Page 66 of The Summer of Christmas

“And don’t you mean love life?”

“Right now, it is my sex life. If it becomes serious and becomes a love life, I’ll let you know. J. B. and I hooked up. Had a booty call. Whatever you want to call it. Been a while. Your father passed away three years ago.”

Nick understood. His mother looked happy. Frannie always looked happy. But this was different. Now she was glowing.

He made his decision about J. B. “Well, if his breakfast is as good as this coffee, you have my permission to marry him,” Nick said. Frannie laughed.

“What’s going on, Nicholas? Why did you come over?”

“I need your advice…about love…about…” The words faltered. Nick couldn’t bring himself to say her name. Frannie understood who he was talking about. She had wanted to talk to him about Ivy so many times since the “breakup.” Nick had always refused. Sometimes politely and sometimes telling Frannie to stay out of his business. He couldn’t even say her name.

So Frannie did. “Ivy,” she stated. Finally glad Nick was willing to talk about her.

“How did you know?”

“It’s always been Ivy, Nick. We both know that.” He nodded. Waited. “When your father died, I knew I would never find someone like him again. He was jolly. Loved a great song. Wrote these great birthday cards. What we had was magical. I know I am never going to find that with anyone else in this world again.”

“So J. B.?”

“It would be a different kind of love. Good, but different. What your father and I had was so special. But this is about you, Nick. You made the decision to break up with Ivy. I can’t go back and be with the love of my life, but you can. If that’s what your heart wants.”

Clang.J. B. in his apron was calling from the doorway, banging on a pot. “The French toast—or as we say, thepain perdu—is ready.”

“Breakfast?” Frannie asked Nick.

“Does he have pants on under that apron?”

“J. B., are you wearing pants?” Frannie called out playfully. He lifted his apron, revealing that he was wearing khaki shorts.

Breakfast broke all the taste barriers. Nick had never known apain perduthis good, and with each bite he wanted to go to Paris. J. B. appreciated it. He joined Nick and Frannie at the table. With the apron removed, Nick noted J. B. had slipped on a Poison Ivy T-shirt.

“Great shirt,” Nick said, a bit happy to see free advertisement but not happy to see Ivy’s face across from him.

“Yes, I didn’t have any clothes to sleep in. And I was cold in the middle of the night. Your mother gave me this shirt to keep me warm.”

“Okay,” Nick said, “you two are sweeter than the maple syrup.”

“Maybe this is love,” J. B. said. “Who knows?”

Nick caught his mother’s smile. She deserved to be happy, Nick knew. And the more he got to know J. B. the happier he was for her.

“So, Nick,” J. B. continued, pointing at the image of Ivy on the Poison Ivy T-shirt, “why does this Ivy vex you?”

“You couldn’t have given him a different shirt?” Nick asked his mom.

“Nick, forget the shirt,” J. B. said. “I can take the shirt off, and she is gone. But you cannot take your heart off. Do you still love this Poison Ivy? Or do you love the actress playing Ivy? You are in love with two women, but they are the same. If this was Paris, this would not be a problem.”

“Why is that?” Frannie asked.

“In Paris, you keep them both.”

“Nick’s not in Paris, and neither are you, mister,” Frannie warmly warned. “Any more advice for Nick?”

“Eat.”

***

What the hey,Ivy thought as she walked to the Belhurst Castle,I almost kissed Nick.She had not slept all night. It was Friday. Call time on the set was 10:00 a.m. If Vera hadn’t interrupted them, who knew what might have happened.Would Nick have responded? Would Vera tell Amari?How did she feel about Nick? Ivy was confused. She didn’t know what to think! The one thing that Ivy wasn’t was decisive. She would take hours/days/weeks to make a decision. Ivy knew she didn’t have hours/days/weeks—she had five days. That was when production would wrap and she would fly back to LA. Meetings and offers were waiting.

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