Page 24 of Holly Ever After

Sean grins wider, clearly relishing the trip down memory lane at my expense. “Well, you were never one to back down from a challenge.”

“No, and you were always one to push my buttons,” I shoot back.

“Okay, you two,” Dad interrupts like when we were children. “No bickering at the dinner table.

Mom chimes in, not letting the opportunity go to waste. “Well, Holly, Sean, speaking of challenges, the Christmas games are coming up. You two would make a fantastic team for the couples’ events!”

Seriously?

Where did she get that notion?

I stare at her as if to say, “What the hell are you doing?”

She tips her head back and pretends not to see me.

Everyone freezes.

Sean raises an eyebrow and our eyes meet. My face is already red, but now it feels like it's on fire.

“Um, yeah, I'll think about it,” Sean finally says, breaking the silence, but the undercurrent in his voice suggests he's considering anything but.

The daggers I throw his way confirm it.

I will tie your balls around your neck if you agree.

He arches a brow as if he can read my mind, so I scratch my nose with my middle finger.

I know, so mature.

I don’t care.

The bastard only smirks and winks at me, but I can read his mind just as well as he can read mine.

Challenge accepted.

∞∞∞

After dinner, Mom asks me to fetch a box of decorations from the shed. As I make my way back to the house, clutching the dusty box in my arms, I notice Sean. He's standing a few feet away, phone pressed to his ear.

I know eavesdropping is terrible, but I can't help myself. I slow my pace, lowering the box onto the snowy ground as quietly as I can. His voice is tense, frustrated even, as he argues with someone on the other end of the line.

“Nobody took your money, Ma... Don't get worked up... Look, I'll be there soon, okay?”

He ends the call abruptly and slips the phone back into his pocket. He runs a hand through his hair, a gesture that I remember from our childhood, one that he resorts to when he's stressed. It's then that he notices me standing there, awkwardly holding the box of decorations.

“You hear everything you needed to?” he snaps, visibly annoyed. “Going to add to the town gossip?”

His words sting. It's on the tip of my tongue to fire back, but I swallow it down. “Come on, Sean. I know we're not exactly best friends, but you know me better than that.”

He looks at me, really looks at me, for the first time tonight, and his shoulders slump. “Sorry, Holl.”

I pick up the box and start walking again, but the awkward tension between us has shifted, become something more fragile. “Is there anything I can do?” I finally ask, breaking the silence.

He rubs the back of his neck, hesitating for a moment. “Honestly, I don't know. She's... she's not doing great. She hates doctors. I'm trying to get her help, but she's so damn stubborn.”

There's a vulnerability in his eyes that I haven't seen in years, and it tugs at something deep inside. Whatever our past issues, this is a man struggling with a crisis that no one should have to face alone.

“I'm sorry,” I say softly.

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