Chapter Nine
“I’d take a Nerf bullet for you.”
Anonymous
Ivy
I smiled at Jack perusing the chic clothing boutique before we had to meet my family at the outdoor skating rink in the town square. Ice-skating six days before Christmas was a Wells family tradition. Did I know why? Not at all, but I didn’t question it.
However, Jack was probably questioning his life choices right about now as he looked anything but chic in his white embroidered reindeer Christmas sweater.
There was no saving Jack from the Wells family Christmas madness.
At least he was doing a good job of pretending he didn’t mind all the insanity.
I was just glad that he had finally admitted I was right about men and women being friends—even if we couldn’t act like friends at the moment.
It gave me hope that soon things could get back to normal with us and that our friendship was safe, even though we were sleeping together. Like, actually sleeping.
I had to say, Jack was a great snuggle buddy. He knew how to be the big spoon perfectly, he didn’t have disgusting morning breath, and he didn’t snore.
Jack held up a blue and white porcelain silk scarf, holding it away from himself like it might bite him. He was more of a buy-a-gift-card-or-hand-over-cash kind of guy.
“Do you think your mom would like this?”
“I think so.”
Truth be told, she loved anything anyone got her. She’d happily cried over mismatched socks once.
“But don’t feel any pressure to buy gifts. I know it’s not your thing. And you’ve seen under the tree. No one is going without.”
It looked like it held Santa’s stash beneath it.
“I don’t want to look like a Grinch.”
“You won’t. I promise.”
“I’ll keep looking.” He set down the scarf. “By the way, what would you like for Christmas?”
“Oh, your admission last night that I was right was present enough for me.”
As was the way he’d helped me feel better about Sienna’s stupid antics—early that morning as I’d lain in his arms. He’d reminded me that I was stronger than her.
And I didn’t want to ruin the holidays by thinking about her the entire time, even if she and Jack’s fans were making digs about me online.
I was trying to focus on all the regular girls who were cheering me on. You know, the girls whom I was giving false hope to. Those poor dears.
Judging by his curled lip, my response didn’t thrill him.
Believe me, his admission the night before had shocked me.
But it was obvious he believed it. After seven years, he’d never given any inkling of wanting more than friendship with me—the last couple of days excluded.
But that was just an act. I mean, we’d slept in the same bed, and he didn’t even try anything.
Although my family all thought we had quite a healthy love life, no matter how much I tried to explain the squeaking and that I was sleeping on the top bunk. Stupid bed.
Either way, his admission had helped remind me that we were friends. Period. All the weird feelings I’d been having would probably pass. I would for sure never act on them. No way would I ever throw myself at him, especially knowing how he felt.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, confused by his sour look.
“You’re not being very helpful.”
“Sorry. Just get me a gift card like you do for my birthday.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose like I was missing something obvious. What could that be? I didn’t get to ask because a familiar face walked into the store.
Eden Russo. My brother’s ex-girlfriend. My should-have-been, could-have-been, sister-in-law. She was with her soon-to-be sister-in-law, if I remembered correctly from some of her Instagram posts.
Eden caught my eye, and I waved enthusiastically. She lit up, heading straight toward me—rosy-cheeked from the cold, wrapped in a camel-colored wool coat, her dark hair peeking out in loose strands from the folds of a chunky knit scarf.
As soon as she reached me, she threw her arms around me. The chill still clung to her coat, but her embrace was warm.
“Oh, my goodness, Ivy. Look at you. You’re all grown up and so beautiful.”
The last time I’d seen her, I was probably around sixteen. Seriously, I loved her. Shane was an idiot to ever let her go.
“Hello, Eden.” I squeezed her back. “You’re as beautiful as ever.”
She kissed my cheek, then let go, shaking out her arms like she was still thawing from outside. “You’re too kind.”
“I’m only telling the truth.”
Eden grinned and pulled the woman she was with next to her. “This is Brooke Crawford, soon-to-be Brooke Summers and my sister-in-law.”
Brooke was wrapped in an oversize cream-colored puffer jacket, her blonde curls tumbling over the faux-fur collar.
“It’s so nice to meet you.” I held out my hand.
She quickly removed her wool gloves and tucked them into her pocket.
“I’ve listened to some of your podcast episodes. At least the ones with Eden.”
Brooke beamed, taking my hand for a brief shake. “I’m happy to meet you.”
Eden’s eyes misted over. “You follow me?” She seemed genuinely surprised.
“Of course. You’re amazing.”
Jack decided he didn’t want to be left out, so he zipped to my side and put an arm around me.
Brooke gasped. “Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh! You’re Mr. Holiday.”
Jack was ever so pleased to be fangirled over.
“FYI, attractive men make me word vomit. You can ask my fiancé,” Brooke giggled. “But I’ll try to control myself.”
Eden laughed. “Brooke’s word vomiting is the best.”
I was so jealous of Brooke getting Eden for a sister-in-law. “By the way, this is Jack, my best . . . I mean best boyfriend.”
Yikes, that sounded ridiculous.
Thankfully, Eden and Brooke only looked impressed.
A pang of guilt punched me in the gut. The lies were piling up, and I was sitting on top of the stinky heap. I could already picture it—the sympathy, the rejoicing, the knowing looks when Jack and I broke up.
Oddly, it was the sympathy I dreaded most. It would only make me feel worse about being such a liar, liar, pants on fire. Boy, were my britches smoking.
Meanwhile, Jack was thriving. Shaking hands, flashing that easy grin, doing his thing, like he had zero qualms about lying through his teeth.
“For the record, Ivy’s the real star in our relationship,” he threw in there.
“Oh, wow. That’s the sweetest thing ever,” Brooke gushed.
“Yeah, he’s a real sweetie,” I deadpanned. “Anyway, we probably better get going. We’re meeting my family at the ice-skating rink.” I gave Eden a meaningful look. “You know, you’re always invited to my parents’ place. We’d all love to see you.”
Translation: My brother Shane would love to see you.
Eden cleared her throat, knowing exactly what I meant. “Um . . . well, yeah. I’ll think about it. We better go too. Lots of shopping and wedding prep. Bye,” she sang as she grabbed Brooke’s arm and dashed away.
“What was all that about?” Jack asked.
“Shane used to date Eden,” I whispered. “We all thought they would get married. And apparently Eden’s daughter and Poppy are best friends. Sounds like fate trying to bring them back together.” At least that’s what I told myself.
“Interesting,” Jack mused.
“Very. Anyway, did you want to shop some more, or are you ready to hit the rink in our hideous sweaters?” I laughed. “Honestly, if your fans don’t send over a hostage negotiator to rescue you soon, it will surprise me. Just in case they do, how much ransom money do you think I could get for you?”
Jack didn’t miss a beat. “For this rare specimen?” He waved over his physique. “I’m priceless.”
I rolled my eyes so hard I almost saw the back of my skull. But this was good. This was normal Jack. Not pretend-boyfriend Jack. This Jack was easy to resist. Not that I needed any help to resist him. I was in control of my feelings. Totally in control.
Jack and I walked out into the cold, blustery mountain air after retrieving our coats.
The store owner had kindly taken them for us when we’d walked in, probably hoping to make Jack as comfortable as possible while he shopped.
Or she just wanted to stroke and sniff his coat, which, admittedly, smelled amazing, like a spiced cookie.
She’d probably also hoped he’d spend a fortune at her boutique.
Too bad she didn’t know Jack. Not that he wasn’t a generous guy.
He was. He donated his time and money to lots of different causes.
But he was not a gift-giver. Unless you counted OREOs, ice cream, and tampons, which I totally did.
Or more importantly, just being a sounding board and a hand to hold when I needed it. Those were the best gifts in my mind.
But you couldn’t really blame him for not being the present type. From what I could tell, he hadn’t received many gifts as a child, not even the kind money can’t buy. I think his Grandma Ruth tried to do what she could, but they didn’t have a lot to give in terms of money or time.
I really wished Jack would open up more to me about his past. Maybe he was saving that pain for the woman he would spend the rest of his life with.
As soon as I put my beanie and gloves on, Jack took my hand.
My eyes darted around to see who might be snapping pictures of us. Sure, I was used to Jack having his picture taken wherever we went, but this was different. I had now become a person of interest to strangers. And not necessarily in a good way.
I had to keep reminding myself that this was only temporary. Someday soon, my life would go back to normal. Right?
A few shoppers carrying bags full of presents stared at us, but thankfully, I didn’t see any phones come out. Even so, the women looked me up and down, their eyes asking what made me so special. Or maybe that was just my insecurities talking.
Breathe, I reminded myself.
I liked myself and had never felt the need to be anyone I wasn’t. Well, at least not since I was fourteen and wanted to be Vanessa Hudgens because she was dating Zac Efron. I now realized how dumb it was of me to want to date a celebrity. Never again. Not even if Timothée Chalamet came calling.
Well . . . maybe him.
Wait . . . no . . . just no. My new motto was, Just say no to famous men.
I felt more in control of my emotions when we arrived at the town square lit up like a winter wonderland, a humongous real Christmas tree as the centerpiece. I bet if the mayor had known Jack was coming to town, they would have waited to light it, letting him do the honors.
Carolers, dressed like Charles Dickens characters, serenaded the crowd with holiday classics. For a moment, I forgot I was pretending. Forgot I was supposed to be in love with my best friend. I just reveled in the holiday magic swirling around us. Let it fill me. Warm me.
I leaned into Jack. “Merry Christmas.”
“Uh, yeah.” He sounded dazed and overwhelmed, like I’d just knocked the wind out of him.
I glanced up to find that Jack looked like a deer caught in the headlights, his body rigid and eyes wide.
“Do you want to go back to my parents’ place?” I knew he hated the holidays, but I’d never realized how much. Until now.
Jack shook his head and put on a fake smile. “No. I want to do this.”
His words were firm, but his tight jaw said he wanted to be anywhere else.
I squeezed his hand. “I’m here for you, Jack.”
He offered me a weak smile. “I’m fine.”
“Liar.” I nudged him with my hip.
He flipped on the actor switch. “Just try to keep up with me on the rink. I’ve trained with the Dallas Stars hockey team.”
Normally, I would let him get away with the deflection and toss back that I’d been ice-skating since I was three, but I couldn’t. This was too important. I met his gaze.
“Someday we’re going to talk about this. And your past.”
Jack’s cheeks, red from the cold, paled, like I’d just delivered devastating news. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words never came. Instead, his eyes begged me to drop it.
“Friends don’t let friends fake date or hurt alone,” I whispered when he said nothing.
His gaze softened, but he still looked terror stricken, like I might unearth a deep, dark secret. Which made me wonder what he was hiding.
Jack got a reprieve when I heard a chorus of teen girls squeal, “Oh, my gosh, there’s Sienna!”
Suddenly, I was the terror stricken one.