Page 31 of A Merry Penthouse Christmas
A brand-new job.
I’m not supposed to feel melancholy about it, but I can’t help it. I’m not exactly in the Christmas spirit when I get back to the penthouse.
“Feliz Navidad para ti también,” Bellamy is saying to Gabby as I enter.
Even if my Spanish sucks, I know that means:Merry Christmas to you too.
I’m surprised Gabby is still here. I’m making dinner tonight. Part of my errands was getting some last-minute groceries I didn’t trust to come by delivery, and she was only here to do some light tidying and picking up her holiday bonus.
Arik is very generous with his bonuses. I felt bad accepting mine given I’m not even going to have worked for him for a full three months when I leave.
Upon spotting me, Gabby says something rapid-fire in Spanish that I don’t catch, though I do hear the wordhermanoand figure it’s praise about Bellamy. Probably that his Spanish is so much better than mine. She’s been trying to force-feed me immersion and tends to speak mostly in Spanish while here,hoping I’ll get better. It’s slow going but I have a few phrases down that I used to always fumble.
“If that was you saying, why yes, I am more handsome than my brother, I agree with you.”
Gabby laughs.
“Ha. Ha,” Bellamy drones.
He does look a lot like me. Or I suppose I look like him, since I’m younger. I’m taller though, which Bellamy hates, but he’s broader and keeps his natural curls a little less unruly than mine.
Gabby is on her way out and wishing her a Merry Christmas is easy enough in Spanish.
“Not bad,” Bellamy greets me with a swift squeeze of my shoulder once Gabby leaves. “Maybe by next year, you can manage some phrases to impress Mom and Dad that aren’t straight out of a guidebook.”
“Ha. Ha,” I drone back—which is about when I realize he doesn’t have Bastian!
“Daddy’s home early,” Bellamy says. He must have read the panic in my eyes. He takes some of the groceries from me and we bring them into the kitchen to start putting them away.
“You stayed? You could have knocked off early.”
“Without saying goodbye?”
“I’m seeing you tomorrow!”
“Sure, sure.” Bellamy chuckles. “But Gabby loves me, and I was enjoying the praise. Plus, that boss of yours? Wow. I’ve never seen myself as being on the queer spectrum, but with that guy, I get it.”
“Bell.” I elbow him.
“Oh please, you admitted you two—”
I elbow him again. “Can you maybe not embarrass me when we’re within eavesdropping distance.” I glance each direction out of the kitchen. I don’t see Arik, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t close.
“Dude, if you didn’t want me to embarrass you, you should not have invited me over.”
That makes me pause halfway through putting away the eggnog. “Why? What did you do?”
“I’m joking!”
I glare at him.
“Okay, I maybe had these booties I knit that I meant to surprise you with, but Arik coaxed them out of me early!”
“Booties? You knit Bastian booties?”
“Well, I knit them for, you know…you.”
I finish putting the eggnog away feeling a little numb. I haven’t thought abouthermuch. Either her. “Oh. That’s sweet! I know you were excited to be an uncle again.”
