Page 5 of The Christmas Cookie Crush

“Of course I do, honey. He was your best friend when you were kids. Lived right down the street. Did you see him? I hadn’t heard he was back in town yet, though I know the Daniels kids usually come home for Christmas time. Makes sense with that family.”

I chuckle, knowing exactly what she means. For a family that’s built their living on Christmas, it’d be awkward if their kids didn’t come home for the holidays. “No, I didn’t see him. I saw his sister Nora.”

Nana nods, a knowing twinkle in her eye. “Ah, yes. Nora. The youngest of the bunch. She’s very pretty these days.”

I grunt noncommittally, not rising to the bait, even if it’s true. “She seems to think I tormented her when we were kids. Do you remember anything about that? Because I can’t come up with anything too terrible.”

Nana screws up her face in thought, sitting across from me at the table and folding the paper napkin still sitting there. “No,” she says at last. “Nothing I heard about, anyway. And I feel like if you did anything awful, your mom would’ve vented to me about it at least.”

Shoveling food in my mouth, I nod in agreement.

“Why?” Nana presses. “What happened? What did she say?”

After swallowing, I fill her in on my encounter with Nora, and Nana’s eyebrows pull together, her face reflecting my own confusion.

She shakes her head. “I can’t imagine what you could’ve done to her. You were always such a sweet boy. Maybe she has you confused with someone else.”

“Maybe,” I concede, but not because I believe that. She called me by name. She knew exactly who I was. She wasn’t mistaken. She hates me. I just don’t know why.

“How’s Grampy?” I ask, because it’s unusual that I haven’t seen him around tonight.

Nana’s perplexed frown turns to one of concern. “Oh, he’s okay. Just tired. Physical therapy today, you know. It really wears him out.”

I nod as I finish my plate, trying to disguise my own concern. “That seems normal, though, doesn’t it? I mean, between the fall, surgery, and now physical therapy, his body’s been through a lot. Resting seems good.”

She hums, and it’s the same kind of noncommittal sound I gave a few minutes ago.

“Give him time, Nana. He’ll be back to his usual antics before we know it.” Reaching over, I give her hand a pat before standing and taking my plate to the sink.

“I hope so,” she murmurs, but with her attention focused on the napkin in her hands, I’m not sure the statement is meant more for me or for herself.

“He will,” I say again, needing the reassurance as much as I think she does.

Standing, she crosses the kitchen and gives me a hug. “Go relax. You’ve had a long day. I’m just going to put the leftovers away and get to bed too.”

“I got it, Nana,” I tell her, reaching for the dish before she can do anything. “Go rest. You’ve been taking care of Grampy, and I know that can’t be easy. Let me put the food away. As tired as I am, I need some time to unwind before I go to bed.”

Patting my cheek, she gives me a smile. “See what I mean? Such a sweet boy. I can’t imagine what you could’ve done to that little girl to make her so upset about it still.”

“Me either, Nana.” But if I see her again, I plan to find out.

CHAPTER FOUR

Nora

The next dayI do my best to put the thought of Austin Stanton out of my mind. So what if he’s back? So what if he’s working the same festival I am?

It’s a busy festival. I don’t have to see him again, even if that means avoiding my favorite sugar cookies that I only get this time of year.

Technically, I could get their sugar cookies any other time of year—at least when I’m back for a visit. It’s just not the same when they’re not Christmas themed. I especially like it when they have Santa or Rudolf or Santa’s elves.

Two years ago, Dale Stanton made a cookie that looks like me in my elf costume, and those are my favorite. He made a batch all decorated that way, but he made sure I got as many of them as I wanted before putting them in the case to sell to the general public. He did it again last year. And it makes me sad I won’t get that this year, both because Dale’s injured and not working andbecause I know there’s no way that Austin Stanton of all people would do something nice for me.

I’m closing today, and then meeting up with Sarah’s weekly girls’ night for drinks at the Red Arrow. It’s an odd group, but at this point, I’ll take what I can get. Most of my high school friends don’t come home for Christmas anymore, and the ones that do … well. We’ve mostly lost touch over the years. They’re the kinds that have turned into saying, “Let’s grab a coffee!” when I bump into them around town, but neither one of us reaches out to schedule anything.

Last summer was the worst in that regard. That’s when I started tagging along to Sarah’s girls’ nights with a handful of other women from the downtown business association that she’s friends with. They’re all real adults, but they’ve never made me feel awkward or out of place for coming. My friend Hailey was in town working for the summer, and she came along with me most of the time, which made it better. But now it’s just me, Sarah, and a bunch of women over thirty. Again, they’re all lovely, but it’s clear that I’m in a totally different phase of life than they are, even Sarah. They all own or manage businesses and have adult relationships and kids and all of that.

Whereas I … well. I’ll be graduating in the spring and have no idea what I’m going to do after that. Right now I’m crossing my fingers I’ll be able to find a job in the Portland area and can afford to stay in my apartment. But I have no idea if my roommate will likewise be staying.

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