Chapter 10
TEN
Ten
Holly
“What did he say?” I narrow my eyes at Cole, hoping that if he tells me again I’ll be able to work out exactly what’s going on.
I scratch my forehead, a little twinge of a headache starting. My mom messaged me to ask if I would be home soon with some money. She knows I made five-hundred dollars today, and all of a sudden the electric is about to be cut off and I need to get cash to her right away. But that’s not what’s bothering me. She can have the money. It’s something about the call Cole just received from my dad.
I don’t know, I’m just feeling twitchy all of a sudden.
“Don’t worry. We’ve been best friends and business partners for a long time. It’s not the first time he’s been irritated with me. I just told him I wasn’t working Christmas Eve. He should have listened to me at the party. He’ll get over it. I’ll bring him a bottle of Crown tonight.”
“Okay.” I blow out a breath, still not convinced. “So, you’ll drop me at Mom’s? I’ll grab the presents I have for Dad. She said I can use her car tonight so our stories will line up—”
“Holly.” He pinches my chin, forcing my eyes to his. “Stop. Worrying. I’ve got you. I’ve got this.”
“I know, but—”
“No buts. Just let me handle it.”
I already answered a message my dad sent hours ago, telling him I would be leaving soon and be at his house on time. He hasn’t replied, which is unlike him, so I’m just praying everything will go smoothly tonight.
We are back at Cole’s. He took a quick shower and changed while I talked with my mom about borrowing her car, trying to not lie but hoping to cover my bases with everyone.
Cole’s phone rings as we get ready to head out the front door and into his pickup.
“Yeah.” He answers. “Told you I’d be there—”
He licks his lips, looks at me, then away as he steps into the kitchen, lowering his voice as I listen.
“Hey, no.” There’s a long pause. “I’ll be there. Don’t—” I turn to see him hold the phone away from his ear and shake his head.
“Everything okay?”
He nods. “Yep. Just a little work issue. Let’s go. Get you to your mom’s.”
Something in his voice tells me it’s not just a little work issue, and I hate that I think he’s lying to me. But there will be time to tackle that later. Right now I need to get to my mom’s and figure out what’s going on with her.
“What the fuck?” Cole mutters as he pulls the car around into my mom’s street. And I see it at the same time as he does.
“That’s my dad’s car, I thought you were going to meet him at work?”
My heart is in my throat, because if he and my mom are comparing notes, the game’s up. Things are going to go from bad to worse on Christmas Eve, and that fairytale romantic Christmas I’ve been dreaming of? Well, I can kiss that goodbye right now, no need to wait for the mistletoe.
“Let’s just find out what’s going on. I’m here for you, baby.”
I shake my head. “No, just go to work like you were going to. Hopefully he just dropped by and there’s nothing—”
“That’s not going to happen, Holly. Your dad said he’d see me at work, but he’s here, which means he knew you were with me and I’d be bringing you here.”
“Mom could have called him I guess.”
“Either way, he’s probably figured out by now you weren’t with her last night.”
I pout, but I know he’s right. As much as I don’t want this to be happening, it is, and I’m just going to have to face it. At least I’ll have Cole by my side. I just want everyone to be happy, and I can see this turning into the complete opposite very fast.
Cole pulls the pickup into my mom’s drive, and hops out, coming around to my side to open my door and help me climb down. He takes me under my arms and then sweeps us around, depositing me on the ground.
“So, it’s true.” My dad’s voice is a growl from behind me and I turn to find him standing there in my mom’s doorway. “What the fuck, Cole?” He starts towards us and Cole puts out a hand, palm out.
“Hold up, let’s not do this out here.”
“I’ll do this wherever the fuck I like. I fucking paid for this house. And that’s my fucking daughter, you prick.” He shoves Cole’s chest with his flat hands and Cole steps back.
“Dad, please.” I can feel my shoulders raising, trying to hide my head down between them. “Please don’t do—”
“You can get inside, young lady. Cole and I have some shit to discuss.”
“If by discuss you mean—”
“Get inside, I won’t tell you again!” Anger burns in my Dad’s eyes like I’ve never seen especially directed toward me and tears burn my eyes.
“Hey,” Cole steps forward, putting himself between me and my dad. “Don’t fucking talk to her like that. You call me whatever you like, but don’t yell at her.”
“Cole, please don’t,” I say, my voice shaking fighting back the tears. “I’m going inside. Dad, promise you won’t hurt him.”
“I’m coming in with you.” Cole is by my side as I walk, and he takes me by the elbow, and somehow that small gesture makes me feel safer, even with my dad following on our heels, shouting at Cole to stay there and face him like a man.
But nothing can prepare me for what I find inside. And I’m not talking about the empty beer cans and liquor bottles, or the overflowing garbage and ash trays.
“Holly! So nice to see you!” Amanda beams from her seat in the front room, my mom sitting next to her with her brows drawn together in a frown. “Someone’s on Santa’s naughty list, I think.”
“What’s going on?” I say, glaring, but my mom shakes her head.
Cole addresses Amanda. “You did this, didn’t you?” He shakes his head, looking like he’s about to reach over and snap her neck.
Amanda smirks at me. “Saw your little lunch with Santa yesterday. Got to talking with your mom, guess no one knew about you two. Sorry.” She mocks us both with a fake pout.
“You know this is going to screw everything up.” My mother glares at me. He’s your Dad’s business partner, for God’s sake, you want to ruin everything we have going here? Do you have the money?”
I want to tell her she’s the one ruining things, but instead I nod. “I got it for you. What do you need it for?” I hold the money out to and she stands to snatch it from my hand as Cole and my dad start arguing again behind me. It’s getting difficult to concentrate.
“Bills, Holly, there are bills to keep this house going.”
I clasp my hand to my forehead, trying to steady my nerves as my dad screams at Cole. “You stay away from my fucking daughter man. I thought we were friends…”
“Why do you need cash, mom?” I ask, unable to settle myself as a fury begins swirling inside of me. “And why am I only just hearing about this bill?”
She hesitates before answering. “Well, I already paid the bill, didn’t I? So, this money is to pay me back. You have to contribute while you’re living here, Holly. Especially if you’re going to be off sleeping with all your dad’s friends, the least you can do is get some money for—”
“I already pre-paid you rent and some extra. That’s all I had.”
Amanda snickers. “Grown woman, still living with her mom and whining about paying rent. Too bad no man will even look at you, or you could get yourself a nice little sugar daddy.”
Cole’s voice is deep behind me. “Martin, you need to calm the fuck down. I’m not going to fight you but I will not let you disrespect Holly.”
It’s all too much. I can’t work out how to handle this. The nice Holly, the one that just takes whatever everyone throws at her, is struggling to see a way forward. My head is hurting. My nerves are shattered. I just want to hide behind Cole and let him take care of all of it, but I can’t.
He said I had to be a bitch sometimes. Maybe that’s the way forward? Maybe if I was more of a bitch, none of this would have happened.
Amanda’s words echo in my head: no man will even look at you. Sugar daddy. Daddy…
My mother keeps going on about being responsible while Amanda is twisting the knife, backing her up and sitting there looking like she’s in the middle of a circus.
My dad and Cole’s voices rise and I snap.
“EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP!” I scream, my hands on the sides of my head like a crazy person and like a little bit of Christmas magic, they all fall silent.