Page 74 of The Holiday Fakers
We mill around as the race continues, then scream and cheer as Cody, Mia’s older brother, crosses the line first. It bodes well for their team in the wife-carrying championships, and Mia delights in reminding Hudson that they’re going to beat him again next year.
Then we wander through the town as the sun sets, heading into the main square for carols.
Hideaway Harbor is magical, but at Christmas, it’s even more special. The enormous tree is as tall as the surrounding buildings and covered in multicolored lights.
“How did they decorate it?” Brody asks.
“The fire department did,” Hudson replies. “We’ve got the equipment, and we’re not afraid of heights.”
“I don’t remember it being this big when we were younger.”
“It wasn’t. I think Dad just wants each year to be bigger and better than the last.”
A lump forms in my throat.That drive for something bigger … it’s not just in Dad.
After Brody left, a part of me left with him. I’ve never really acknowledged it until now, but it’s true. I wanted to leave Hideaway, travel the world, and experience places and cultures completely different from my hometown. It wasn’t that I didn’t love it; I just yearned to see what else was out there.
But here I am, twenty-eight, and the only time I’ve ever left the country was a brief visit to see Harper in France last year. My job doesn’t pay enough for that around-the-world ticket I’ve always dreamed of.
Maybe I should let the idea go … even my New York dream, which ended up being Brooklyn anyway. I could move back here and go freelance from the financial safety of my childhood home.
I bite the inside of my cheek. Why does the thought of coming home feel like I’ve failed? And it just puts even more physical distance between me and Brody. At least when he’s across the East River, he seems closer. But when we get back, we’ll be as far apart as ever.
“Hey, what’s up?” he murmurs, his mouth close to my ear.
I press my lips shut and shake my head. People are lighting candles all around us, waiting for the caroling to start. It’s so freaking beautiful it intensifies the ache in my heart.
Taking my hand, Brody draws me to the back of the crowd, beneath the awning of a shop. The windows are lit up with a display so big that it blocks the customers inside, and those outside are facing away from us. Even though we’re in public, it somehow feels private.
Brody faces me, dipping his head as I lift mine. His eyes are a deep chestnut brown, the irises flecked with hints of gold.
“Please talk to me.”
I cross my arms over my stomach. “Do you have any intention of advertising the printer?”
There’s a pause, then he rubs a hand over his face. “Marv doesn’t want me to.”
“And you?”
He swallows. “I won’t let you down.”
“That doesn’t mean you want to!”
“I … I’ll do it. I promise.”
“But it’s stupid!”
“Not if it’s to help you keep your job.”
“But surely you can imagine what people will say?”
He shrugs. “It can’t be any worse than what they’ve said about me already. And if I get this job then it won’t matter.”
That’s true. I mustn’t lose sight of the fact that the only reason we’re both standing here is because Brody wants a new job and I’m desperately trying to hold onto my current one.
“I promise I’ll do it,” he repeats.
I nod, emotionally drained, as everyone behind us begins singingSilent Night.
