Page 69 of Single Dad's Christmas Cookie

Nova started to laugh. It was a nervous laugh that soon transitioned back into crying.

“You ran into Veronica and David. She was supposed to be my best friend. Actually, until… how long has it been? Whatever. Until this morning, she was my best friend. And that man is thereason I took the job at Wentworth. I had to get out of Atlanta to get away from him.”

“Your best friend?”

“Yeah. We’ve been friends since middle school.” It took Nova a while to continue talking. She was devastated and constantly crying.

I didn’t try to rush her, letting her speak when she felt like she could. She had clearly had a very difficult morning. I pulled Amelia to the side and began helping her take her jacket off. I took mine off and threw it on the back of the couch. We were going to be there for a while.

“It turns out she was the woman he cheated on me with. And she was keeping it a secret until today. Because she wanted to ruin everything for me.” Nova crushed one of the throw pillows to her chest.

“She’s my best friend. I told her everything, and she used everything against me. She waited until I was at rock bottom before she started kicking me. She knew how hard it was to be up here alone at Christmas, without family.”

“But you’ve got us,” Amelia said.

Nova reached out and took Amelia’s hand. “Thank you, sweetie. That means a lot, but I don’t have my family with me.” Nova collapsed in on herself and started sobbing more.

“But we’re here,” Amelia said again. Her voice was small, and she turned her eyes, wide with concern, to me, uncertain of what to do.

I picked Amelia up and set her on the couch next to Nova. “You pat her back, and I’ll get her some water.” I stepped into thesmall kitchen area. I found the filtered water pitcher and poured a glass of water. I knelt down before Nova and held the glass out. “Here, try to drink some water.”

She took the glass from me and gulped it down. Her breathing was still ragged and hard, and only occasionally would she sob or whimper out as if she was still crying.

My heart broke for her. Betrayed by her best friend, away from her loved ones, this was one sucky Christmas for her. I could only hope that the reason we were here would make her happy.

Nova handed the glass back to me. Our eyes met. She then looked at Amelia and then back at me as if she hadn’t even seen us before.

“Why are you even here?” she asked.

“You need to come home with us for Christmas,” I said. Even if, in the end, she wasn’t coming home to be with me, she was coming home with us. There was no possible way I could leave her alone, not in this condition.

Nova shook her head. “I set everything out in the kitchen. Weren’t my instructions clear enough?”

“Not for that. Not for food. You need to come home to be with us. Amelia can’t have a merry Christmas if you aren’t there.” I hesitated. “I can’t have a merry Christmas if you aren’t there. I don’t care whether you cook or not. I’m not so helpless that I can’t heat up what the cook left in the refrigerator with instructions.” I gave her a sly grin and a wink. “It’s not home without you there.”

“Please, Nova. You have to come home with us,” Amelia pleaded.

“It’s not like I have plans,” Nova said. She tried to laugh but started crying again.

I wrapped my arms around her and let her sob as much as she needed.

31

NOVA

Ididn’t have the words. Bryan was there. Amelia was there. And they wanted me. Me. I was in shock. They wanted me, the person Veronica had flown over a thousand miles to see just so she could humiliate me in person.

He was here, wiping my tears, holding me, telling me it was going to be okay. Telling me that his house wasn’t home if I wasn’t there.

I gulped in air, trying to settle myself. I was so tired of crying. At least this time, I wasn’t trying to throw up, but I was a snotty mess.

“I need a tissue,” I somehow managed to say.

“I can do that, hold on.” Bryan got up, and moments later, a wad of toilet paper was shoved in my hand. “It’s the best I can do right now.”

“This works,” I cried as I honked my nose.

“Nova,” Amelia’s little voice cut through the trauma fog in my brain.

---