Page 44 of Santa Baby Maybe
I shook my head and set the glass piece back on the shelf. Looking down at Joy, I thought again of what I should do. Leave probably. Leaving would be the best for both of us.
“You should have it with me,” she said with a tentative smile.
“What?” I asked, losing the conversation because I was already trying to plot my escape.
“Thanksgiving. My father is on a cruise this year with a new woman he’s been seeing, so it’s just me. I wasn’t going to do anything fancy, but if you want I can put together the basics.”
“Like tofurky?” I grimaced.
She cocked her head. “I can make you chicken, how about that? With stuffing and mashed potatoes and my famous green bean casserole.”
“With the fried onions on top?” I’d had that once. A girlfriend in high school had invited me to her parents’ for Thanksgiving. It had been the first time I’d ever celebrated the holiday. My mother thought it wrong to commemorate peace between the settlers and the Native Americans when ultimately the settlers had destroyed the Native Americans’ way of life. So no, Thanksgiving hadn’t been a thing for me, but that day with my girlfriend I’d discovered a love for green bean casserole.
“Yep,” Joy smiled.
I shook my head. “I can’t ask you to cook.”
“Please,” she huffed. “My ankle is already feeling better. In a few days, I’ll be fine. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll let you do the grocery shopping.”
“Thanksgiving?” I mused.
She wiggled her eyebrows. “With pie.”
And just like that, I was sunk. “Don’t know anyone who can say no to pie.”
“Good.” She beamed.
“Good,” I repeated. “I…uh…probably should…uh…”
“Leave,” Joy said. “Yeah, you probably should. For now it might be best if we take a little breath. But you’ll come back. So it’s okay.”
“I’ll come back,” I promised. Because I was pretty sure I couldn’t stay away.
