Page 88 of The Holiday Fakers
“I think he knew it would be a worry she didn’t need. He’s a good man.”
“Yeah. I’m lucky.”
The silence fills with the ghostly presence of my father who only showed up in my life when I was famous.
“I suppose you know he got in touch,” I say. “My dad.”
She nods.
“Of course, all he wanted was money.”
“I’m sorry.”
I lift a shoulder like it’s nothing. “I thought I’d feel more for him, especially since he looks like me. But I saw him for who he really is. A flawed man who couldn’t be there for his kid, and someone I never want to become.”
“You’ll never be like him.”
“I hope not.”
I gaze into Piper’s endlessly blue eyes, trying to communicate everything I can’t yet say out loud.
“Right,” Marv says, striding up with a thin book in his hand. “The Night Before Christmasis taken, along withHow the Grinch Stole Christmas,The Polar Express, andOlive, the Other Reindeer.A Christmas Carolis too long, as are all the versions ofThe Nutcrackerthey’ve got, so there are only slim pickings left for you.”
Mia enters the library behind us. “Morning, everyone! Am I late?”
“Nah, plenty of time,” Marv replies. “Brody’s on last, and he’s only got five minutes, so be prepared.”
“Cool. What’s he reading?”
Marv looks at the front of the picture book with disgust. “The Yeti Who Got Stuck in the Chimney.”
CHAPTER 17
BRODY
Mia snorts. “Never heard of it. What’s it about?”
Marv turns it over.
“Deep in his cave, a lonely yeti watches families celebrating Christmas, wishing he could join in but thinking he doesn’t belong. One magical Christmas, a wise luna moth, who had once been a caterpillar, shares an important secret: it’s not about how you look, but who you are inside.”
He shakes his head. “Sheesh. It sure as shit ain’t Shakespeare.”
Clearing his throat, he continues. “Inspired by the moth’s words, the yeti sets out to become Santa. But when he gets stuck in a chimney, it’s a brave little boy who comes to his rescue. Together, they discover the true spirit of Christmas is all about kindness, love, and finding where you truly belong—yada yada yada.”
Marv slaps the book against my chest. “Good luck, man. If you can’t sell this sappy garbage, then no one can.”
“I think it’s sweet,” Erica says.
“That’s because you’re the nicest woman on the planet. You even make me feel like I’m redeemable.”
“Oh, honey,” Erica says to him as if he were a kid, not a man older than she is. “There’s nothing to redeem.”
Marv gives me a quick glance, as if I might tell her about the stunt he pulled with Cara that brought us all to this moment, but I keep quiet.
“Is Martha coming?” Mia asks.
“Not this time. Ethan and her are spending the morning with Eleanor and Garrett, then joining us up at the reserve for the race.”
