Chapter 4
Nate
IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR
“So I have nowhere to stay?” My eyes train on Elizabeth, who stands there looking like her head is about to explode.
You know, like in the cartoons when the character’s eyes widen and then they start glancing side to side, only for their eyes to pop out of their sockets and then steam comes out of their ears.
I have to roll my lips together to stop from bursting out laughing as she looks at her mother, who has her mouth hanging open.
Her mom looks over at Zack, who I think looks like he’s about to have a stroke.
“Oh my God,” she shrieks and throws her hands up in the air and then back down again.
“I mean,” I speak up before her voice rises louder and all of Macy’s family looks over here and the person who actually took her room starts to feel uncomfortable, “if you want, you could stay with me.” Her head turns toward me so slowly, it’s as if she’s the evil doll from a scary movie.
They look all innocent and beautiful, then they feast their eyes on you and, boom, you’re dead.
“I have a spare bedroom and it’s not claimed, so it’s all yours.
” I want to tell myself to shut the fuck up, but my head and my mouth seem to be off course with each other.
I look over at Denise and Zack, who both take a sigh of relief. “Oh my goodness,” Denise says coming over to me, her hands extending as she points at me. “Nate,” she says with glee, “Nate has a room for you.”
“No.” She immediately shakes her head, and I raise my eyebrows and smile at her, waiting to see if she is going to tell them why she refuses to stay with me.
Has the day finally come when she acknowledges that we had one night together?
Who knows? She sure as fuck forgot about it the day after when I came over to see her and she pretended I didn’t exist.
“What?” Zack asks. “Why not?”
“Yes, Elizabeth”—I tilt my head to the side and watch her—“why not?”
“Well…” She folds her arms under her chest. “For one, he’s the best man.”
“That makes no sense,” Joshua scoffs, “it’s perfect.” He looks at both of us. “I am surprised we didn’t think of it earlier. But we were going crazy to figure out where to put Macy’s family.”
“Nice to know I came as an afterthought.” Elizabeth looks at her parents. “It’s Jack.” She puts her hand higher than her head. “Then Joshua.” She moves her hand down a little. “And then Elizabeth.” She bends her knees to put her hand near the floor.
“Can we be more dramatic?” Joshua snorts at her.
“We can, actually,” she gladly admits. “We so can. I’ve been up for the last two days it feels like. I’ve had to run for every plane I was on. My luggage and all my clothes are, I don’t even know where right now. Could be in Australia or could be in Bali, what is for sure is that it’s not here.”
“Did you fill out a form?” Zack asks her like she’s not having a meltdown right in front of him.
“No, Dad, I just left the airport, and I’m expecting the airport fairies to find it and bring it to me—”
“It’s Christmas,” I cut into the conversation. She again turns to look at me. Actually, look is too nice of a word; she turns to glare at me, her gray eyes fixated on me in a way that screams shut the fuck up. “You should have used Santa to deliver it on Christmas Day.”
“Nate,” she says my name and smiles at me. I’ve seen this smile a lot over the years, usually right before she tells me to go fuck myself. “Why are you here?”
“I’m the best man.” I slap Joshua’s shoulder, and he holds up his fist to me. “I’m everywhere.”
“Can you not be?” Her teeth clench as she says it.
“Is that any way to talk to the man who is rescuing you from sleeping on the street?” Denise says. “You need to be nice to him.”
She shakes her head. “I’m going to call the hotel.”
“Um,” Joshua starts.
“Shut up,” she snaps at him and takes her phone out of her bag and shakes it in her hand. “I need a phone. Someone get me a phone.”
“The two hotels in town are all booked up,” I speak up and she, of course, ignores me. “It’s the busiest time of the year, plus with the wedding… They have been booked up for months.”
“Then I’ll go and stay in New York City,” she stubbornly retorts, ignoring me completely.
“It’s Christmas, you think you’ll find a room in the city?” I can’t help myself from egging her on and I can see her jaw tighten, but she avoids even looking at me.
“If I stab him, I’ll probably go to jail,” she announces to the room and not to anyone in particular, “but then I’ll have someplace to stay.” She looks at me and all I can do is smile at her, which makes her even angrier. “I hate fucking Christmas.” She looks up at the ceiling.
“Sweetheart.” Zack goes up to her, his voice is soft as he takes her arms in both of his hands. “It’s going to be okay. You are tired and probably starving. They don’t feed you much on the airplane.”
“She flew business class,” Joshua interjects. I look down at my lap, not sure I can stop myself from bursting out laughing, which would probably anger her even more and make her a bit more stubborn than she normally is. “She had cutlery and real plates.”
“Joshua,” Denise says, her voice warning him to stop talking.
“I’m just saying, Mom.” He holds up his hand. “Listen, you think we wanted to rehome two hundred guests?” he asks her. “We literally have people staying everywhere.”
“Whose fault is that?” She turns her wrath on Joshua. “Who gets married at Christmas?”
“Lots of people,” I chime in.
“Again, Nate, you would be wrong, since December is the least popular month to get married.”
“Who told you that?” Joshua asks her.
“Google,” she hisses at him. “Why can’t you be normal and get married in the fucking summer like everyone else?”
“We wanted to be different,” Joshua replies, looking over at Macy, who is socializing with her family and has no idea this showdown is taking place. “Macy loves winter.”
“What’s going on over here?” Jack comes closer to us and falls onto the couch next to Joshua. “It looks serious.”
“Mom and Dad are throwing me to the wolves,” Elizabeth exaggerates.
“Wow.” I look at Joshua, who laughs. “Suddenly I’m a wolf.”
“We are not throwing you to the wolves,” Denise clarifies. “She’s going to be staying with Nate.” She points to me.
“I never agreed to that.” She shakes her head. “I can stay with Jack.”
“I have two bedrooms and both are taken by Macy’s aunts.”
“Great, so you don’t care about your little sister”—she lays it on thick—“who spent the whole day flying.”
“In business class,” Jack and Joshua say at the same time and then share a high five.
“I hate them.” She looks at her father.
“Okay,” I start, getting up and looking at her, “let’s all calm down.”
“I’m cool,” Joshua says, “as a cucumber.”
“No one asked you,” she hisses at him. “I should kick your foot and see how calm as a cucumber you are.” Her eyes dart to him and then his foot, and he sits up ready to defend himself.
“Why don’t you go and get something to eat?” I look at her, ready to face her wrath. “Then we can go, I’m sure you’re tired.”
“Yes,” Zack agrees, “let’s go and get you something to eat. You sound hangry.” He laughs at his own joke. “And then Nate”—he points at me—“will take you to his house and tomorrow maybe we’ll have news about the hotel and, hopefully, everyone can go to their original assigned places.”
She looks down and then looks back up again. “I’m going to find another place to stay.”
“Why are you being so pigheaded?” Joshua asks. “Just stay at Nate’s house.”
“Yeah.” I sit back down next to Joshua and extend my arm across the back of the couch. “Just stay with me.”
We have a face-off in the middle of living room, with all eyes on us. “This is so much fun,” Jack goads, “the two of you.” We both look at him. “You guys always were like water and oil.”
“More like fire and ice,” Joshua corrects.
“You two,” Denise grits through clenched teeth, pointing at Jack and Joshua, “enough poking the bear.” She then points at Elizabeth.
“So now she’s a bear,” Jack teases, getting up and putting his arm around her. “Come on, sister,” he urges, “let’s get some food in you.” He slowly walks away with her.
The minute she’s in the kitchen and Macy’s parents go up to her, she smiles at them and I hear Zack and Denise let out a huge sigh. “Thank you so much, Nate,” Denise says. “We owe you big-time.”
“Don’t mention it.” I look at them and smile. “Glad I can do something to help.”
“You saved us.” Zack nods at me.
“For now,” Joshua adds, and Zack shakes his head, then turns to walk into the kitchen to see how Elizabeth is doing.
“Whatever you need”—I look at Joshua—“just let me know.”
I get up and make my way to the kitchen, when the front door opens followed by a loud commotion.
“Well, well, well.” Their uncle Max comes into the kitchen, followed by his best friend and brother-in-law, Matthew.
From the stories everyone tells, the two of them started out as enemies.
Then Max dated Matthew’s sister in secret, which made them even more enemies, until push came to shove and now they are inseparable. “We have arrived.”
“Max,” Denise calls, going to her brother and they share a hug. “Where is Allison?”
“She’s going to come down tomorrow with everyone else,” he explains. “We came so we can help out with carpooling to make sure everyone is taken care of.”
“Isn’t that special,” Elizabeth deadpans as Max walks to her and hugs her, kissing her on the top of her head. “They forgot about me, didn’t even pick me up at the airport.” He gasps. “I was going to have to sleep on the street,” she tells him, “in the freezing cold.”
“Never,” he declares to her, “I would never let that happen.”
“At least one person loves me.” She wraps her arms around his waist.
“I’m ready to go when you are,” I say quickly. I don’t know why I say it, but I do.