Page 124 of The One I Hate
There’s not a chance in hell I’m going anywhere.
Chapter 29
Charlie
Iget why everyone loves Christmas.
And so do I, don’t get me wrong.
But to me, there’s something more special about Christmas Eve.
There’s the excitement and anticipation. The wonder if you were in fact good all year, and if Santa was going to visit.
But for me, it’s more than that. This is the day I remember the most from my childhood. Every Christmas Eve, Mom would take Connor and I to our version of Mona’s. She’d let us order whatever we wanted before we’d go home and make cookies until we were out of icing and sprinkles.
It was the best day of the year.
Which is why I insisted on being open today, even if it was just for breakfast.
“You’re serving today?”
I turn to see my favorite property manager, Emmett, walking through the doors. And I know I’m with Simon. And I love that man more than I thought possible, but you’d have to be blind to not appreciate the hunk of a man Emmett Collins is.
“Skeleton crew for the holiday. Plus, I like to be on this side every once in a while.” I grab a mug and pour him his coffee.“And what are you doing here? I figured this would be the Tuesday you’d take off.”
He shakes his head. “Today is the last day for the crew before we close down until the New Year. So this is going to be the last time I head this way for a while. And you know I can’t go that long without your waffles.”
I shake my head at Emmett’s compliment, taking his ticket to the window. I never had to deal with a property manager before, but I’d have to assume that Emmett is one of the more hands-on ones in the business. He comes in every Tuesday, like clockwork, to check on me. He’s also checking in on the construction next door, which has been going since I took over this space. I have no clue what’s going in there; I just know they’ve been gutting it to the studs.
But hey, they come in for lunch every day, so I’m not complaining.
“So anything special going on for the holiday?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “I’ll go home to Kentucky for Christmas. I have the rest of the year off, so I’ll probably relax there before I come back. Though I’ll want to avoid Nashville for New Year’s. It’s a shit show.”
An idea comes to me, and it might be the best idea I’ve had in a while. “If you want to do something for New Year’s, why don’t you come to our gender reveal?”
Emmett nearly chokes on his coffee at the sound of my suggestion. “Oh…um…I don’t think that’s a good idea…”
“Don’t be silly.” Why is he acting weird about this? “Simon insisted on having a blow out, and New Year’s was the perfect time to have it. There will be plenty of food and an open bar. Plus, you can meet some Rolling Hills people and we can maybe convince you to move here. Who knows, maybe you’ll find someone to kiss at midnight.”
“Thanks, but no thanks.”
His quick tone takes me aback. “Okay then…just thought I’d offer.”
I watch as his shoulders slump. “I’m sorry, Charlie. That was rude of me. I’m just not a big New Years guy.”
“Oh, well that makes sense.” And because my pregnancy brain is all over the place, the talk of the new year reminds me of something. “Oh! Wait here, I need to get my rent check for next month.”
I head back to my office and hurriedly write my monthly rent check. Yes I know it’s old school. Yes, I know, I could just transfer my rent through my bank. But I like it this way. It works for me and that’s all that matters.
When I come back out to the dining room, with Emmett’s food in hand, I notice he’s furiously typing something on his phone.
“Here we go, one rent check and one plate of waffles. Oh, and can you see why my October check wasn’t cashed?”
His head snaps up. “What was that?”
“My October rent check. I was doing my books the other day and I noticed it wasn’t cashed, which I thought was weird. I meant to text you about it, but preggo brain got in the way. Can you make sure everything is okay?”
