Page 25 of Just A Dash of Holiday Magic
Chapter 3
NIKKI
"Well, I, for one, am glad that he was there to help you out," Dad says between bites of mashed potatoes. "I hate to think of you stuck on the side of the road like that."
“Dad, it’s not like I was stuck on the side of the highway or anything. It’s was Main Street. I was fine.”
“Still,” he shrugs. “Gabe was a good kid. I liked him.”
Mom and I share, mirroring skeptical glances and burst out laughing.
"What are you talking about, Stanley? You used to do everything in your power to scare that boy when he was here to pick up Nikki for a date when they were in high school."
“Yeah, and he had the sense to show me that I scared him enough to make me feel he wouldn’t do anything I wouldn’t approve of with you.”
I snort into my glass of wine and nearly choke as it goes down the wrong pipe. Mom shoots me a look and shakes her head minutely, but Dad still sees it.
“What?” Dad asks, turning from me to my mom and then back again. “What don’t I know?”
"Nothing, dear," Mom says and pats his hand.
Dad slaps his hand on the table. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Well—”
“Nikki, don’t you dare. I don’t want your father having a heart attack on Christmas Eve of all days.”
I ignore her. It’s not like I’m seventeen again and living in their house. I’m a grown woman. Plus, my Dad can't be so naïve to think that I had a boyfriend for nearly all of high school, and nothing happened between us.
“I lost my virginity to Gabe after junior prom.”
“Nope,” Dad stands up and takes his dinner plate into the kitchen. "I don't want to hear any of this. You are still a virgin, and I will not have you trying to convince me otherwise.”
“Do you see what you did?” Mom hisses to me.
“I could always tell him about my meeting with Diane.”
Mom’s eyes narrow on me, but I don't miss the corner of her mouth ticking up in amusement. “You are going on the Naughty List.”
I chuckle as she gets up and walks into the kitchen, mumbling something about how I'm only getting coal this year.
After dinner, Dad lights a fire in the fireplace, and he and mom snuggle up on the couch together. I make my way upstairs to finish wrapping my gifts for the morning.
I’m just finishing up the last gift when I swear I hear something like tapping. I turn the Christmas music down and look around the room. I’m pretty sure Mom and Dad are asleep on the couch after the second bottle of wine they cracked open.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I glance over my shoulder at the window and see Gabe’s smiling face. It's been over a decade since either of us climbed that tree outside my window. He's going to kill himself falling on his head.
“What are you doing here?” I ask as I slide open the window.
“I said you could count on seeing me real soon.” Gabe wobbles slightly on the old branch that extends to my bedroom window. “And here I am.”
“If my dad catches you here—”
Gabe waves his hand like he isn't concerned. “Your dad loves me.”
“Really? I think his opinion might have changed since I told him how you took my virginity junior year.”
