about that. My opinion about Sleighbell Springs has changed a lot over the past few weeks, but it’s still a little over-the-top.
Christmas-themed year-round? Don’t these people ever celebrate anything else?
How do they manage Halloween? I almost wish I’d still be there in October so I could find out. I bet it’s intense.
Once we’re on the freeway, the two of them sink into quiet conversation.
Between being relegated to the back seat and the noise of the air conditioner, I can’t hear much.
It’s a good opportunity to tune out and continue mentally rehearsing what I want to say to Russ later.
After a lot of thought, I decided I want to do it while he’s here.
At least the coming-out part. Telling him about Nix and me is a different story.
Partly because I don’t yet know what the future holds for us, if he found out I was using Nix for a fling, I’m pretty sure he’d kill me.
We might be blood, but I’m pretty sure he likes Nix more than he likes me.
“…Chase.” Hearing Russ say my name perks me up.
“What about me?”
“I was asking Nix if he knows anything about the mystery woman that you’re dating.”
I catch Nix’s eye in the rear-view mirror, his eyes wide and questioning.
“Leave Nix alone. He doesn’t know anything.”
“I don’t buy that for a minute. Nix is constantly filling me in on all the town gossip. Even if he doesn’t know for sure, he’s heard rumors.”
“If Chase is dating a woman, I know nothing about it.” Russ may not catch it, but I can tell Nix is choosing his words carefully. It’s the same way he talks to customers who aren’t on their best behavior.
“Fine. Be that way. I’ll figure it out for myself.”
That’s what I’m worried about. It’s not the two of us that I’m anxious over, either.
It’s the town. They might not have said anything, but everyone knows about the two of us.
How could they not? We’ve been to Reindeer Roadhouse several times, always sitting on the same side of the booth.
That’s before we factor in the customers who’ve caught us mid-make-out session.
Someone’s bound to open their mouth and say something that gets us in trouble.
If Russ is going to find out, it should come from one or both of us. Not from a random person at a coffee shop. That puts the two of us on a ticking clock. Except I have no idea if it’s counting down days, hours, or minutes.
NIX
“Here’s your room. Sorry, it’s a bit outdated.
This part of the house is at the bottom of my list for redecorating.
” Now that I’m standing in here, it might be moving to the top of the list. The brown wallpaper is covered in what were once white, yellow, and green flowers.
Now all of it’s a bit faded and grimy. Every inch of it is probably glued down tight.
Somehow, everything else is falling apart, but the wallpaper is holding on for dear life. Probably load-bearing, too.
“You know I don’t care about that.” Russ flops down on the bed. It’s covered in a quilt detailing the state flower of each of the forty-eight states.
Yes, forty-eight. That’s how old it is. Thankfully, it’s been cared for well and still looks and smells fine.
The only thing I managed for his arrival was to make up this room with new sheets and replace all the toiletries in the bathroom.
Some of them had been left over from when my great-aunt May was still alive. Eww.
“So tell me how things are really going with Chase.”
“With Chase?” My whole body seizes up, like I’ve been punched in the gut.
“Yeah. How’s he doing? I get bits and pieces during our phone calls, but it feels like there’s something he’s not telling me.”
Oh, boy. If he’s picked up that Chase is hiding something, it won’t be long before he realizes I’m hiding something, too.
And from there, it won’t take him long to figure out the rest. In addition to being a child-wrangler extraordinaire, he’s also a top-notch detective.
This does not bode well for me. He’s perceptive and curious, two traits I typically adore.
“It’s been a bit of an adjustment, but I think he’s holding up okay. The customers like him, even if he’s a bit clueless when it comes to book recommendations.”
“It’s hard to picture him behind the counter.”
I do my best to stop it, but I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face at the image.
He always leans over the counter while he scrolls social media on his phone.
I should probably get after him for it, just like I would any other employee, but he’s so cute.
I can tell when he lands on something he likes by the way his face lights up.
My favorite is when my phone buzzes a moment later, letting me know that Chase has sent me a message.
The little videos he shares with me make my day. It lets me know he’s thinking of me.
“Really?”
I shake the thoughts from my head. “What?”
“I thought you’d gotten over your crush on Chase.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I turn away quickly so he won’t see the way my cheeks heat at his words.
“Nix, it’s fine. I’ve known you liked him since we were teenagers. I just thought you’d grown out of it.”
“Yeah, me, too,” I mumble. Now, it’s gone from a mere infatuation to something so much bigger. There aren’t words for the way he makes me feel. The l-word jumps into my mind, but I force it away quickly. It’s far too early to say something like that.
“I’m not upset. I just hate that you’re hung up on someone you can’t have. What if you’re missing out on a special someone because you’re focused on Chase?”
“I’m not missing out on anyone. I promise.” Even if this thing with Chase doesn’t go anywhere, I won’t regret the time I spent with him.
After Aunt May’s death, one of the things I promised myself was that I would live with no regrets.
Okay, fewer regrets. She always said it was the opportunities that we didn’t take that ended up hurting the most later.
Wondering how they might have turned out if we’d had the courage to jump in with both feet.
I won’t have to ask that question when it comes to Chase. For a short time, he’s mine, and I’m his. That’s all that matters at the moment.
“Hey, I just had a great idea.”
“What?” I ask, slowly. Russ’s good ideas never end well for one of us. Usually me.
“Chase should stay here, too, in the house. You’ve got an extra guest room, and then we’ll all be together.
I only have a few days here, and I want to spend as much time with both of you as possible.
” Russ gets this puppy dog look on his face.
It works, and he knows it. “Please? Unless it’ll be too hard on you. ”
I suck in a breath. It will be, but not for the reasons Russ thinks. It’ll be hard because we’ll only be a few yards apart on those nights, yet still apart. We can’t do anything with Russ in the house. Or at least we can’t do anything that makes one of us make noise.
“Great idea. I’ll ask Chase now.”
“Ask Chase what?” He sticks his head into Russ’s room.
“Your brother’s suggested that you stay in the other guest room this week.
That way we can all be close and together.
” I plaster a smile on my face and hope it passes as genuine.
Chase has been planning to get Russ alone to have a conversation.
He even practiced a few pieces on me. Somehow, I don’t think doing it like this is quite what he had in mind.
Chase’s gaze darts back and forth between Russ and me. For a second, I think he might try to pass out on me again. Instead, he swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “That sounds great. I’ll grab a few things from the studio and join you.”