Page 3 of Not Like Christmas At All
Not taking my eyes off the pages, I feign boredom. “I don’t know what you’re referring to, Doctor.”
“Yes you do.” He rips the magazine from my hands, forcing my gaze to move to his. “Paging Doctor Hottie? Really, Gen?”
“Oh, wow!” I press my hand to my chest. “How big your ego must be. There are many attractive doctors in this hospital, Lincoln. Who said you were the one being paged?”
“I—” He stops, closing his mouth as he processes what I just said. Blowing out an exasperated breath, he narrows his eyes at me. “You’re a great nurse, Genesis, but you need to work on your professionalism.”
“Relax, Ebenezer. It’s the holidays! Have some fun. Pull the candy cane out of your butt—or don’t.” I lift my shoulders. “I don’t judge.”
“Jesus,” he mutters, shaking his head.
With silent laughter, I pick my magazine back up and find where I left off before it was sorudelysnatched from my hands.
Lincoln is a difficult one to read.
At the hospital, he always acts like I am the biggest thorn in his side—a nuisance he doesn’t want to deal with.
But when we’re interacting in a social setting, with his cousin and my best friend, things are different.
Although he still doesn’t act as if he likes me entirely, he definitely tolerates me more. We have a total frenemy situation going on, and frankly, I’m not sure how I feel about it.
I like him, which feels silly to even say as a grown woman, but I do.
My entire body and soul react when he’s around, and it’s a visceral feeling I can’t explain, since we bicker more than we get along.
But right now—with him standing so close, his heavy gaze set on me—I can’t help but squirm in my seat.
Flipping through the magazine a bit more, I ignore the silence between us and pretend to focus on the brightly lit Christmas trees and perfectly placed garland in the staged house glossing the pages.
Closing the cover, I place it down on the table, pick up my gingerbread latte, and take another sip. It’s not very good, but the cafeteria staff gets a gold star for even attempting to create festive beverages.
Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday, and I’ll enjoy every morsel of this drink, even if it tastes like old dishwater.
Since I was a little girl, my parents always went above and beyond to make the holiday magic come alive for all of us. I havea big family—four sisters, three brothers, and my parents have two dogs, too. The Christmas season is a big deal in my family, but this year looks a little different for me.
Gone are the cold December nights spent cuddled under a snowman blanket, sipping peppermint hot cocoa, and watching Christmas movies at my parents’ house with whoever’s able to join. This year, it’s beenmewho hasn’t been there—my once cozy evenings are spent burning calories instead of consuming them, racing from patient to patient.
Of course, my family still includes me, whether it be through video chats or supplying me with this year’s matching holiday gear—they make sure my holiday spirit is bright, even with my absence.
This year, my mom, sisters, and I bought matching red sequin hair bows with a candy cane in the center, and I’ve been wearing it practically every day at the hospital. It brings a smile to my face to see the patients’ joyous faces when they see me decked out with extra holly jolly cheer.
“What’s funny?” Lincoln grunts, reminding me of his presence, although really, how could I forget?
Stretching my silence, I finish the last sip of my mediocre latte and tap my foot in time to “Here Comes Santa Claus”.
“Nothing.” I scrunch my shoulders, then peek at the clock on the wall, noting I have about twenty minutes left of my break.
Briefly, our eyes meet as I stand, making me pause. I can feel Lincoln’s gaze following me as I head to the trashcan to toss the empty cup. Walking out of the cafeteria, a smile tugs my lips knowing I’ve had the last word.
That will drive him crazy.
Heading back to the floor I’m working on today, I go into the nurses’ lounge to spend my last few minutes of my break in solitude. Popping in an earbud, I call my best friend and drop onto the black leather couch that faces a large window,overlooking the busy freeway. Cars pass in a blur as I kick my feet up, settling in.
“Hey, Zee,” I say as soon as her voice singsongs a greeting from the other end. “How’s Pebbles?” My Great Dane is spoiled rotten whenever I’m on a long shift. I have a pet service who comes to walk her, but since Zee lives in my building, she will often head over a couple times a day to check on my girl.
I try to always return the favor by checking on her cat, Potato, whenever she’s up in Julian at her boyfriend Miller’s house.
Miller owns a Christmas tree lot, and she’s been up there frequently, helping with the busy season.
