The Hazards of Mistletoe Read online

  I turned back. “I don’t know. Maybe he’s trying to make up for things. I couldn’t tell you.”

  “You didn’t know, yet you went on the ride with him?”

  “What was I supposed to do?”

  “Where does all this fear come from?”

  “Fear?”

  “Of inadequacy. Of being rejected and getting hurt? Of letting your walls down?”

  “I don’t feel that way.”

  “Yes you do, and I’m starting to think it’s my fault. Mine and your mother’s.”

  “Just drop it, Dad. Stop reading into things.”

  “How am I supposed to do that? You’re losing weight, you’ve barely talked to me in a year, and I saw those pictures on your phone.”

  “Excuse me?” I scooted away from him.

  “I saw the pictures of you and that guy that was easily twenty-five years old. Why would you be spending time with someone that much older than you?”

  “I’m not sleeping with him.”

  “I should hope not.”

  “I don’t like dating guys my age. There’s too much drama that goes with it.”

  “Drama meaning that they are actually in the same world as you?”

  “Just leave it alone.”

  “No. I can’t leave this alone. I can’t leave it alone unless I know you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine. I’m completely fine.”

  “Like the sleigh ride was fine? I hate that word.”

  “I thought you taught me never use the word hate?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t mean I can’t. I want you to be happy. I want you to be willing to take risks if that’s what it takes to be happy.”

  I’m not sure what happened, but it’s like the flood gates opened. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. The tears started.

  Dad appeared startled at first before he gently pulled me into his arms. “You care about him a lot.”

  I nodded, taking a few moments to compose myself before trying to talk through the tears. “So much. I knew I did before, and then after we kissed…” Had I just told my dad that?

  “I realize you’re old enough to be kissing boys, and I’m going to pretend that’s all you’re doing. But are you saying you felt even more after?”

  “Yes. But he didn’t want me. He said he didn’t think he deserved me, but I know that isn’t true.”

  “Wait, I thought you didn’t ask him how he felt?”

  I groaned. “Dad, you know what I mean.”

  “I don’t, but I’ll pretend. Let’s jump forward. How did you feel tonight? How did it feel to spend time with him again?”

  “Better than I’ve felt in ages. I feel like me around him. Like I can be myself.”

  “When are you going to see him again?”

  “How do you know I’m going to see him?”

  “Because of the look on your face when you walked in the door. And after you texted him.”

  “Is that a mistake?”

  “I told you sometimes you have to take risks. This is one of those times. It’s great to play things safe, but if you don’t mix it up a little, you can’t move forward. That make sense?”

  “Kind of.” I shrugged. “I’m going to call Jade.”

  “That’s a friend from school?”

  “Yeah. I’ll see you in the morning.” I kissed him on the cheek before walking into my room. I wasn’t ready to admit that he was probably right. About everything.

  I was ready to call Jade when I looked at the clock. She was on eastern time. It was way too late. Instead I texted Glen. How would you know you missed me more?

  He replied immediately. Because I think about you all the time.

  And I don’t think about you?

  I don’t know. Do you?

  Yes.

  You said you’d see me tomorrow. Did you mean it?

  Yes. I wasn’t chickening out.

  Are you sure I can’t see you again tonight?

  It’s late. And I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.

  That never used to stop us.

  But you aren’t down the hall, are you?

  No, but I’m not far.

  Let’s leave tonight with the sleigh ride. I don’t want to ruin it.

  We wouldn’t ruin it. We could spend all night together without ruining it.

  Spend all night together? The words sent shivers through me. Let’s leave it at the sleigh ride.

  I have to work tomorrow during the day.

  Same place?

  Yes. You going to stop by?

  Maybe. I need to introduce you to Laney anyway. She thought you were cute.

  Laney? And I don’t care about anyone else thinking I’m cute.

  She’s Dalton’s little sister. She seems to think I’m cool.

  You are cool. Let’s hang out tomorrow night.

  I have dinner with my grandparents, but after that.

  I’ll pick you up at eight.

  I hope I don’t regret it

  Do you regret tonight?

  No. I went with honest. But I might later.

  You won’t. Sweet dreams.

  Same to you.

  They will be. They’ll be of you.

  Don’t get corny on me.

  The sleigh ride wasn’t corny already?

  No. The sleigh ride was perfect.

  Perfect? That word again. Wow.

  You know what I mean.

  That kiss was perfect. Except that it ended and you tried to wipe it away.

  Then maybe you’ll have to kiss me again tomorrow night. Did I just type that? Why did flirting with Glen come so naturally?

  I plan on kissing you. Kissing you more than once.

  Getting a little bit confident, are you?

  You bring that side out in me.

  The door opened and Laney walked in.

  Good night.

  Good night. See you tomorrow.

  I tossed my phone. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Laney sat down on her bed. “How was it?”

  “Surprisingly nice.” I bit back a smile. “How was your night? Good ice cream?”

  “A really cute guy served it to us.”

  “Fun. Did you talk to him?”

  Her eyes bugged out. “Are you kidding? With my mom and brother around?”

  “I’ll tell you what, why don’t we go back over there tomorrow. Maybe he’ll be working again.”

  “That sounds great, but your dad said you wouldn’t want ice cream in the winter. That’s why we didn’t wait.”

  “Sometimes change is good.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Glen

  I could have walked home that night. Memories of Savy’s touch warmed me in a way I didn’t think I could feel anymore. I didn’t want to stay by the building for too long because I still hadn’t stopped by to see my parents yet, but I wasn’t quite ready to go home. The ice rink was emptying out for the night, and I watched the stragglers as I reminisced about gliding around the rink with Savy. How had so much gone wrong in a single night?

  I was saved from my over analysis when my phone rang. It was Winston. “Hey.”

  “Since you’re picking up I assume you’re not with her.”

  “I dropped her off a little while ago.”

  “Want me to give you a lift home?”

  “I can walk.”

  “I stopped by the pub to get a drink with Tony. Meet me over in the circle.”

  “Sounds good.” I hung up. Considering I had work in the morning, getting home earlier wasn’t a bad thing. I had no clue how I was going to sleep with all the thoughts going through my head.

  I found Winston parked exactly where he said he’d be. I opened the rusty door of his old Camry, glad that the thing didn’t fall off. “Thanks for the ride.”

  “Thanks for the ride? I think there’s more to say thank you for. How about putting up with your miserable ass for a year, and helping you put together a plan in just a few hours?”

  “Tha
nks. I’ll pay you back eventually.”

  “You won’t, but that’s not the point.”

  “It isn’t?”

  He pulled out of the lot and onto Frontage Rd. “It’s Christmas. Isn’t this the time for giving back?”

  “Shut up.”

  “What? Aren’t you the one who took your girl on a sleigh ride? Can you get more corny?”

  My girl? I liked thinking about Savy that way. “We’re hanging out tomorrow night.”

  “Oh yeah? Why does that matter to me?”

  “Don’t play dumb.”

  “Oh. That means I need to be scarce?”

  “I need to talk to her somewhere without distractions. That means the apartment.”

  “‘Talk?’ Is that what you’re calling it now?” He punched the dashboard. It was the only way to get the heat going in his car.

  “Just give me the night. I’ve done the same for you.”

  “When?”

  “That time.”

  “Ugh.” He groaned. “Don’t remind me.”

  I laughed. “No matter how bad it was, I slept on Cliff’s couch for a night.”

  “Are you that sure you’re going to get some?”

  “It’s not that.”

  “Oh yeah. It’s so you have the freedom to talk without distraction.” He pulled into a spot outside our building. “I know you don’t ‘talk’ much, but don’t steal any of my condoms.”

  “Get out of the car.”

  “It’s my car.”

  I got out and started walking up the stairs toward our place. I couldn’t complain considering how little we were paying in rent. We’d gotten a good deal thanks to a friend of Winston’s, but it definitely lacked in curb appeal. If I knew Savy as well as I thought, she could care less, but she’d definitely realize things had changed for me. The question was whether that would work in my favor or against me.

  ***

  “Glen!” Savy’s voice had me grinning before I’d even turned around. She was standing there with Dalton and a teenage girl I assumed was Laney. I made sure my friend Ted had me covered before walking over to where Savy waited in line for the gondola. She looked so cute all decked out in snowboard gear. I’d been so distracted and surprised the day before that I’d barely noticed, but after the night we’d had, I could enjoy it more.

  “Hey. Good timing. I was just about to start patrolling.”

  She smiled. It melted me. “I’m glad my dad made us wake up then. He said he refused to let us waste the day away.”

  “Wasting a day away is never a good thing.” I wasn’t even paying attention to what I was saying. All I could focus on was Savy’s blue eyes and how they seemed lighter. She was happy to see me. The night before hadn’t just been a fluke.

  The girl I assumed was Laney cleared her throat.

  “Oh sorry. Glen, this is Laney. Laney, this is Glen.”

  I held out my hand to her. “Nice to meet you.”

  She grinned. “Nice to meet you too. Savy told me all about you last night.”

  “Oh, did you now?” I smiled at Savy. She blushed, and I wanted to make her blush more—but for other reasons.

  “I can’t believe you hired a sleigh for her. That’s so romantic.”

  Dalton laughed. “Don’t mind Laney, she might be seventeen, but she still thinks she’s going to be a Disney princess.”

  “I do not.” She put a hand on her hip and glared at her brother. “It was romantic. No girl could deny it.”

  “What about you, Savannah?” Dalton turned to her. “Was it romantic?”

  She glanced at me, before moving her gaze back over to Dalton. “Maybe.”

  “See.” Laney smiled proudly. “Maybe with a smile means yes. Everyone knows that.”

  “Glen, a little help here,” Ted called over.

  “Sorry, I’ve got to go, but it was good seeing you.”

  “Are we still on for tonight?” she asked tentatively like she was afraid I’d say no.

  “Of course. I’ll pick you up at eight like we planned.”

  “Ok. Good.”

  I didn’t waste the opening. I leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. Laney giggled as Savy looked up at me with surprise. “See you later.”

  “You definitely will.” I walked back over to help again with the loading.

  “He’s so hot,” Laney said loudly enough that I could hear. Unfortunately I couldn’t hear Savy’s response.

  The rest of the day crawled until I was finally able to get off work and head home. I spent over an hour cleaning the place, I needed to make it look as appealing as possible. I knew nothing I could do could make up for the crappy furniture, but I’d do everything else possible.

  My phone buzzed with a text at seven thirty. I smiled as I saw Savy’s name. Finished early.

  Oh yeah? Couldn’t wait the extra half hour?

  Do you think making fun of me is the way to go tonight? Wow. That wasn’t a typical Savy response.

  Make fun of you? I wouldn’t dream of it. It’s teasing. I’ll be there in ten minutes.

  Good.

  I pocketed my phone and grabbed my keys. If she was gunning to see me, I wasn’t going to leave her waiting. I drove around for a few minutes until I gave up and found a spot in the employee area of the garage. At least I could play the employee card.

  I braced myself before heading upstairs. I hoped I wouldn’t run into my parents, but I wasn’t going to ask Savy to come out to meet me. I figured showing my face to Layden again wouldn’t be a bad thing.

  Layden was the one who opened the door after I knocked. “Nice to see you, Glen. It’s been a while.” He winked.

  “Always nice to see you.” I glanced around him into the main living space. I didn’t see Savy anywhere.

  “She’s out on the porch.” Her dad walked over. “Good to see you, Glen.” There was something in his expression that made me pause. What did he know?

  “Good to see you too, George.”

  “Could we have a little chat before you guys leave?” he asked, but we both knew he wasn’t really asking.

  “Sure.”

  I glanced back toward the hallway. I really hoped he didn’t ask me to talk out there. The chance of seeing my parents would make it that much worse.

  “Let’s talk in here.” He gestured to the couch.

  “Thanks.”

  “I don’t really understand what’s going on, but I know what it’s like to not want to see your parents.” He spoke loudly enough for his father to hear.

  Layden laughed. “Don’t get him started on how horrible of a parent I was.”

  “You? I bet you were a good dad.”

  “Only on Wednesdays.” He winked before walking into the kitchen.

  “I don’t need to know what’s going on with your parents, but I do need to know what’s going on between you and my daughter.”

  “I care about her a lot.” That seemed like the simplest answer, but it didn’t say enough. It’s not like I could have told him I’d been thinking about her constantly and wanted her so bad it hurt.

  “You care about her? Is that all you’re going to give me here?”

  “I’ve known her for years, and somewhere along the way I realized my feelings went beyond friendly.”

  “You realized that, huh?”

  “Yes.”

  “I think we all realized that a long time ago.”

  “I’m not going to pretend I’m the best guy out there, but I’m not going to hurt her.”

  “Are you sure about that?” He glanced out on the porch. Savy was watching us and shaking her head at her dad. I hoped she would come in to rescue me soon.

  “I hurt her, but I didn’t mean to. I was trying to do what was best for her.”

  “What about what was best for you? Did that have anything to do with it?”

  I shook my head. “No. I would have done the exact opposite of what I did if that’s what I’d been thinking about.”

  “I was afraid you’d
say that.”

  “Afraid?”

  “That confirms what happened. I’m putting it together from the pieces.”

  “Oh.” Great. Her dad knew we’d come close to having sex. Here was when he was going to tell me I couldn’t take her out.

  “She’s an adult, so I’m not going to get in the way of her getting what she wants, but before you do anything this time, make sure it’s what you want too. She’s a strong girl, but she doesn’t deserve heartbreak.”

  “I know exactly what I want. The trick will be finding out what she wants.”

  “You’ll take care of her?”

  “Yes. Is there a curfew?”

  “She’s an adult. She hasn’t lived under my roof in ten years. No curfew, but be smart about things.”

  “I will be.” I stood up.

  “You ready?” Savy walked in followed closely by Laney.

  “Yes. Are you?”

  “Yes.” She smiled lightly, and I knew it was her way of apologizing for her dad. She didn’t need to. He was only looking out for her.

  “Have fun.” Laney waved.

  “We will.” I took Savy’s hand and headed toward the door. I wanted to leave before George could ask me what we were going to do. I figured he wouldn’t love the answer that we were going back to my place.

  I kept her hand in mine the whole way down in the elevator and outside. Neither of us said anything, and I didn’t mind. We’d have plenty of time to talk later. I was still trying to figure out how to tell her I was bringing her back to my place. I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea.

  She didn’t let me put it off for long. She’d barely waited for me to open the door to the passenger side of my Outback before asking. “So where are we going?”

  I walked around and got in before answering. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I thought we could hang out at my place. I made dessert, I’ve got egg nog, and I even have a movie.”

  “If you say Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street I’m getting out of the car.”

  I backed out. Even a loose threat was too much of a risk to take. “No, I went way more modern. The Holiday.”

  “That’s one of my favorites.”

  “I know.” I knew a lot about her. All little details I’d been filing away for years. Some came from our time face-to-face, but just as much came from our hours of phone calls and texts.

  “What kind of dessert did you make?”