Chapter 16
sixteen
Fletcher
Ifeel like we just did this drive.” Tate opens up a granola bar and hands it to me. “The turnaround between Thanksgiving and Christmas is ridiculous.”
“At least we live down by campus,” I begin. “I think it sucks more for the students who go home for Thanksgiving, just to come back for a couple of weeks to do midterms and then go back home.”
“Trust me, I’m thankful for that. I don’t know if I’d be able to survive my parents for six weeks.”
“You wouldn’t have to,” I tease. “They wouldn’t be around.”
“You got me there. I honestly see them just as much now as I did when I was a kid and lived in the same house as them.”
“We’re going to your place first, right?” I glance at her, and her shoulders tense up.
“Unfortunately. Naomi got in a few hours ago with her fiancé, so if I don’t go straight there, I’ll hear about it for the next few days.”
“Did they try to get you to stay?” I raise an eyebrow. “I have to go back because of hockey, but you have no reason to go back before the new year.”
“That’s rude.”
“I’m just being honest.”
“I have a new song to write for this thing I’m entering.”
“A thing?”
“Yeah, it’s silly, honestly. And the chances of it happening are one in a million, so it’s—”
“What is it?”
“Nashville has this competition for unknown artists to enter, and if you win, you get to gig around Nashville and meet with record execs and—”
“Shut the fuck up.” I pull into the Jewel parking lot, put the car in park, and turn toward her. “Tate, that’s huge.”
“It’s not like I have it.” Her face falls.
“Yeah, but it’s a big deal that you’re even putting yourself out there.”
“I guess.” She shrugs. “Brin wants me to start posting videos of me singing on social media, but the thought of people I don’t even know judging me is just—”
“I think that’s a great idea.” I interrupt. “Tate, I know it’s hard to accept that you have an amazing voice, and you think we only tell you that because we’re your friends, but I’m telling you, if you sucked, I’d be honest.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
“I would. Scouts honor.”
“You weren’t a Scout.”
“So.”
“Okay, maybe I’ll take her up on it. She said she’ll set everything up, and I’ll just post when I want to.”
“Perfect. Now, let’s run into Jewel really quickly. I just need to get some booze for Christmas Eve tomorrow, and Mom wanted some more dessert options.”
“Doesn’t she usually make everything?” I get out of the car, and Tate follows. Crazily enough, the weather is better today than it was when we drove down for Thanksgiving.
“She does, but I guess she went all out for Christmas Eve dinner this year and only had time to make a couple of desserts, so she just wanted me to grab some cookies and ice cream.”
Tate grabs a cart as we enter the store, and we head straight to the alcohol section.
“Hey, Kassidy told me that Lauren, Miranda, and Freddie weren’t going to be home for Christmas Eve this year. She was a little heartbroken that the sleeping situation wasn’t going to cause a sleepover again.”
I laugh.
“Yeah, I guess Lauren is celebrating the holiday with Sam’s family. They’re back in Florida, so it just made sense. Miranda had to return to work in Ohio, so she decided to spend time with her dad and her extended family on that side. And I think Freddie just left. They did Christmas early.”
“That makes sense. I don’t know how they do it. I mean, they have divorced parents, but then they’re also married. I don’t know how you decide where holidays happen.”
“I think it’s easier when you all live nearby. Chase and Stella are spending Christmas Eve with us and Christmas with her family since they’re only about fifteen minutes away. And it works out because they’ve always celebrated on Christmas and not Christmas Eve.”
“Seems like a lot of work.” Tate grabs some wine off the shelf. “I would go crazy.”
“Lucky for you, you can spend the holidays with your best friend and your family since they’re right next door.”
“Is that lucky?” She raises an eyebrow.
“Maybe not.”
She laughs and bends down to pick up a case of beer. She drops it into the cart, and then we round the corner to get some vodka and a few fun, Christmas-themed drinks we see on the shelves.
“I think this is more than enough. Most of the people can’t even drink.” Tate grabs the side of the cart. “We might’ve gone overboard.”
“We’re spending the holiday with your parents, Tate; we’re gonna need this.”
“Fletch, my parents are going to—”
“Fletcher Reed?” We both turn toward the end of the aisle to see a short blonde staring at us. Tate and I exchange a glance as she walks toward us. “Oh, my goodness, I thought that was you. I heard Fletch and thought there was no way but…”
Her voice dies out, and I think she realizes the two of us are just staring at her.
“Sorry, it’s been a while. Casey, Casey Hill.”
Oh shit. I haven’t seen Casey Hill since the dance she attended with Tate’s ex, Lucas.
“Oh shit.” Tate’s eyes widen. “You look different. Good, different, I just never would’ve… I’m just going to stop talking now.”
“No, it’s fine. I went blonde freshman year of college and never went back. I think it really brings out the color of my eyes. My brown hair was just so… boring.” She laughs.
“It looks great.” Tate pats the shopping cart.
“Thank you.” Casey smiles. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you guys. You look great. I always told Lucas the two of you would end up together.”
“Oh.” Our eyes dart toward each other.
“We, um, we aren’t, together.” Tate bites her bottom lip. “He’s just my best friend. Always.”
“Oh.” Casey takes a step towards me. “I bet you have all the girls chasing after you at school, though, don’t you?”
“Not really. Kind of just focused on college and hockey.”
“Smart.” Her eyes bore into me, and I don’t know whether to be uncomfortable or flattered.
Don’t get me wrong, Casey Hill is beautiful. She always was. And she’s right about the blonde hair really bringing out her features, but this is happening in front of Tate, which seems awkward.
“How’s Lucas?” I rock back on my heels, pulling the cart with me slightly.
“We broke up over the summer.” She shrugs. “He didn’t like the idea of me making more money than him. His loss.”
“What are you going to school for?” I lean forward, resting on the cart.
“Oh, I’m going to be a criminal attorney, hopefully. I still have a little way to go, but I love it so far. How’s the music thing working out, Tate?”
Tate tenses up.
“It’s good.”
“She’s actually going to start posting on social media. You know, gain more traction.”
“Really? You’ll have to let me know when you do. I’d love to follow you.”
“Thanks, Casey, I will.”
Tate looks over at me, raising her eyebrows as if to tell me we better get a move on it.
“It was really great to see you, but we've got to finish shopping and get home to prepare for tomorrow,” I begin. “Maybe we’ll see you around.”
“Sure.” She grins. “Here, let me give you my number, and maybe we can all meet up before you guys head back.”
“It’s a pretty quick trip, so I don’t know if we’ll be able to swing it.” Tate crosses her arms.
She’s not wrong about the trip being short, and the chances of us being able to meet with Casey before we leave are slim, but I accept her phone number anyway.
“Merry Christmas, guys.” Casey squeezes my shoulder before she disappears. Tate’s eyes follow her until she’s gone.
“What are the odds of running into Casey?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Can we finish up? You know how my mom gets when I’m late.”
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” She gives me a small smile, scratching the back of her head. “Let's get going.”