Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Finley
After Alex walks out of the room, I shut the door behind him and sink down on the edge of the bed, fighting tears.
Why did I come? Why did I ever think this was a good idea? Of course Grant is furious. He has every right to be, especially since this relationship isn’t real.
I grab my phone from the bed and pull up a travel site. Tomorrow’s flights are astronomical, and the day after isn’t much better. My stomach sinks. I don’t have that kind of money.
What am I going to do?
Of course, Alex would pay for it. He’s already said I could leave if I wanted to. But that would mean breaking our contract. The thought of letting him foot the bill makes me feel even smaller, especially when he’s made it clear he wants me to stay.
There’s only one other option. Barb and Mirna. But it’s Christmas Eve and they’re probably busy with their own families.
Still, desperation wins. I text Alex my plan, then call Barb anyway.
To my surprise, she answers right away. Behind her, Christmas music blares, underscored by a child’s wail, “I want a candy cane!”
“Merry Christmas Eve, Barb!” I say, but the words catch. Guilt floods my chest. I can’t ask this of her or Mirna. I need to suck it up and be a big girl.
Barb’s smile vanishes at once. “What’s wrong?”
“Who said anything was wrong?” I counter quickly. “Can’t I just wish you Merry Christmas?”
“You can, but we both know that’s not why you called,” she answers. In the background, another kid shrieks something about a stolen Santa. Barb walks into a room and shuts the door behind her, muting the chaos. “Now tell me what happened, or I’ll call Alex and ask him.”
Mortification floods me, because I know she’s not bluffing. “Alex’s brother showed up.”
Her eyes light up with interest. “The hot one from yesterday?”
“No, the one whose bed I stole,” I say sullenly.
Her lips purse. “You didn’t steal his bed. Now tell me what happened.”
I grimace. “He was pissed, of course.”
I’ve only seen Barb angry on a couple of occasions, and both times were terrifying—even if her fury wasn’t aimed at me. Right now, she looks even scarier. “He was pissed at you?”
I’m tempted to lie, afraid of what she’ll do if I say yes. But I’m equally afraid of what she’ll do if she finds out I lied. “Yeah.”
Her eyes bulge and her nostrils flare. “And where was Alex during this?”
“He was standing right in front of me. And for a second, with the way his hands fisted at his sides—I honestly thought he might punch him.”
Barb’s face softens, dreamy now. “That would be hot. Total alpha-male-claiming-his-mate behavior. Just like the man in Fighting the Posse for What’s Mine.”
I narrow my gaze. “I’m not his mate.”
Why does the thought send a shiver down my spine? Barb’s books must be getting to me through osmosis.
She makes a face. “You said you thought he was going to punch him. What did he do instead?”
“Alex told him not to talk to his girlfriend like that.”
“Girlfriend, eh?” she drawls, her eyes widening with exaggerated interest.
I sigh. “He was in front of his family.”
She doesn’t look convinced. “Where are you now?”
“In our room,” I say forlornly. My gaze drifts to the Christmas tree glowing in the corner, the only light in the room now. “Alex took me to a Christmas tree farm this morning. We got a Christmas tree for our bedroom.” I switch the view on my phone so she can see.
“Oh.” Her expression softens. “That’s one pretty tree.”
I laugh. “It’s full of leftover ornaments, and I put Alex’s stocking cap on for a topper. It’s not pretty, but that’s okay. No, it’s more than okay. It’s one of the best trees I’ve ever had.”
“Because you got it with Alex,” she finishes softly.
I don’t acknowledge it, even if it’s true. “I want to come home.”
Barb’s face freezes, then she narrows her eyes. “Turn around the camera. I want to see your face.”
I switch it back around.
“Why do you want to come home?”
“I’m causing drama with Alex’s family. It’s not fair to Grant.”
Her expression sharpens. “What about his girlfriend?”
“They broke up,” I say, my voice low. “Because of me.”
“Because of you?” Barb asks, incredulous. “What happened? Did the brother take one look at you, realize you were the only woman for him, and his girlfriend stormed off after slashing his tires, then hopped on the back of a passing motorcycle?”
I laugh despite myself. “That’s oddly specific, but no. They broke up before they got here. I think she broke up over the sleeping arrangements.”
She narrows her gaze. “Then she must not be much of a girlfriend if a bunk bed was her breaking point.” She taps her chin thoughtfully. “Although it worked out for the heroine in One Man Above Me, One Man Below.”
It’s a sofa bed, but I let that go and give her a flat stare.
“What?” she asks in mock innocence. “Margo was very happy at the end. A very happy ending.”
“I’m talking about Grant, not the woman sandwiched between two men in your book.”
Barb’s laugh bubbles through the phone. “Two men? Don’t limit that poor girl to just two.”
I drag in a deep breath. “This isn’t a romance novel, Barb. This is real life. And I want to come home.”
Her smile falters, then she suddenly starts stabbing the screen with her finger.
“What are you doing?” I ask, half laughing.
“Sending out the distress signal.”
“What distress signal?”
She ignores me, still poking, then leans back with a triumphant grin.
“Barb…” I warn.
Her face lights up. “There she is.” The screen flickers, goes black, and then a couple of seconds later, Mirna’s face pops into a square above Barb’s.
“What’s the Code Eggnog?” Mirna asks in a panic, flushed and breathless. Behind her, a chorus is butchering Oh Holy Night.
“What’s a Code Eggnog?” I ask, blinking. “And where are you?”
“It’s the code for a Finley emergency,” she whispers fiercely, shoving her phone so close I’m staring at her mouth. “And I’m at church.”
“Mother,” a woman scolds sharply in the background. “Did you really answer that here?”
Horror shoots through me. “Wait—you’re actually in the sanctuary?”
“Of course I am.” Mirna’s lip curls. She’s so close I can see her mustache hairs growing back after her last wax. “That’s where I was when Barb called the Code Eggnog.”
“You don’t have to stay in the church, you fool,” Barb hollers, her voice so loud I’m certain half the congregation just heard.
“Mother!” the woman hisses again. “Get off the phone!”
“This can wait until later,” I say quickly, horrified.
“Like hell it can!” Barb bellows—right as the choir stops singing. The silence is absolute, broken only by a single, distant cough.
I go rigid, certain the entire church just heard Barb curse.
The camera swings upward, giving me a dizzying shot of the painted cathedral ceiling while a storm of angry whispers rise in the background. “Excuse me, excuse me,” Mirna mutters as she shoves her way through pews.
The view jerks, heels click on marble until her face reappears—this time farther back. Behind her looms the altar, and a priest in full robes, watching her retreat with a frown that could curdle the communion wine.
I’m mortified but also stunned. If it had been Barb, I’d roll my eyes and chalk it up to another Thursday. But this is prim and proper Mirna.
At last, she pushes through a heavy wooden door and plants herself beside a Christmas tree. “What’s the emergency?” she asks as though it’s perfectly normal to abandon a Christmas Eve Mass mid-hymn.
I make a face. “Do we want to discuss what just happened?”
“No,” Mirna says stiffly. “We will never speak of it again.”
“Why did you answer?” Barb cackles. “You could’ve called me back.”
“You said it was a Finley emergency. Of course I answered.”
My heart swells with love for these two women. “I’m sorry we disturbed you, but it’s not a real emergency.”
“Barb!” Mirna hisses through her teeth.
“Don’t listen to her,” Barb rushes in. “It’s definitely an emergency. She wants to come home.”
Mirna’s face goes blank. “What happened?”
“Alex’s evil brother showed up,” Barb announces, far too gleeful. “He tried to kidnap her, and he and Alex got into a huge fight, and then someone called the police.”
Mirna gasps.
“That is not what happened!” I protest.
Barb squints. “Well, it could have happened.”
I give Mirna the short version, ending with the truth—I just want to come home. When I finish, her lips purse. “I thought you were having fun. Has that changed?”
“No,” I say carefully. At least not until about fifteen minutes ago.
“Alex took her to cut down a Christmas tree this morning, and they put it up in their room,” Barb chimes in.
Mirna’s lips pinch tighter. “And what book is that from?”
“That one’s actually true,” I say quickly. “He thought chopping down a tree at a Christmas tree farm might be on my list.” I angle the phone so she can see the little tree glowing in the corner.
Mirna studies it in silence, then asks, “So if you’re having fun, why do you want to come home?”
“Because of Grant,” I whisper, my heart aching all over again. “He’s really upset I’m here.”
“Sounds like that’s his problem,” Mirna says in disgust.
“Everyone’s upset,” I say. “And I already love Alex’s mom and sister so much…” My voice cracks as tears sting my eyes. “This is Grant’s family. I’m ruining his Christmas.”
They’re both quiet for a moment before Mirna asks, “Does Alex know you want to leave? Does he want you to?”
I sniff. “He knows, but he wants me to stay.”
A firm look fills her eyes. “Then you stay.”
“But he says he wants me to stay in case Eloise shows up.”
Mirna arches a brow. “The man who took you to a Christmas tree farm on Christmas Eve only wants you there in case his brother’s girlfriend shows up?”
A tear slips down my cheek. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
They’re both quiet again, then Mirna says, “Well, you can’t come home on Christmas Day. You need to stay until at least the day after.”
The thought of dragging this tension out makes my stomach churn. But I can stay in our room. Or wander around downtown. This is a Christmas town—surely something would be open. “Okay.”
Mirna offers a tight smile. “See how tonight and tomorrow go. If you still want to come home after that, we’ll work something out. Okay?”
Fresh tears spill over. “Thank you, Mirna.”
“But for what it’s worth,” she adds gently. “If Alex wants you to stay, you should stay.”
“Mirna…” My voice trembles.
“We love you,” she says simply.
“We sure do,” Barb chimes in.
Emotion squeezes my chest. “I love you guys too,” I manage through my tears. “Thank you.”
Maybe they’re right. Maybe I should stay. But wanting to and believing I belong here are two different things.
I stare at the phone. I told Alex I’d let him know when I’m done with my call, but I’m scared. Scared he changed his mind about me staying. Scared that his family will resent my presence. But fear never got me anywhere. I could wait for him to come up, or I could take charge and go down on my own.
I chose the latter.