Page 38 of This Christmas

Zane frowns. “Come on, Eve, don’t be like that. I know it sounds bad, but deep down, she’s a good person. At least, I thought she was until this trip. Caryn said some things about my dad and the store, as well as the people of Deer Ridge. And now that I’ve come back . . . I don’t know if I can leave. If Iwantto leave.”

Do not look for a deeper meaning here.

I take a sip of my coffee and pretend to mull his words over. Honestly, I don’t know what to say, so I bob my head a little. “You gotta do what’s right for you.”

Zane stares out the window. His hand reaches into his pocket and pulls his phone out. “Caryn? Hi.” He gets up from the table and goes outside.

“And this, people, is why I refuse to be friends with my ex.”

FOURTEEN

ZANE

As soon as I see Caryn’s name on my screen, I pick up the call and head toward the door. “Caryn? Hi.” I keep myself turned toward the window, hoping for some privacy, but knowing it’ll be useless.

“Are you on your way home?”

I look up just as Evangeline leaves Alma’s and walks past me. She doesn’t even look back or linger. Shaking my head, I return my focus to Caryn knowing any friendship Eve and I might have started is likely in the tank now.

“Zane?”

“I’m here. Sorry.”

“Well?”

Well, what?

“Here, as in New York?”

“No, I’m in Deer Ridge. I said last night?—”

“And I said last night that you need to come back, Zane. Am I not making myself clear?”

A truck drives by and honks. Not sure who they’re honking at, but I wave anyway because it’s the right thing to do here. My head leans back, taking in some of the sun peeking through the clouds. Living in the Northeast means you need to absorb the sun whenever you see it. Winter depression is a real thing.

I glance down the road and see my dad outside the store, talking to a customer. He’s the reason I’m staying. Without him even telling me what it means to have me here, I know he’s happy. I was wrong to ignore him in favor of Caryn and her family.

What a piece-of-crap son I am.

“I’m not coming back until after Christmas. I know you’re worried about the party scene, and you can tell your friends that I am visiting my father. If they don’t understand then maybe they shouldn’t be your friends.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me, Zane. How could you?” Cue the crocodile tears. She hiccups and cries into the phone. I can wait her out or coddle her. Doing nothing is also an option and the one I take.

“Caryn, I’m not doing anything. We were supposed to be here all month.” I don’t acknowledge her crying or tell her everything will be okay. She’s turned on the waterworks because normally I’ll cave and give. It’s exactly what her parents have done her entire life.

She laughs, the tears suddenly gone. “I never had any intention of staying there all month, Zane. You knew this. Did you really think I’d skip the holiday season?”

Clearly, I did.

“Silly me.” I reply, my patience running thin.

Caryn covers the receiver so I can’t hear her or whoever she’s with right now. It’s a good thing she’s never learned how to use the mute button. She’d have me on it all the time.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll say that,” she says to the other person, then she uncovers the receiver and continues talking to me. “Listen, I have expectations and you’re not meeting them right now. So, either come home . . .” Caryn trails off, pausing for dramatic effect.

I crack a smile. Someone is feeding her things to say. She’s not coming up with this on her one. My guess is it’s Serena. “By all means. Please tell me what’s going to happen if I don’t come back?”

“It’ll be over.”

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