Page 36 of Terms + Conditions
“Not usually.” I sip my coffee, glancing out the window where Noah is still talking on the phone.
“I feel like there’s something we’re missing.” Elijah chuckles.
“Probably.” I shrug. Isn’t that always the case? “Welcome to the club, boys. Where we’re always two steps behind.”
The rest of breakfast is uneventful unless you count the awkwardness between Noah and Georgie. Something is seriously wrong there. Not that it’s any of my business, but they could at least try to hide it a little better if they’re going to fake it. Every once in a while, she’ll reach over and try to touch him—his hand, the back of his neck, his arm—and he pulls away. Albeit, only a little, and to someone not paying attention, they probably wouldn’t notice, but I am paying attention.
“What’s the plan for today?” Elijah asks as he stuffs a piece of pancake in his mouth.
“Well, after breakfast, we go to the Christmas market,” Selena says and pushes her empty plate away from her. She stirs creamer into her fresh cup of coffee.
“It’s super tiny and cute,” Lola adds. “A lot of local vendors and artists.”
“And donuts! Don’t forget the donuts.”
“Yes, the donuts are to die for.”
“Noah, will your parents be joining us?” Selena asks, sipping her coffee. Typically, the Thompsons join us for a stroll through the market before they run off to one of the many holiday soirees they get invited to.
“N-no,” he stammers. Clearing his throat, he answers more soundly. “No, they’re actually in the Caymans right now.”
The Caymans? I shoot Elizabeth a confused look, but she keeps her gaze fixed on Georgie. If his parents are in the Caymans, why couldn’t they accommodate the group at their beach house? That doesn’t make sense. Looking around the table, no one else seems to pay any mind to the fact that he justadmitted we were uninvited from the place we usually call home in Palm Valley.
Am I the only one who finds all of this strange?
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
THEN
December 2017
“JOSH, WHERE’S ELLIE?” FINN asks, stuffing a few barbecue meatballs in his mouth.
He showed up at Uncle Jim’s around the time I did. His parents didn’t exactly have your typical holiday traditions with family. Instead, they would host a dinner or luncheon of some sort a few days before and spend the actual holiday on some tropical island or at some fancy resort. Finn used to join them until we became friends after he was kicked out of The Hills Academy and transferred to Bridgeport High. When my parents heard about his family traditions, they invited him to join us if his parents would allow him, and he’s been with us every holiday since. This year, he had spent his obligated time at home a few days ago during the Sheffield Christmas party before his parents jetted off to the Caribbean.
“Oh.” I swallow a drink of beer. “She and Nina are having a girl’s day since the Villas are gone.”
I don’t miss the way Alex perks up hearing Nina’s name—that kid has had the biggest crush on her for as long as I can remember. Nick rolls his eyes at his little brother; he thinks Alex is ridiculous.You don’t even know her,Nick would often say.Maybe not, but we all knew the stories. Nina was known around town for being much more than just the daughter of the Villa family. If you looked up how to have fun in your early years, you’d find a photo of her next to it.
And after his brother was done chastising him about his dream girl, Alex would chime in with something like:Neither do you, but that doesn’t stop you from being a judgey-judgerson.
Alex always claimed there was more to Nina than being a spoiled heiress, but was never able to persuade his brother. That’s never stopped him from trying, especially when he found out that I was dating Elizabeth. Alex made sure to remind his brother who Elizabeth’s adoptive sister was. Truth be told, I was concerned Nick wouldn’t like Elizabeth since she and Nina are so closely related, but they took a liking to each other pretty quickly. Alex thought I’d be able to convince Nick to give Nina a chance, but I knew better. Nick was going to have to figure it out for himself.
“Nina could’ve come along,” Mom says, walking in from the kitchen.
“I told her.” I shrug. “But she’s going through a pretty bad breakup, so I think she just wanted some time.”
“Oh, that poor thing,” Mom coos.
“No one should be alone on Christmas,” Uncle Jim agrees.
“She’s not alone; she has Elizabeth,” I say. “I’ll go check on ‘em a little later.”
Elizabeth is probably grateful I’m not there, anyway. She was more than happy to stay back, even though Nina was practically pushing her out the door. Elizabeth wouldn’t budge.
We started dating (likedatingdating, giving-it-a-real-shot dating) last October, the weekend of Nina’s twenty-second birthday. Elizabeth had come home on Friday after class for the birthday party on Saturday evening and instead of going straight to Nina’s, she came to my condo. We hadn’t seen eachother since I had gone down to Savannah for the anniversary the month before. After I left that time, we started talking on the phone more often, and I could tell there had been a shift in our relationship. We spent time getting to know one another and becoming friends—real friends.
I was nervous to see her. I spent most of the day wondering how things would be once we were together in person. But the moment I saw her, the nerves disappeared. I walked out of the elevator lobby to my condo building’s garage and spotted her unloading the bags from her car. She had two suitcases—who needs two suitcases for a weekend trip?—and one large gift bag that readHappy Birthdayin fancy script.
