Page 123 of When in December

“Sure you are. Those emails look like they are taking care of themselves at the speediest of rates,” teased Hannah.

Unfortunately, after practically living here since getting the promotion notice, I didn’t have much to do. I needed to make the work stretch.

“You know your house looked amazing. Stunning. And you know that I don’t like the outdoors,” Hannah praised me. “Even I would stay there for, like, a night or two. As long as you were there and promised me there weren’t any axe murderers lurking in the trees outside.”

“Thanks, Hannah.”

“Want me to say it again?”

“I’m pretty sure I believed you the first time. And the twentieth today.”

“Just making sure those pretty ears of yours are listening,” she said. “And we are only getting more calls and projects coming up, which means more opportunities for you to overwork yourself into a creative masterpiece.”

“I’m fine. I’m … what’s the step beyond grieving?”

“Denial?” Hannah ventured. “For your job or the GI Joe you left behind in the forest upstate?”

I rolled my eyes. “Can we not talk about it?”

“Fine. Fine. I have to get going anyway before I’m late. Again.”

“You headed somewhere more special than your couch to eat popcorn with your roommates?” I asked.

“I have a date.” Hannah’s mouth twisted as she weighed the final word. “Sort of.”

My eyes widened with sudden shock. “No, you don’t.”

Hannah cocked her head.

How was I just hearing about this? And on New Year’s Eve, no less?

“That’s not what I meant. I knew something was going on. I can’t believe that you didn’t tell me. What’s his name?”

“Grant.”

“Grant,” I repeated. I didn’t know any Grants, though I didn’t know many people. “How long have you known Grant?”

“Remember that guy I was telling you at the bar? The one who called the hotline before the holiday?”

“The ham guy?” I gasped.

She rolled her eyes. “He’d be delighted to hear that’s his nickname. He sort of tracked me down and …”

“Tracked you down?” I needed more details.

“It’s no big deal. He’s just someone I’ve been seeing—not even seeing. It’s not like that exactly.”

“Tell me more about how it is since you’ve been hiding this information. You’ve been trying to get my mind off the promotion and you’ve been holding out?”

“I didn’t want to distract you,” she said, glancing away, as if embarrassed. I’d never seen this side of Hannah before. “Work has been busy, as you saw today. Other things have been going on, like family stuff, so it’s been hectic.”

“Family stuff?” I asked.

I reached out a hand, which Hannah took. As far as I knew, Hannah didn’t speak much with her family, if at all. It was one of the topics neither of us broached, covered in barbed wires.

“You know I’m here for you if you need anything, right?”

“I do. But tonight is going to be a good night.”

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