Page 23 of The Christmas Letters
I stand up. “I’m going to go take a walk on the beach.”
Grandma Pearl reaches up and grabs my hand as I pass by. “That’s all you have to say about all this?”
I lean down and kiss her cheek, giving her hand an affectionate squeeze. “I love you, Gran, but I’m not holding my breath.”
She huffs. “You’re just being stubborn.”
“Stubborn for doubting that a woman who found my sixteen-year-old letter to Santa might be my soulmate?” I say. “This isn’t a Hallmark movie.”
Love just doesn’t happen like it does in the movies. No matter how much I wish it did.
Chapter Six
Tess
“That’sjustitthough,”I say, pacing back and forth across my living room, Chloe on speaker phone. “He told me he didn’t have a girlfriend. The only reason he could have for not calling me is not liking me. It’s been almost two weeks. There’s no other explanation.”
Two weeks.
Two weeks of answering Santa letters butnotanswering the one letter I WANT to answer.
Two weeks of wearing the Southern Society scarf to the hospital every time I volunteer.
Two weeks of thinking about Drew and wondering why he never called.
The length of time it takes Chloe to respond can only mean one thing.
She agrees with me.
I drop onto my couch with a huff. “I just don’t understand.”
Chloe chuckles. “Welcome to life for the rest of us.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means most of us haven’t lived a charmed existence where literally every guy we’ve ever been interested in has automatically fallen at our feet. So one guy didn’t call. It’s not the end of the world. I’m not saying it doesn’t suck. But most women have endured that kind of rejection a lot more times than once.”
I pull a pillow onto my lap, gripping it tightly. “I’m sure I sound like such a brat right now. But I swear there was something different about this guy. The connection felt so real.” A fresh surge of embarrassment sweeps over me as I think about what I said to him as I walked away.
Chloe is silent for another long moment. “I’m sorry he didn’t call. It’s lame. And he’s missing out. Because you are definitely worthy of being called.”
“What if he lost his phone?”
“Don’t play this game, Tess,” Chloe says. “I really think you need to let this go.”
I will let it go. And pray I never need to call an ambulance. Running into him after such a blatant rejection? I’ll pass, please and thank you very much.
“If I ever have an accident, and you need to call the paramedics? Don’t, okay? Just let me die where I am. I’ll be fine.”
Chloe chuckles. “This too shall pass.”
“Don’t get all philosophical on me. I’m mortified. It’s going to take a while for this to wear off.”
“I’m just glad you don’t know his last name,” Chloe says. “I can’t imagine the cyberstalking you’d be doing right now.”
“Oh, believe me. I’ve tried. I found an account on Instagram for a paramedic named Drew that could be his, but the profile picture is a picture of a chocolate lab on the beach, and there aren’t any photos that show his face.”
“I can appreciate a man who keeps a low profile,” Chloe says.
