Page 45 of Back Home For Christmas

“Alright, I guess I’ll go get it,” I said. My nerves vibrated with spent adrenaline as I walked through the living room and pulled open the front door to see Steve standing there.

“Oh, hi,” I said, completely unprepared to act like a normal person after all the yelling.

“Hey,” he said with a big smile, holding out a rose. I stared at his out stretched hand, trying to make sense of it. I heard commotion behind me, and when I turned to look, I saw everyone crowded in the doorway to see who had rung the bell.

“Steve?” Aubrey said with derision.

“Hey Steve,” Darren said in a friendly tone, while Jay’s expression only looked dangerously dark.

“Hi,” Steve said. I could tell that he was suddenly self-conscious with the audience. He shoved the rose closer to me.

“Oh, thanks,” I said, taking it to spare him from utter humiliation, although I had no interest in a rose, certainly not from Steve.

“I didn’t have your number,” he said. “So, I thought I’d stop by to see if you wanted to go to the Christmas party tonight.”

“Oh right,” I said. I had completely forgotten that life continued outside the drama and utter upheaval happening inside the four walls of my childhood home. “Um, sure.” I said.

“Steve, it’s so nice to see you! Do you want some breakfast?” My mom asked, breaking away from the group to usher Steve inside. She wasn’t oblivious to the tension that existed between all of us, but that’s what my mom did. She ignored things and brushed it under the rug, so no one had to face it directly.

“Mom, I’m sure Steve has somewhere to be,” I said. I had just agreed to go to the party with him, again to save his feelings—I really had to stop doing that—but I didn’t want to have breakfast with him. I had been just about to storm out of the room.

“No, I don’t,” Steve said. “Breakfast sounds great Mrs. Lane.”

“Wonderful!” She wrapped her arm around Steve and brought him further into the house.

We all had no choice but to turn and followed them. I moved as slowly as I could. Jay also hung back.

“Are you really going out with him?” Jay whispered. I stopped and looked at him. Everyone else had made it to the dining room while Jay, and I lingered in the living room.

“What do you care?” I asked.

“You know why I care,” he said, closing the space between us. My eyes darted to his lips before I remembered that I hated his guts. I wished I could forget the way his hands had felt on my body.

“Nope, I can’t possibly imagine why you would care. And Yes, I am going with him. He’s a nice guy,” I said.

“Don’t,” Jay said.

“It’s cute that you think I give a shit about your opinion,” I said, walking toward the dining room. “If it were up to me, Jay, I would never, ever see you again.”

“Cat,” he said, trying to grab my arm, which I pulled away with a glare, leaving him alone in the living room.

Chapter Thirty-One

Back in the dining room, someone had pulled up an extra chair for Steve, who was happily filling his plate with breakfast. Everyone but him and my mother looked miserable. Even my dad didn’t look all that thrilled to have a newcomer at the table.

Once again, propriety dictated that I sit and eat, but somehow my spot ended up between Jay and Steve. I hoped Jay wouldn’t return, but of course, I was never that lucky. He sat down beside me, his elbow bumping mine as he reached for the bacon.

“Watch your elbow,” I said.

“You watch yours.”

“You were the one moving. It is your job to be more careful,” I said.

“Well, if you don’t want your elbow bumped, you need to be mindful of mine.”

“That isn’t how it works,” I said, my anger rising. Why was he always like this?

“It is if I don’t watch my elbow. Then you don’t have a choice but to watch your own.”

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