Page 27 of Merry Mix-Up

"I'll do it when I’m back. I'm already changing my flight to Saturday. I hoped to have the day to work on my thesis more, but I guess I have no choice now." I heard more typing and her frustrated mumbling and gave up.

I was going to have to pretend to be sick now, and I hated that. She would tell Naomi, a germaphobe, and that would be that. I hated this, and I wished I were a heartless bitch who could blow the whole thing and get what I wanted—Newt. But I couldn't, and even if I could, there was no telling how he'd reactor if Amber was right and he'd end up being so angry he just left town.

"Fine," I grumbled and put her on speaker phone. I was already composing my text message to Newt telling him why I'd be MIA for a few days. My heart felt really sad about the whole thing, and I knew I'd have to make excuses to him the way Amber was making excuses to Derek.

"You're the best, Jade. Thank you for doing this for me. I know this goes way beyond your paying me back for the car incident. I definitely owe you one." Her emptyI owe youwasn't ever going to be enough. I didn't want her to be indebted to me. I wanted to have the fairy tale I thought I was living.

I hitSendon my message and slumped back onto the couch. "Tell me I'm not insane and that Newt could actually like someone like me?" Amber might have been a little crazy at times, but she was my sister and honestly, the only one I had to talk to about stuff like this.

"I have no clue what to say, Sis. He's way older than you, filthy rich, driven, and has zero intention of being tethered to our little hometown. But I believe if he says he wants something, he really wants it. I'm so sorry…" Her words trailed off as tears streaked down my cheeks.

I was falling in love with Prince Charming, but I was the ugly stepsister, not Cinderella. It hurt.

18

NEWT

December 18th

When Amber sent me that text message saying how sick she was, I felt awful. I begged her to let me come over and take care of her, but she swore me off. I knew how big of a germaphobe Naomi was and if I got sick, it would ruin everything. Amber talked me down, promising to make up for everything when she was better and swearing she was pumping herself full of Vitamin C in order to recover more quickly.

"No, no," Mom chided, redirecting my hand toward a lower branch. I had a silver bulb in hand ready to hang it because she insisted I help her with the decorating since I was in town, but she was so picky it made no sense. I might as well have just been company because I couldn't do a thing right. "Put it here," she said, nodding at a lower empty branch.

"You wanted my help, but you are micromanaging me." I chuckled, but I did as she said. Still, my mind was on my beautiful girlfriend who lay in bed sick across town in her apartment. I wondered if Jade was sick too, then if that was affecting the dress-making process. I wondered a lot of things, like why she hadn't given me a response to my question about being exclusive, or why she ran out. But while she was sickwasn't the best time to press for answers. She was probably miserable.

"You just don’t have the eye for this. I need Naomi." Mom's grumble of complaint was heard and accepted. I backed away and put my hands in my pockets.

"Naomi is busy doing wedding stuff, but I'm here. Is there something else I can do?" I had to smile at how particular Mom was about her Christmas tree. When we were kids, things were always haphazardly thrown on the tree in clumps while other places were bare. She probably had enough of that and opted for a more elegant touch now that we were grown.

"Uh, well, you can string the lights, I guess. Only the white ones." Mom took over hanging the bulbs, and I started stringing lights on the tree.

For the past twenty-four hours, I'd been entertaining her. Work was functioning well without me, and Jared's buddies were keeping him occupied. Most of the "best man" duties were finished up. The last thing I had to do was pick up the rings from the jeweler and keep them safe. We had the rehearsal dinner on Monday evening, but my time was mostly mine. And now that Amber was sick, it was boring.

We kept a conversation going for the most part, but there were only so many topics we could discuss before we circled back to things that were more pleasant to talk about. I learned quickly that her studies weren't something she wanted to discuss. She shied away from that topic every time and asked me questions about life in Chicago instead.

"Yes, oh, Newt, it's so perfect." Mom clapped her hands as I positioned the lights and smiled at me. "Oh, this is so beautiful. I love it."

When I had the lowest branches lit, I stepped back and admired my handiwork. It really did look amazing. Mom's pickiness had paid off. The tree was up and decorated, and withjust enough time to get dressed and ready for the Christmas pageant at the local performing arts theater.

"Well, I'd better go shower. Can you pick up the boxes and stack them over there?" Mom nodded across the room and continued, "I have to wash my hair before the show."

When I lived here in town, I never missed a single Christmas pageant, but somehow, I just didn't have the desire to go tonight. I wished Amber were feeling better and could attend as my date.

"Sure, Mom," I told her and started packing up. She rushed off to clean up for the pageant, and I slowly collected the boxes and plastic sacks she had stored all of her decorations in and cleaned up the living room.

As I did, I felt sluggish. When it was all tidy, I sat on the couch and took out my phone to see if Amber had messaged. The last one I got was her saying she was going to nap for a while. It was good for her to rest up if she was sick, so I focused on helping Mom to keep my mind busy and not missing her.

Newt 5:47 PM: Hey, beautiful, are you awake yet?

While I waited for a response, I looked up the weather forecast. It had been an above average year for snowfall, but if the roads were clear, I could go for a run to pass the time. It was dark, though, so I'd have to wear reflective gear to make sure I was visible this evening. But anything was better than sitting in this empty house alone. Mom would understand my skipping the pageant if Amber wasn't feeling up for it.

Amber 5:49 PM: Woke up a few minutes ago. How was tree decorating?

Newt 5:49 PM: Mom's too picky. But it looks pretty.

Newt 5:50 PM: Want to go to the pageant with us? I don't want to go alone. I thought if you were feeling up to it, you'd join me. I can drive.

I tapped the screen and waited. Three dots appeared showing she was typing, but I saw them disappear and knew she wasstruggling to compose a decline to my invitation. I locked my phone and put it in my pocket and strolled into the kitchen. Mom had a new container of eggnog, which was one of my holiday favorites. I wished they made the stuff year-round. It was so delicious.

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