Chapter 2 #2
And got shot down.
“Sorry you had to hear all of that,” the bartender says.
I shake my head, forcing myself out of my own thoughts. I’m clearly not the only one facing a less-than-perfect holiday.
“Don’t apologize. Sorry about your break-up,” I tell her honestly. “That sucks. Especially so close to Christmas.”
She shrugs. “Oh, it’s okay. It wasn’t really a break-up. I just don’t know what I’m going to do about Merry Mayhem.”
I study her. She really doesn’t look sad. She no longer looks like she wants blood either. She’s put down the knife.
“Merry Mayhem?” I ask.
“It’s our town…” She hesitates.
“Festival?” I ask. “I heard some people talking about getting food booths and displays set up.”
She grins. “Festival is such a nice, normal word for it.”
I arch my brows.
“It is kind of a festival,” she says. “There are displays and booths for people to buy food, gifts, and things while they watch the competition.” Her face and voice have both brightened.
“Competition?” I ask.
“Oh yes,” she leans in, clearly excited. “It’s a three-day-long event. All kinds of things happen. Each day is something different. There’s an obstacle course, a relay race, and a scavenger hunt.” Her eyes are practically sparkling now. “So much!”
“Sounds interesting,” I admit.
“Beats watching another Christmas pageant like other towns do,” she agrees. “Or just sitting around with nothing to do.”
I chuckle. “So, is there a money prize or something?”
“Well, there’s a statue, but it comes with something even better than money,” she says.
“What’s that?”
“Bragging rights.”
I laugh. “Seriously? That’s it?”
Her eyes widen, and she straightens. “Around here? That’s everything. We take our competitions and victories very seriously.”
“Well, I’m sorry your boyfriend is going to miss it.”
She frowns, then her gaze drops to her phone, and the frown eases. “Oh, him.” She sighs. She looks side to side, then asks, “Can I tell you something?”
“Sure.”
“He wasn’t my boyfriend.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” She sighs. “Want the whole story?”
“Definitely.” I find that I mean that.
“Okay, this is the fifth year for Merry Mayhem. My cousin Nora came up with it when she took over as the director of the Parks and Recreation department. And my boyfriend Sam and I have won the past four years.”
My brows climb. “Wow. No kidding?”
“Seriously. We were unbeatable. But…” She swallows. “Sam broke things off with me just before Valentine’s Day this year. Right before our fifth anniversary.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah. I was devastated. And now…” She’s running her finger along the edge of the paper placemat in front of me. “He’s coming home for Christmas with his new girlfriend, and they’re going to be partners for Merry Mayhem.”
That definitely sucks.
She lifts her eyes. “I swear, if he wins this year with a new girl, it will be the ultimate humiliation. Everyone always said we were so good because we were soulmates. If he comes in with a new girl and wins, that negates everything we had. And yeah, we broke up and whatever, but it would be nice to think that while we were together, it mattered. It was four years of my life.” She presses her lips together.
“I don’t want to think that it was all just… nothing.”
God, please don’t cry.
The situation is definitely messy. And I don’t blame her for being upset.
Four years is a long time. I had a thing for Sierra for two, and that seems like a long time.
I was convinced we would end up together.
We weren’t together, but I had plans. I can’t imagine what it would feel like to have four years be for nothing.
“I’m really sorry,” I say again.
She then leans closer, bracing her forearms on the bar.
I lean in a little too.
“So…I did something a little crazy.”
I really want to hear this. “Like what?”
“I found someone to pretend to be my boyfriend.”
I blink at her.
“Chad was perfect for this,” she goes on.
“Super good-looking. In great physical shape. Would have been amazing at the obstacle course and stuff. Charming, funny—he would have been great with things like Christmas Carol Karaoke. You get points from the audience voting, so even if you suck but really ham it up and make the audience love you, you can still win.” She blows out a breath and leans back.
“But the dickhead decided he needed to be home with his family instead.” She frowns.
“Even though I held up my end of the bargain and went to that stupid wedding with him.”
I shake my head. “Wow. That’s…” Two men have let her down now. “…worse than my holiday situation.”
She laughs lightly. “Thanks, I guess?”
“Just all sounds really fucked up,” I say.
“It is,” she agrees. “For one, that wedding was soooo bad. These two women got into a fight, and one of them pushed the other into the cake. The whole thing collapsed, and they rolled around in it for almost five minutes before anyone pulled them apart! So, I didn’t even get cake out of the deal.”
Uh…wow.
“And my family is expecting me to bring someone home.” She’s staring at something over my shoulder again, thoughtful.
“They’re already so worried about how I’m going to handle this Christmas without Sam.
They were really relieved when I told them I was bringing someone new home.
So was I, honestly. I don’t want to run into him around town alone. Now…” She sighs sadly.
An idea hits me. It’s a little over the top. But it might be exactly what I need. And I think it’s what she needs to.
I need a distraction. I need some fun. I need to not be at home, but I also need to avoid Autre, my new hometown, where everyone will try so hard to include me and make me feel less awkward about being the only one without family.
A crazy-fun Christmas competition a few towns over sounds like a great time.
“Well, what if—” I start.
“Are you single?” she asks at the same time.
I nod. “I am.”
“What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a firefighter and paramedic.”
Her eyes widen. “Like you can carry a whole human being up and down a ladder with full gear on?”
I nod again. “Yep.”
“What are you doing for the next three days?”
I grin. “I think I’m helping you win Merry Mayhem.”
Her grin is wide and bright as she extends her hand across the bar. “Hi, I’m Violet.”
“Hi, Violet. I’m Josh.”
“It’s really nice to meet you, Josh,” she says with a huge smile.