Page 26 of His Off-Limits Christmas Gift

“Not me.”

“How?” He smiled as he said it, keeping this all lighthearted and not mean.

“My mom has always shoved it down our throats. Too pushy about it.”

“Ah.” He nodded. “I know what you mean.”

“You remember now? Coming over to hang out with Brandon and how she took it to the extremes?”

“No, not really. But I’ve known people like that. Making it too cheery, obsessively so, and it’s suffocating.”

“Yes! Suffocating.”

“I think having some festivity is mandatory, but only go all out every few years or so.”

That sounded more manageable, but I doubted my mother would ever understand toning it down.

“I just enjoy the chance to be with my family. To relax for a bit. Christmases were always the highlight of the year when I was younger.”

“That’s fine. But count me out.” I shook my head. “If I can help it, I’ll stay here in the city and avoid going home to deal with it.”

“Really? You mean that?” He held the door open to the restaurant, letting me enter first.

“Yeah. A nice break from all the pressure at home.”

“Eh, I don’t know about that… I’m not a fan of anyone being alone on Christmas.”

I narrowed my eyes at him as he told the hostess he wanted a table for two. “But that’s what you do,” I said as we were led back. “Brandon goes to your cabin sometimes, but it’s just you up there in the mountain, isn’t it?”

Sulking and licking your wounds from having to go through the holiday party every year…

“Usually.” He grinned as we sat. “It’s peaceful. Relaxing.” A long sigh left him as he leaned back in his seat. “Just like this.”

Being with me was peaceful? That sounded nice. After hearing that nasty gossip about him and getting an idea of just how much he loathed the holiday party while loving this season, I was glad to be able to put him at ease.

“Yeah.” I nodded, checking out the rustic décor of this place. No gaudy decorations and trees everywhere here. It was simple and basic, more my style while paying clear homage to the BBQ theme. “Peaceful.”

It wasn’t so clear what “lesson” he wanted to show me here, but I was interested in having this time with him, anyway. He was a distraction, all right, and as I settled in to peruse the menu, I realized how glad I was to get away with him.

No matter the purpose.

10

NATE

It was weird to miss Rachel when she was working in my building. It was weirder yet that she’d always lurked in the background back home but was out of reach because she was so much younger. Here in New York, it was like a reset, getting to know each other as adults, together.

All I knew about her so far was how hard of a worker she was. That and what she shared about herself and her supposed cluelessness the last time we had lunch. It was enough to make me want to know more. To know everything about her. The draw was an addicting one. So when the hours passed and we lingered at the BBQ pub, I felt completely content.

She was enjoying it too, laughing more and more easily the longer we dragged out this lunch.

“I’m telling you,” she said, “it’s the Mandela effect. I swear that house at the end of Main Street had the exact same ghost figures that were there when I was little.”

“Nope.” I shook my head, smiling and amused that we’d been talking about everything and nothing. Just catching up and reminiscing about Rockton. “I swear there was a fire at that place. Those goblin things and?—”

“Oh!” She pointed at me, like a lightbulb went off over her head. “Those witches, too. Remember those hanging from the tree.”

“Yeah, the tree that burned down.”

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