Page 75 of Christmas Wishes

“I believe in you.”

I pulled a blanket over us, and Joule moseyed in and jumped on the recliner. I wanted the three of us to stay together like this. It might be my heart getting ahead of itself, but maybe I could make it happen. I just needed some time. Keaton leaving tomorrow didn’t have to be the end. We had telephones and airplanes, for fuck’s sake. I wasn’t ready to let him go. We could get to know each other better and figure out if we really were compatible outside of his whirlwind vacation.

Fuck, I hoped we were.

Chapter36

Keaton

Heat quickly leftthe rental car as I stalled on getting out. I stared at the endless blue sky free of clouds and snow. It taunted me.See? It’s pretty. It doesn’t always snow here.It might not be snowing, but it was cold enough to freeze my bottle of toner.

I snapped a selfie with the scarf I’d finished crocheting this morning and sent it to Mom and Doris. Doris replied immediately.

Doris: I knew you’d finish it. Missing you already.

I pulled the scarf tighter around my neck. It was now my security accessory.

Quit stalling.

As I pulled my luggage from the trunk and dropped the keys into the lockbox, I questioned every life choice I’d made since college. My head was a mess. The only thing that had gotten me through saying goodbye—no,see you later—to Riggs was knowing Arlo would be there to comfort me when I got back to Minnesota.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. Arlo must’ve sensed I was thinking of him. I forced cheer into my voice and tried to hide how devastated I was to leave Riggs. “Hey! Perfect timing. I just dropped my rental car off and am walking into the airport. Are you heading to the airport? Doing okay?”

When Arlo began talking, I pushed my worries to the background so I could be fully present for what turned out to be a major conversation. As Arlo opened up, tears stung my eyes for an entirely different reason than they had been off and on all day. I was so damn proud of my best friend.

After a few minutes of talking, Arlo’s relief was audible. “You always know exactly what to say to me. Thanks, Keat. How about you? How did things go in Arizona?”

The smile came easily. “Great. I can’t believe I’m saying it, but great. It’s a wonderful little town full of interesting people.” I never would’ve expected the trip to be so perfect. It certainly hadn’t started that way.

“Why are you at the airport then?”

“Because that’s where the airplanes are…” I said sarcastically.

“Har-har. If you like it there, why not stay a while?”

That was the question of the century. “Because Mom will kill me if I don’t come home for Christmas. What would I do here, anyway? I don’t fit in.” Even as I said the words, I no longer believed them. I’d felt more a part of the community in Juniper Ridge than I did in Minneapolis.

Arlo clucked his tongue. “That’s not what it sounds like to me. You’ve been happy the past two weeks. Maybe some distance from your family could be good for you.”

“Who are you and what did you do with my best friend? This new confidence suits you.”

Arlo’s laughter sounded lighter than I’d ever heard it. “Nice attempt at a redirect. We’re talking about you.”

“I’ll think about it over Christmas. I need to be there for my share of Mom’s cookies. Don’t worry. I’ll work my shit out.” Eventually. I wasn’t ready to give up on Riggs, but it was foolish to rush into any major decisions. Right?

“I’m not worried. You always do.”

We talked for a couple more minutes. He said something about Keaton in Arizona having a nice ring to it, and my brain seized on that phrase. Keaton in Arizona.

“I made it into the building. I’ll let you know when I land.” We said goodbye, and I carried my conflicted heart to the check-in counter.

Before I put my phone back in my coat pocket, it buzzed again. I expected to see Arlo, but it was my sister Steph on the family chat.

Steph: Hey, Keat? Can you babysit on New Year’s Eve? Jarrod got invited to a party his boss is hosting, and we need to put in some face time since he’s up for a promotion.

Chris: Can I get in on that babysitting? Maybe Keat can crash with all the kids at our place.

I stood in line to check my bags, shuffling along the slow queue, and watched family members make plans around me spending my holiday watching my niblings. I loved them, but Ididn’tlove the idea of my family assuming I had nothing else going on. I had a life, dammit.

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