Page 85 of Holiday Unscripted
“That’s just wasting everyone’s time,” I huff out, and he doesn’t say a word to me. He just sits there on the phone and waits for me to give it up. “It’s…” I think about it. “Fuck!” I run my hand over my face.
“I don’t know why, but something tells me this has to do with Elizabeth and that truce you guys were talking about.”
I look out the window. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Ugh,” he groans, “I was afraid of that.”
“It’s fine,” I say softly. “It’s all good. In a week she’ll be gone and it’ll be fine.”
“You are just going to let her leave?” Jack barks out.
“What the fuck are you saying?” I sit up. “What am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know. My uncle Matthew once handcuffed my aunt Karrie to the bed when she was going to go on vacation without him.”
The gasp that comes out of me makes even Whiskey jump. “I’m not handcuffing her to bed, Jack. To some that would be considered kidnapping.”
“It was an option.”
“It was the wrong one. Can you imagine what your father would do to me if I handcuffed your sister to my bed?” I get up.
“Well, considering the two of you have hooked up, he’s going to be kicking your ass for a whole bunch of reasons.”
“He loves me like a son, he told me,” I remind him.
“Yeah, but that was before you fell in love with his daughter,” he tells me. “You can’t just let her go.”
“There is nothing I can do to stop her. I told her I was in love with her?—”
“But did you ask her to stay?” he cuts me off with his question.
“No”—I shake my head—“and I’m not going to. I won’t do that to her. I won’t have her choose me or her job. I would never do that.”
“You could always leave.” I look around my office.
“I could but I’d miss your ugly face too much.” I smirk and only when he bursts out laughing do I exhale deeply. “I’m going to get going and go home.”
“I wish I had the answer for you, buddy,” he says softly.
“I wish you did too. Call you tomorrow.”
“Call me whenever. I’m here when you need me.” I close my eyes and disconnect the call, looking over at Whiskey.
“You ready to go home?” I ask him and his ears go back on his head, his eyes open, and he watches me get up. Only when I’m around my desk do his two front paws get up. He waits until I’m by the door before he saunters off of his bed. “Let’s get going.”
My stomach feels like there is a lead weight in it as we pull into the driveway. All the lights in the house off. When I enter the code and open the door, I see she’s not here. I try to fight off the pain in my chest but it’s beyond my control.
We walk in and I take off my boots while Whiskey walks to the kitchen and then comes back, looking around. “She’s not here, buddy,” I tell him. I walk to the kitchen and go straight to the Christmas tree to turn on the lights before opening the door and letting him out while I get his dinner in his bowl.
I’m filling his water bowl when the doorbell rings. I look over, turning the water off and drying off my hands before making my way to the door. I don’t even check who it is before opening the door and stop when I see Elizabeth standing there. “What are you doing?” I look at her and then look over her shoulder. “Where is your mother?”
“She left,” she tells me, her voice soft. “Can I come in?”
I shake my head, confused, and move away from the door to let her in. “Of course you can come in,” I tell her, trying to get my breathing down to normal before I start panting.
“I have to let Whiskey in,” I tell her, walking away from her instead of kissing her like I want to. I walk away before I get down on my knees and beg her to stay with me. I walk away before she walks up the stairs probably to pack her things. Something I don’t think I can take right now. I let Whiskey in and he bypasses me right away, going straight for her.
“Hello, my prince,” she coos. I slide the door closed and lock it before walking back to the kitchen, while Whiskey basks in her hugs and tries to lick her face.
