Page 108 of A Very Merry Enemy
And now, the talk of the town is about Dominic, who arrived in Merryville this morning. Emma sent the group chat atext saying he checked into the Merryville Inn. The newspaper already interviewed him, and he was walking around town like he has a right to be here.
I haven’t heard from Holiday in twenty-four hours.
There has been no mention of Dominic or if he’s tried to contact her.Nothing.
And it’s killing me.
“You look like you’re about to throw up,” Hudson says from where he’s lounging on Jake’s bed, already dressed. He looks annoyingly comfortable in the custom-made Italian suit that costs more than my truck.
“Oh, I’m fine,” I say, looking at him from the reflection of the mirror.
“You’ve been staring at that tie for ten minutes. It’s straight. You’re just stalling.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You absolutely are.” Jake appears in the doorway already dressed and ready. He looks different somehow. More mature, even though he’s only three years older than me. He’s about to marry the love of his life and has zero doubts about his future.
Claire’s family spared no expense on this wedding. The formal wear is custom, tailored to perfection, all designed by her friends at Bellamore. My suit was custom-made for my body. It’s black with subtle details and is lined with red silk.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and it’s Emma.
Emma
Still no Holiday.
The jacket makes my shoulders look broader, and I’ve been working on the farm enough that I’m in the best shape of mylife. But none of that matters if Holiday doesn’t show up. She’s never late.
I’m concerned Dominic’s presence is messing with her head.
“Dude.” Hudson sits up. “You need to chill.”
“Yeah, what’s the problem?” Jake asks.
The problem is, I haven’t seen her in five days, and I’m supposed to act like we’re casual acquaintances who just happen to bake cookies together when the world knows the truth. Dominic Laurent is in town, and I know he will try to contact her. I stupidly gave her space when every instinct I have is screaming to go to her.
I don’t tell them that, though. My relationship issues aren’t a concern for either of my brothers.
“Zero problems,” I tell him. “Just want everything to go smoothly tonight.”
“Oh, it will. Claire has planned this down to the minute.” Jake gives me a smile. “But that’s not your issue. You’ve been walking around like a ghost all week. We should talk about Holiday.”
“There’s nothing to discuss,” I say.
“Bullshit.” Hudson stands and crosses his arms. “You gave her hickeys and then ignored her all week.”
“I didn’t ignore her,” I correct him. “We hung out the next night.”
“And then you ignored her, right?” Hudson grins. “You’re keeping track like some lovesick teenager.”
I want to punch him.
“Speaking of,” Hudson continues, clearly enjoying himself, “I couldn’t believe Mawmaw brought the hickeys up at Thanksgiving dinner. Love that the whole family knows you marked her like a caveman.”
“Yeah, well, Jake should’ve kept his fucking mouth shut.”
This makes him laugh. “No, I shouldn’t have. It’s a lot more fun to watch you squirm.”
“Can we please not do this right now?” I say, glancing between them.
