Page 86 of Hold Me Instead
“They usually paired it with a Monday holiday. Drove up after Saturday closed. Mom kinda dragged him out of the office.”
The memory was faint, waiting for his dad in the car so they could make the three-hour drive north. The last time they’d gone, he’d been fifteen.
“Mommy! Look!” Vivi tugged Sandra’s coat, then Jay’s. “Alex! It’s almost time!”
Alex squealed in delight as they all faced the compact stage in front of a giant Christmas tree, its decor muted without the glowing lights. A handful of people huddled around the podium, and a buzz went through the crowd.
“I feel like they keep doing this earlier each year,” Sandra muttered.
“Well, stores started with Halloween decorations in July,” their mom said. “This is nothing.”
“This used to happen after Thanksgiving, though, right? It’s just a few days away, why not wait?” Zachary asked, tuning out any reply as he spotted Charlie in the crowd.
She stood with a few of their staff, hugging her large coat tight. There had been talk of attending as a group that evening—and he’d been tempted to join—but felt like he owed his family the time. Besides, as much as he wanted to see Charlie outside the office again, which hadn’thappened since the cookout, he still didn’t know what the hell he was doing. Though the urge to return to Chicago grew smaller.
He considered that thought as the mayor and other city council members addressed the crowd. Fortunately, there were a lot of clinics hiring due to the smaller numbers of veterinarians in the field. Unfortunately, the locations often consisted of burnt-out employees, not enough employees, and high-stress situations because of low funds. If there was a place he felt good fighting for, it was here.
He looked back at Charlie just as the tree lights twinkled, and the crowd cheered. She clapped her hands above her head, shimmying to the holiday music that blared over the blocked-off Main Street. A family approached with their small dog and stopped her, and her genuine happiness shone through the sea of people.
“Uncle Zachy, let’s go!” Vivi shouted.
His family was already walking toward the shop, but he didn’t make it far.
“Zachary Lee!”
A young woman launched herself into his arms as he turned.
He pulled back and looked down into her laughing face. “Holy shit! Bella Mazzolari,” he said. He bopped the puffball on top of her forest-green knit hat and scanned the rest of her. She had a matching scarf and gloves, a cream down coat, and her jeans were tucked into a tan heeled boot with a furry lining. “How many layers do you have on? Is your body already adapted to LA weather?”
“It isno joke,Zachary. Also, where’s this mild winter everyone’s been talking about? I feel like my family tricked me into coming home.”
He grinned. “Has it been a while?”
“A couple years, for Christmas at least.” She glanced around at all the moving bodies. “Are you here by yourself?”
“No, my family’s getting fudge. You?”
“Everyone is here.” She pointed to a large group of adults and a couple of kids, standing near the tree. “My older sister lives nearby and invited me, but then everyone else found out.”
“That’s nice,” he said.
“Yeah. My mom jumped at the chance to have us all together outside of the Thanksgiving meal.” She peered around him, then looked up with her light brown eyes, makeup flawless, olive skin rosy from the cold. “Is your dad here too?”
“No. Too cold. And too busy.”
“Mmm, yeah. How is he?”
“A little better every day. He’s, uh, probably going to retire.”
Bella blew out a breath. “Oh my. Lots of things to process.”
Zachary nodded. “How are you?”
She shrugged. “Pretty good. For getting dumped on national television.”
“Aah, Bella…”
She chuckled, her smile wide. “Seriously. It was rough for a bit, but I’m in a better place now. The producers are even talking to me about hosting a new reality show,” she added in a lower tone.
