Page 56 of The Naughty List
A HIPPOPOTAMUS FOR CHRISTMAS
“I’ve never seen you like this at the holidays,” my mom remarks over Christmas Eve dinner. “You’re usually the one keeping all of our spirits up.”
Addi tosses me a sympathetic smile across the table. “Hollis isn’t feeling so jolly lately. Her boss is a real pain in the a—”
“Addison,” my mom admonishes, cutting her off. “I thought Tony and Mikey said he came by the bar and he was a decent guy?”
“He is,” is all I say.
Tony jumps in with a comment about how much heavier the traffic at the bar has been since Jonah stopped in.
The conversation goes on without me as I move my food around with my fork.
I walked the dogs all week and Jonah wasn’t there one single time. I don’t know why I’d expected him to be. But I’ve never gone this long without talking to him. Even if it was just about random errands.
He hasn’t called or messaged and demanded his key back, so I’ve just been tending to the dogs like I normally would. I figure if he wants to fire me, he’ll do it when he’s ready.
I’m pretty certain the assistant position isn’t going to happen but surprisingly, I don’t care as much about it as I did a week ago.
He was angry and hurting the last time I saw him. But now I’m angry and hurting and I don’t know how to fix it for either of us.
I’ve picked my phone up a dozen times to text him that Addi never told a soul, but it doesn’t matter. I knew how private he was and I’d told her without giving a single thought to how it might affect him.
Maybe if we hadn’t slept together it wouldn’t hurt so much. No way to know for sure.
I’ve tried to tell myself what happened between us wasn’t a mistake, but nothing is worth feeling like this. Not even non-self-induced orgasms.
“So Hol, are we playing charades tonight or what?” Mikey blurts out.
I blink myself into the present. “Doesn’t matter to me.”
“Of course we are,” Addi pipes up. “That’ll be just the thing to get Hollis out of her funk.”
“Leave Hollis be,” my dad finally breaks in.
I offer him a weak smile. My dad is a man of few words but he always has my back.
“I’ll go get some pens and paper,” I say, excusing myself, unsure as to how I’m going to get through much more of this.
The doorbell rings and we all glance at Tony. The flavor of the week he’s hooking up with was upset about not being invited tonight and made a scene at the bar earlier. We’re all expecting it to be her.
Addi scoots her chair backward and starts to stand from the table. “I’ll get it.”
I wave her off. I know what it feels like to be on the wrong end of unrequited feelings. Addi is not exactly the queen of sensitivity.
“I got it. I’ll be gentle,” I tell them, looking pointedly at Tony.
They all begin talking at once, giving my brother a hard time about his dating habits as I escape the dining room. I cross through the living room and open the door.
But there’s no one there.
Achilles leaps up on his hind legs, startling me.
For a second, I was worried Tony might have a fatal attraction situation on his hands.
“Ache! What are you doing here, sweet boy?” I love on his massive head and see a red ribbon tied around his neck. With a card attached to it.
My heart skips a beat and restarts out of rhythm.
