Page 61 of Valentine Nook
“I don’t drink tea.” Holiday pushes a fork through her salad and turns to Miles. “But I sure am fitting in well. Everyone’s super friendly, and I met your girlfriend the other day.”
Next to her, my mother splutters into her wine before recovering herself immaculately, but I can see she’s now on tenterhooks like the rest of us.
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Miles replies with a coolness to his tone. “Right, Maxy? Girlfriends are bleugh.”
“Yeah, girlfriends arebleugh,”Max mimics and sticks out his tongue.
“But she was coming out of your place and introduced herself to me as your girlfriend. Though tell her I prefer her hair blond to the dark she had last week. We blondes have to stick together.”
Holiday couldn’t look any more innocent if she was wearing a nun’s outfit and had a halo around her head.
For a moment, I genuinely wonder if she realizes Miles would never ever commit himself to a girl. But when she liftsher fork to chew down and throws me a wink, I realize exactly what she’s done.
Holiday one, Miles nil.
His eyes flare, and Hendricks snorts with laughter.
“Oh, I like you, Holiday,” Alex barks loudly, leaning back in his chair until it almost topples. “You can come again.”
“Maybe I will,” she replies before excusing herself to use the bathroom.
Which is the exact moment my mother has been waiting for.
Her elbow hits the table, and her chin is propped on her fist.
“You know, darling . . .” She leans forward. “You seem very happy tonight.”
“Do I?”
My mother hums softly. “Yes, and it’s not just tonight. It’s the past month or so, you’ve been much more . . .” She waves her hand around. “Relaxed, I suppose.”
A month is the exact amount of time Holiday’s been in Valentine Nook. Sometimes I wonder if my mother thinks I’m stupid.
“It’s probably the weather,” I reply.
It’s not the weather.
“Perhaps,” she muses, sitting back and folding her napkin. I know this move. I’ve fallen victim to it many,manytimes because the real subject of the conversation is about to reveal itself in three, two, one . . . “And isn’t it wonderful that Holiday’s settling in so well? And she’s delightful. We must host a party for her.”
I roll my eyes. “She doesn’t want a party, Mother. She’s come here to get away from everything.”
“Maybe a family movie night, then?”
I shift my chair closer, so it’s just the two of us. I want to beg her to stop, but I can’t bring myself to because right now, atthis moment with my family and Holiday here, I wonder if my mum’s onto something.
I am relaxed.
And for the first time in a long time, I’m enjoying myself. Perhaps movie night isn’t a bad idea.
I’m ruminating on it, along with Alex’s comment from earlier, when Holiday plops back down into her chair.
“You okay there, Gracie?”
I nod. “You know, Hollywood, I think I am.”
“Good,” she replies and turns to Alex while I sip my wine.
As I stretch out, my feet hit something I assume is the leg of the table, but when it shifts, I realize I’m actually resting against Holiday’s feet. The polite thing would be to move. But I don’t.
