Page 139 of Holly Jolly July

just been approved for an adoption.

Annie gasps.

JAMES (CONT’D)

Ever since then I’ve been avoiding

anything that reminds me of that night.

Christmas lights, music, cookies,

parties... babies.

ANNIE

All this time I thought you were

divorced. She told me your wife

left you, but I didn’t realize...

JAMES

Wait, who told you?

ANNIE

Your barista.

JAMES

Annie... I don’t have any employees.

I run the café alone.

Chapter 24

Mariah

Ellie’s not in our bed when I wake up. The cabin doesn’t smell like coffee, or eggs, or toast. I get up and dress, then pad out to the main area. The room is full of boxes, and Ellie is unstringing lights from the ceiling and coiling them up. The tree is half-naked, and everything seems... wrong.

“Well, this sucks,” I grump.

Ellie turns to look at me, and her bright smile is almost enough to lift my spirits. Almost, but not quite.

“Yeah,” Ellie replies. “The day after Christmas is the worst day of the year.”

“I feel so...” I make a fist and hold it to my chest, unable to describe the ickiness.

She simply nods. “I forgot you’ve never really had a proper Christmas. This is your first time experiencing the post-holiday blues.”

I take the opposite end of the string of lights and begin helping her wrap it up. “It’s awful.”

“Yup.”

“Makes me want to go back to bed.”

“I know. It sucks.” She sighs. “But the pain of it being over means that it was something truly special. Would you really want to undo everything to not experience the sadness when it comes to an end?”

---