Page 11 of The Holiday Ex-Files

He smiled, which made me smile.

My mom came around the corner, prancing like Doris Day in her checkered apron splattered with her world-famous spaghetti sauce, which filled the house with the most tantalizing aromas: oregano and garlic, along with her homemade french bread. Ilene Jenkins is the patron saint of comfort food and the best mom around.

“Cami.” Mom threw her tiny arms around me, her head coming to my shoulder. All her children towered over her, as we’d inherited my dad’s tall genes. “You look so cute in your sweats.” That was her trying reverse psychology. I had a news flash for her: I wasn’t falling for it.

“Thanks, Mom. I bought a set in every color they have.”

“That’s so nice,” she struggled to say.

I held back my laugh and returned her hug. There was something so comforting about her. I wasn’t sure if it was the way she smelled like gardenias or how she always kept her curly gray hair in some type of cute headband. It was probably the way she held on to me like she planned on never letting go. I needed her stabilizing presence more than she would ever know.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I ran into Noah yesterday and invited him to dinner.”

I shrugged. “It’s fine.”

Mom looked up at me with her all-knowing green eyes, in the same shade I’d inherited. “I know that tone. Ignoring Noah is like tossing the baby out with the bathwater.” She tapped my nose. “He’s not guilty by association, you know.”

I knew that but having him here felt like old times. Good times I didn’t want to remember. Noah and Ben used to come here all the time. A basketball game always happened, unless the court was full of snow. Add in hot tubbing, s’mores at the firepit, laughing and talking all night long, snowball fights in the winter, and swimming at the lake in the summer. It was, in a word, perfect. We were like the three musketeers. Back when Ben thought I was everything he ever wanted. That all changed after we got married. And for some reason, my relationship with Noah changed too. He became more distant, until the end. It was almost as if he knew it was over for Ben and me. I had even accused him of knowing about Ben’s affair and covering for him. I’ll never forget the look he’d given me. It was as if I’d sucker punched him. He couldn’t believe I would accuse him of such a thing. To this day, I still felt bad about it.

Speaking of the nonguilty party, he walked over with two of my minions wrapped around his legs, squealing like they were on a ride at Disneyland. He’d always had a way with kids. In fact, my nieces and nephews had always gravitated toward him more than Ben. His own nephews, Jaxon and Liam, worshipped the ground he walked on.

“Hello, Mrs. J.” Noah kissed my mom’s cheek, and I’m pretty sure her laugh-lined face blushed.

“You have always been a charmer.” She pinched his cheek before swooping down like a woman much younger than her age and retrieving Aubrey and Melody. “Come help Nana frost some cupcakes.”

Their little eyes lit up. Mom did make the best cupcakes. She believed there was no such thing as too much butter. It had served us all well.

“Wait, I want to give them the T-shirts I bought them.” I grabbed my bag and pulled out all seventeen shirts.

Noah, without asking, grabbed one and held it up. “I love my BAE.” He raised his brows at me before smirking.

I snatched it back from him. “Don’t make fun of them.”

“I wasn’t. I was just wondering where I could get one.”

“Sure, you were. Why would you want one?”

“Well, I think that’s obvious,” Mom whispered to herself before flitting off with a little kick in her heels.

I stared after my mom. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Noah sighed. “Someday I’ll explain it to you.”

“What is there to explain?” I was getting more and more confused.

He grimaced and walked off toward the kitchen.

I watched him go, feeling as if I were missing something important. Story of my life.

Chapter Four

Hey, Ex-Filers, I should have mentioned this in my earlier post, but October is a great time to start booking your travel plans to escape the holidays. I know you will have family and friends who may look down on this and tell you that running away isn’t the answer. Just tell them that you aren’t running away, you’re making a tactical withdrawal for your mental health. That’s pretty hard to argue with. Just be warned that your mother will probably put up some pretty tough arguments. Also, a word of caution: Being on vacation lowers inhibitions, and you may find yourself faced with a beautiful stranger who is only looking for a fling. But pseudo relationships are just that: fake. If anything, relationships should be the most real thing we ever have. And no matter what anyone ever tells you, there is nothing casual about sex. Don’t be someone’s convenient hookup. You deserve better.

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