Page 43 of Holiday Do Us Part

“Okay.”

“Like, I need you to take me home right now,” I say, tears rushing down my face.

“Okay, honey. But you have to get off me first.”

“Because I really need to go home!” I scream.

“Callie, get the fuck off me!”

I snap out of it. “Oh yeah, sure.” I climb off and fall back into a pile of snow.

“Hey. It’s going to be okay.” Ashley pats me on the head.

I look at her, a lump stuck in my throat, and I shake my head. “I don’t think it is. Please take me home.”

Tory pats my leg. “We got you. Let’s go home.”

Ashley settles me into Tory’s passenger seat while Tory runs in and gets my stuff. When she returns, I ask if she spoke to Easton. She says no, but I know she’s lying by the look on her face. Feeling emotionally beat down, I let it go. That will be a battle for another day. Or life.

Chapter fourteen

Callie

Threedayslater...

“Try this one.”

“Please, no.”

“Just try it. It’s way better than the other one.”

“Callie, I love you, but if you make me try one more of your martini concoctions, I’m going to throw up, then cooter punch you.”

“Dude, what’d my cooter ever do to you?” I ask.

“What did my stomach lining ever do toyou? You’ve been torturing me for three days straight.”

“I wanna make sure I’m getting the recipe right.”

“Well, girl, you’re not. This is awful.”

“It’s because you don’t like martinis.”

“No, because I don’t like my martinis to taste like a vegetable garden.”

“Oh, you’re being dramatic. It’s a Bloody Mary martini.”

“Whatever, that wasnota Bloody Mary martini. Maybe you should stick to fruits.”

“Whatever yourself. If you’re not gonna help me. I’m sure Ashley will.”

Tory lets off a boisterous laugh. “Girlfriend, there’s a reason she’s not calling you back.”

“What? Why not?”

“Because she refuses to talk to you until you’re out of this martini creation phase.”

“Whatever, give me that. I’ll try it.” I take a swig of my newest martini concoction. And then spit it out. “Jesus, that’s awful.”

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