Page 11 of Holidate Pursuit

“The point is, Justin made it clear he wanted nothing to do with me. The man’s had six months to change his mind or at least explain himself. It’s too late now. He’s like a bad dream I can’t wake up from.”

“You know this is a sign, right? You’re going home in three weeks—why don’t you ask him to go with you? He owes it to you at this point. Plus, he was obviously trying to talk to you last night, so the door is wide open, in my opinion.” She reaches out to clink her glass with mine. “Cheers. You’re welcome.”

I lift my glass to my mouth and take a drink instead. “I am not cheersing to that. I’m sticking with my plan to tell them we broke up on the flight over. I’ll keep up the charade until then to avoid another date with Nathan while I’m there. It’s perfect.”

“They’ll be able to sneak a dinner in by the time you leave if they find out you’re single again on day one. It would be so much easier if you had a legit reason not to be set up with someone.”

“Ugh, I know it would, trust me. But seriously, it’s not an option. I’m not going to play the damsel in distress to get his attention, especially since I don’t even want it.”

In the Uber—an hour and two more glasses of wine later—my mind has other ideas because my fingers betray my common sense and type out a message to Justin that will surely get a response with a bit of manipulation. Knowing Justin’s protective nature, getting his attention isn’t rocket science.

Justin

It crossed my mind initially when I agreed to work the Christmas party for Mr. Dubree that I’d undoubtedly see Lucy there, but at the time, my momentary lapse in judgment told me it was no big deal. In hindsight, it was a very big deal. She’s been a distraction from the day I walked into Sebastian Dubree’s office to the day I failed Lily, and now still—six months later.

I blamed that distraction for letting Lily slip through the cracks. Ending things with Lucy was my solution and, likely, my self-imposed punishment. Regardless of whether it was the right thing to do, the way I went about it was wrong. KnowingI wouldn’t be strong enough to do it in person or otherwise, I simply tried pretending she didn’t exist. It definitely didn’t work.

My wandering eyes couldn’t refrain from stealing a glance in her direction every few minutes last night. She was just as beautiful as I remembered, even more so with that sexy red holiday dress sparkling against her porcelain skin. Her long, luscious blonde hair hanging down her back reminded me of our last morning together. It had fanned over my face as she rode me that final time before breakfast, right before I walked out the door of the most amazing night I’d ever had.

My body moved closer of its own accord when I saw her dancing with that other man. Remembering the feel of my hands on her hips made me wish it were me holding her close while our bodies swayed to the music. I’d done so well maintaining distance and keeping my gaze from meeting hers until I could no longer stop myself from intentionally catching her eye.

As she scrambled to the ladies’ room, I knew she was affected, and if Lily hadn’t followed, I would have gone after her. Then, when Tom put his hand on her, the remaining threads of my willpower snapped, and I was incapable of stopping my interference. Again, she became a defenseless distraction, one I decided then and there to stop fighting.

I didn’t speak the truth that struggled to break free soon enough: how sorry I was for my behavior, how much our time together truly meant to me, and how much I’ve missed her ever since. Before I worked up the nerve, she laid into me about not respecting her, which she had every right to do. Hearing the anger in her final words and watching her run away, ignoring my plea to wait, only confirmed what I’d already suspected—that I was too late.

Until this afternoon when my phone lit up with the name I never expected to see…

Lucy: I’ve gotten myself into some trouble. Would you be willing to meet? You’re the only one I can think of who could help.

It must be serious if she’s resorted to asking for my help. After she took off, I didn’t think I’d ever hear from her again. And why now? Did something happen today, or did my presence last night make her think of me for something she was already dealing with? I won’t disappoint her again, so there’s only one way to respond.

Me: Tell me when and where, and I’ll be there.

Lucy: Can you come over now? To my place?

Me: See you in twenty.

My mind spins over what could be wrong during the drive. Of the five dates we went on, there were no red flags, no reason to suspect she was into anything shady. Her job was normal. Her condo wasn’t out of the ordinary for a woman her age with her salary. She didn’t overindulge any evening we were together, nor was she under the influence of anything.

I’m at a complete loss as I knock on her door seconds before it swings open abruptly.

“Hi. You came,” she says with a look of bewilderment.

“I said I’d see you in twenty minutes.” My eyebrows slant in confusion.

“Based on the last time you said you’d see me, I wasn’t sure,” she responds flippantly.

I catch a slight slur in her speech. “I deserve that. Have you been drinking?”

“Maybe.” She shrugs. “You know what? This is a bad idea. Never mind.” She starts to close the door.

My hand stops it. “Lucy, what’s going on? I’m not leaving until I get some answers.”

She whips the door wide open. “Oh really? You’re going to demand answers? What about when I needed answers? Like why you ghosted me. Or why, instead of acting like an adult, you decided to ignore me and never speak to me again. Did I get answers? No. So if you expect me to just—”

Barging forward, I sling her over my shoulder and slam the door shut while she shouts in protest, pounding on my back. Stomping to the living room, I gently place her on the couch.

“What in God’s name is going on, Lucy? I’m not leaving until you tell me what trouble you’re in so I can help.” My arms are crossed as I stand before her, giving her no room to get up.

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