“Merry Christmas, old bag.”
 
 I giggle. “Let me guess: you’re home alone, desperate and dateless.”
 
 He chuckles. “Why else would I be calling you?”
 
 “I thought as much.” I smile. “Merry Christmas, Henry.”
 
 “Was Santa good to you?”
 
 “Ha.” I laugh. “The old bastard forgot where I lived.”
 
 “Yeah, me, too. I was hoping to wake up to a sack of hot Christmas fairies under my tree. The ones with two vaginas.”
 
 I laugh out loud. “I haven’t heard of those kind of fairies.”
 
 “Yes, only the very good get them.”
 
 “Ah, that explains a lot. What are you doing today?” I ask.
 
 “With the fam. You?”
 
 “Same, I go back to New York on Wednesday.”
 
 “I have some time off. Can I come and visit?” he offers.
 
 I scrunch my eyes shut. He’s asked me this before, and I don’t want to go there with him. I know what’s going to happen if he comes to visit me. Our conversations skate along the edge of flirting often.
 
 “Not yet,” I reply. “I’m not ready for visitors yet. You’ll have to stick to your Christmas fairies for a while.”
 
 He chuckles. “Okay, your loss. You can’t really compete with doubled-pussy fairies, anyway.”
 
 I laugh. “Undoubtedly.”
 
 “Eliza!” my mother calls. “Dessert.”
 
 “I’ve got to go.”
 
 “Okay, I’ll call you next week.”
 
 I smile. “Bye, Henry. Merry Christmas.”
 
 “Bye, Lize. Have a great day.”
 
 Nathan
 
 January
 
 “Hi, there,” the sexy voice behind me rasps. “Where have you been?”
 
 I turn, surprised. “Stephanie, hi.” I force a smile.
 
 “Have you been avoiding me?” she purrs.
 
 I chuckle. “I couldn’t even if I tried.”
 
 “This is true.” Her sultry eyes hold mine, and I know she has something on her mind. Stephanie always has something on her mind. And, yes, I have been avoiding her like the plague.
 
 “What are you doing tonight?” She goes up onto her toes as if distracted. “Do you want to get a drink?”