Page 40 of Hooked

“I am sorry,” he says. He sounds more contrite now. “We’d never want to hurt Sia. Her good for nothing parents have done that enough. But we can’t help her if she won’t tell us what’s going on.”

Fair enough. “She’s holding on to a lot of shit she shouldn’t be. Things Danny forced her to hold when he was too blinded by his grief to understand what he was doing.”

Being with Sia has unearthed a lot of feelings I’ve tried to keep buried for a long time too. Suddenly I’m angry at everyone who hurt her, even a little, and maybe also at the people who fucked me up and made it impossible for me to make what should be the easiest decision of my life.

“I’ll call her and apologize,” Kieran says. “Vinny, I didn’t know any of this.”

“I know you have your hands full. But if even just you could come out?”

“It could be my dad’s last Christmas.”

I hear the pain layered in his voice.

My anger dissolves.

“I’m sorry, man,” I say. “Why don’t you let me talk to Sia first? I’ll tell her in person.” I can’t believe I’m saying this. I’m going to hate every second of it. But Kieran’s been good to me. I can do this for him. And for Sia.

I don’t want her to be alone when she finds out.

“Tell her we love her,” he says. “We do, Vinny. All of us. We’ve been doing Christmas together since we were kids, and I’m sorry to let her down.”

“I will. Also, how did you manage to set the tree on fire?” It’s not exactly relevant to the situation at hand, but I want to hear this story.

“Huh? Oh, that. I’d seen this movie with a Christmas tree that had actual candles instead of light bulbs and I thought that was fucking cool. I taped some birthday candles to the branches and lit them with my dad’s lighter. Not the brightest thing I’ve ever done.”

“And yet very on brand.”

“You’re a dick. Anyway, we had some fire extinguishers and were able to put the tree out before the fire got out of hand.”

“Murphy is a wise, well-provisioned man.”

“Yeah, well, I thought he was going to kill me, but after we went to pick up Sia and he saw she’d basically been abandoned, he was too pissed at her folks to remember to school me for being a dumbass. I guess I owe her for that, too.”

We talk for a few more minutes, and he asks me again to reassure Sia.

I hang up and take a deep, centering breath. It’s close to 5 P.M. I look out my window and see Kristi pull up in a van from her parents’ liquor store. Sia will be busy getting her party squared away, but I have to tell her this now.

Distracting myself, I help Kristi unload the boxes of bottles. So many bottles. It’ll fill up the bar with the mixers and then some. We take them into the ballroom. Sia’s decorated the trees with her aunt’s ornaments, along with other things she must’ve found in those boxes from the basement. She practically bounces up to me.

“Vinny,” she says. “I know you thought I was silly for holding on to my tote bag the other night, but it’s because Drew’s ornament was in there. The one our aunt Kathleen made for him. I was hoping my uncle would want it back. At least for now.”

She’s holding my forearms, a dazzling smile on her face.

“And I gave it to him. I was afraid he’d be angry, but he wasn’t. And he apologized for what he said all those years ago.”

She’s glowing. She looks stunning.

“And he’s excited about Christmas together. It’s going to be so great.”

Kristi’s taking this all in as she passes by. I don’t blame her. It must look out of character from who everyone here thinks I am.

Who I’ve had them believe I am.

“Sia,” I say, tugging on her elbow. “Do you have a few minutes to talk? I know you’re busy, but it’s important.”

A nervous look passes her face. She glances over at the back door to the ballroom where the caterers are coming in and out with dishes.

“Yeah,” she says. “Sure.”

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