Page 15 of Under the Mistle-Foe

I couldn’t even be mad.

CHAPTER 7

REMY

Tuesdays werethe diner’s one day off. Dad and I hung on the couch, Dad with his leg propped up as he tried to scratch an itch on his broken leg. I glared at him anytime he picked something thin enough to stuff inside the cast.

I tried to focus on the TV that played in the background, but Dad’s loud groaning was far too distracting. He picked up the remote and tried to shove the thing underneath his cast. He obviously didn’t understand girth, if he thought it’d fit.

“Okay, that’s it. We need to do something to take your mind off your leg,” I said, snatching the remote before he broke the thing.

Dad let out the loudest frustrated sigh in the history of sighs as he sank into the couch. “Take me to Rob’s. He’s having the boys over for cards tonight. I’ll head over early and bug him.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I said and helped my dad with his crutches. Since Uncle Rob only lived a few houses down, Dad stubbornly insisted on walking there. I kept my eyes firmlyon him in case he took a tumble, while he kept grumbling that he was fine.

Once I had him at Uncle Rob’s, it would be his turn to fuss over Dad, and I’d be free to do whatever the hell I wanted the rest of the day…Except, I couldn’t really think of anything Iwantedto do.

My thoughts roamed to Jett, wondering where he was working today since The Shack was closed. I’d been so used to seeing him every day that it was almost jarring to not catch a glimpse of that crooked smile.

“You should stop by Jett’s today,” Dad suddenly piped up. I narrowed my eyes at him, wondering if he somehow knew I was thinking about the man.

“And why would I do that?”

“The boy was telling me he was putting up the Christmas lights for the light tour. That’s a lot of work for one person,” Dad commented, sounding casual, but I felt his gaze watching me.

“Where are his parents? Isn’t his mom the one who’s enthusiastic about putting up the lights?”

“Stuck at work and can’t make it back. Heard he’s spending the festival alone this year.”

Something about that didn’t sit right with me. Jett Davis was always surrounded by people. He was loved by all. He wasn’t meant to be…alone.

But we weren’t close enough to talk about stuff like that—we’d onlyjustbecome friends. So I shrugged. “I’ll see if I have the time.”

Dad didn’t say anything, but his gaze on me was loud as hell. Thankfully, the scrutiny didn’t last long before arriving at Uncle Rob’s house. “Can’t keep off your leg, can ya?” he said in greeting and helped Dad to the couch before heading to the kitchen.

Uncle Rob was a couple of years younger than Dad, but where Dad was able to keep his graying hair, Uncle Rob joked about Dad driving him to lose all his in the seventies.

“As they say, no rest for the wicked!” Dad retorted and accepted the hot drink Uncle Rob brought out for us.

“More like the stupid,” Uncle Rob grumbled under his breath, which earned him a glare from Dad.

“Hey! Don’t think you’re not still on my shit list for going behind my back and telling Remy when he just got a promotion!”

I didn’t correct him in that I had beenin the middleof getting a promotion and it hadn’t been official yet. Last I heard, someone else on my team had gotten it instead. But I wasn’t going to tell him that.

“Stubborn old fool,” Uncle Rob scoffed, then turned to me. “Don’t listen to him. He’s actually glad you’re back. Been all he’s blabbering about around me. He’s just too shy to admit it.”

“Now you shut your jabbering mouth,” Dad yelled from his seat. He wrapped his arms across his chest, and what looked like a faint blush crept up his neck as he muttered, “Doesn’t anyone know how to keep a goddam secret around here…”

I chuckled, took the spot next to Dad, then wrapped an arm around him. “I missed you too.” Then in a tone so soft that I wondered if I said it for him or for myself, “I’m glad to be back here with you.”

Because that was the truth. Regardless of how I felt about everything else in Christmas Falls, being back home with Dad—even with all his grumbling—made me realize just how much I’d missed him all these years I was away.

Dad’s suspiciously wet eyes told me he’d been missing me too, maybe a little more than I’d realized. And that was like a hard punch in the stomach becauseIwas the one who’d leftand rarely came back.Iwas the cause of our separation…and now it was making me question if running away from the pain was only bringing more hurt than good for not just me, but my loved ones too.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Dad broke the silence and pushed me off. “Now get out of here so I can enjoy myself without my warden.” Uncle Rob snorted, which earned another glare from Dad.

“Call me when you want to head home,” I said, then ruffled his hair just to annoy him. As expected, Dad smacked my hand away and flattened his gray strands as he glared at me.

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