Page 19 of Gotta Have Mistletoe
We exchange smiles, and despite everything, something warms my heart.
“So, you’re not, uh... straight?” Glen asks finally.
I stiffen.
“Yes, Father. Do you favor men?” Anders asks, and guilt twines around every cell.
I close my eyes. “I loved your mother very much, Anders. You know that.”
“I know. I’m sorry, Father.”
I force myself to look at Anders. “I’m bi. I didn’t mean to tell you this way. Olav knows about me and suggested I be honest.”
Emotions war on my son’s face. Finally, he swallows them, finding his royal composure. When he speaks, the sarcasm is evident. “Wow, Father. You tell me to behave and now look at you. You’ll have to pretend to be engaged.”
My eyes widen.
Glen’s eyes widen.
“What?” we both exclaim in unison.
An angry Asian man walks out of another room.
“Oh, no,” Glen says. “I-I have to go.”
With that, he rushes past Anders and me.
“I’m sorry,” I tell Anders again.
Anders doesn’t exactly smile, but he doesn’t seem furious. “I’m glad you’re not homophobic.”
The air thickens around us. “Twenty years ago...”
He rolls his eyes. “I get it. You’re old. This will be a disaster, you know.”
“Will it be?” I ask absentmindedly, my gaze focused on Glen Garland and the man he’s speaking to.
He’s a businessman, and not a happy one.
“You were my interviewee,” the businessman hollers at Glen, and I hate it.
I hate the sound, I hate the way the businessman’s face contorts into a sneer, I hate the way Glen’s shoulders droop.
I find myself walking toward Glen.
“Father, that’s none of your business!” Anders exclaims.
“It’s my fault.”
Anders doesn’t contradict me, and acid prickles my throat.
I’m tempted to return to my hotel suite and ask the staff for extra covers to bury myself under.
“Glen Garland, at your service,” Glen tells the businessman. “I’m awfully sorry for the delay.”
“I don’t hire contractors who waste my time,” the businessman says.
“I couldn’t help but overhear,” I say quickly.
