Page 5 of When Ivy Met Mr. Holiday
I froze mid–sweater fold. “Uh . . . that’s sweet.” And totally unexpected.
Jack hated the holidays. Weird, for a guy whose last name isHoliday. But his dislike was seriously on abah humbuglevel.Unfortunately, he’d never gotten to discover the magic of the season as a child.
He didn’t like to talk about it much, but as far as I could tell, Jack had had a pretty messed-up home life, and my heart ached for the things he had shared and especially for all the things he hadn’t. So, I felt bad when I had to remind him of my trip.
“Um . . . did you forget I’m going home for the holidays?”
Two glorious weeks of getting my holly and jolly on.
“I thought I would go with you,” he coughed out.
Say what?
“Why would you want to do that?”
Also, I wasn’t exactly sure I wanted him to come. Don’t get me wrong: I loved Jack. You know, platonically. Like so, so platonically. That was right—seven years later, I was still proving him wrong.
Regardless, the thing was . . . When I was with Jack in public, or anywhere for that matter, it was chaotic. He was way too famous for my own good, and probably his, but he loved the attention. Even my family fawned over him when they came to visit me and he happened to be in town. You should see the googly eyes my sister Paige and my mom gave him. And even my brothers and dad thought they were best friends with him.
“Aren’t you the one always trying to convince me that Christmas is magical? I thought I would finally let you prove it to me.”
“Yes, but you’ve always said there would be no convincing you. Like, ever.”
“Come on, Ivy. You love a challenge and to prove me wrong,” he goaded me. “So here’s your chance.”
“Except I’ve already proven you wrong on so many occasions,” I sang. “In light of the holiday spirit, I’ll pass this time,” I said, hoping to let him down gently.
“What? You don’t want me to go with you?” He sounded hurt—genuinely hurt. “I had the production crew move things around so I could be with you.”
I flopped on my bed and grabbed a pillow, squeezing it, guilt coursing through me as I imagined Jack turning my cozy family Christmas intoThe Mr. Holiday Show. Not that he would mean to. Okay—maybe he would a little.
“It’s not that. I just don’t want you to feel uncomfortable for the next two weeks. I’ve told you how crazy about Christmas my family gets. My mom makes us wear matching sweaters and pj’s every day, and we don’t just build gingerbread houses—we build mansions. And there’s the Santa mystery gift challenge, where you have to make a homemade gift for the person you draw out of the Santa hat. And don’t forget: Anyone caught grumbling or bah humbugging must wear the Grinch hat of shame for a day. Do you really want to wear the Grinch hat, Jack?”
Surely, he would grumble about any or all of the activities just mentioned. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Jaquelyn Wells, a.k.a. best mom around, had an itinerary for every single day. Christmas was serious business for her.
Jack laughed. “I think I could talk your mom out of the hat.”
That was probably true.
“Jack, what’s brought this on?”
This wasn’t like him. At. All. I couldn’t tell you how many times over the years I’d tried to get him to believe in the wonders of Christmas. I’d even bought meaningful gifts for him, thinking it might help, but he’d adamantly refused to accept them. Normally, he just booked some tropical vacation alone or with his flavor of the season—so long as she didn’t like the holidays either—and didn’t return until after the New Year. He barely even contacted me during the holidays. So this one-eighty of his was disconcerting, to say the least.
A heavy silence settled between us.
“Jack, are you okay?”
His reticence worried me. He loved the sound of his own voice—and to be fair, his slight drawl was nice.
“Ivy,” he whispered with a hint of trepidation.
Now, I was really freaking out. Jack was never hesitant. Never afraid.
Worst-case scenarios flooded my brain.
Was he dying? Marrying Sienna? Oh, dear Santa, please no. Anyone but her.
“I just thought I should try to love the things you love.”
