Page 84 of Holiday Unscripted
“How was the wedding?” Chloe asks me.
“Beautiful,” I tell her. “Everything went off without a hitch.”
“I’m sure Joshua was happy about that.” She laughs. “He was a bit of a mess the last time I saw him.”
“Good news is that he should be calmed down. They leave to go on their honeymoon on New Year’s Day.”
“That sounds like fun.” I nod at her as she lingers in my office. “Are you doing anything for New Year’s Eve?” she asks me and I shake my head.
“To be honest, I didn’t plan anything because of the wedding.” I fold my hands on my lap.
“If you want,” she suggests softly, “we could maybe catch dinner and a movie.”
Shit, this is about to get as awkward as it can be. “That sounds like fun,” I say with a smile, “but I’m going to have to pass. Us working together and everything, I would hate to get things crossed.” She looks down, trying to hide the rejection on her face.
“Of course, I get it.” She shrugs. “Thought I’d extend the offer.”
“Thank you for that,” I say. “Have a great night.” I cut the conversation before it gets more awkward.
“See you after the New Year, Nate.” She nods at me and turns to walk out of the office.
I look back out the window and all I can do is think about Elizabeth. The phone rings on my desk and I see it’s Jack, and I send it to voicemail. It doesn’t take much longer for him to text me.
Jack: Are you fucking screening your calls?
I laugh, knowing that he would know. He’s not only been one of my closest friends over the years, he’s been like a big brother I never had.
Me: Not screening per se.
I press send and the phone rings instead of him texting me back. I know if I don’t answer it, he’ll either come and find me or he’ll call Joshua, who will then call me or then get Zack. Needless to say, I can’t run away from it.
“Yo.” I put the phone to my ear.
“Yo yourself,” he says. “Where are you?”
“At the office. Why?”
“I just passed by the house to see you and you aren’t there.”
“I am not,” I confirm. “I came in to make sure everything was okay,” I explain, even though the minute I got in, I sat in this chair and didn’t do anything. My head was whirling after Elizabeth left.
“Funny.” I hear the car door close on his end. “I was doing the same.”
“You were checking to see how my clinic was going?” I ask him, trying to get him to divert from the real conversation he wants to have.
“Funny,” he repeats, not biting, “I was coming to see how you were doing.” His voice trails off as he starts his car. “You seemed out of it last night at dinner.”
I was out of it. It was a crazy, emotional day when she gave me a gift that means more to me than anything I’ve ever gotten in my life. It was then and there I knew I was so madly in love with her that I would be broken once she left. I tried to hide it, tried to bury it, but it’s bigger than even I know what to do with it. “Yeah, I’m fine, guess I’m just tired.”
“Yeah, but you looked like someone stole your dog.”
“It’s complicated,” I finally admit.
“Oh my God,” he barks and I can hear the laughter in his voice. “Are you in love with Macy, and now that she married Joshua, you came to terms she’ll never be yours?”
I can’t help the laughter that roars through me. “Yeah, that would be it.” I chuckle. “You got me.”
He laughs with me. “So you going to tell me what’s wrong, or are we going to play twenty questions?”
