Page 55 of What Happens This Christmas
Candy opened her mouth. “It’s—” Again, my eyes met Candy’s. It was a steely glare. One that told her I meant business, and she needed to stop trying.
“In fact, it does,” I said instead. Eyes still on Candy as I spoke, I couldn’t miss the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips.
So, she’s pleased. Good. That’s why I made the effort.
“You started playing?” Candy asked, all but forgetting about my mother and whatever words sat on the tip of her tongue mere seconds ago.
I cracked my knuckles and stretched my arms out in front of me. I made sure to speak directly to Candy. “I looked up a few notes and tips for beginners online. If it’s here, then I figured I might as well try. You obviously wanted me to.”
She said nothing, but she looked happy. Happier than I’d seen her all evening. To know I put that smile on her face made me light up inside like a fucking Christmas tree.
Getting to it, I turned around and left a shell-shocked Candy sitting at the table with my mother. They might take a second, but I knew they would follow. I was just eager to sit down on the bench and show them what I’d learned. Again, it wasn’t much, but it was something, and it wasn’t as dreadful as I thought it would be.
Unfortunately, as I walked away, the words I heard next made me debate whether this had been the wise idea I had thought it was to whittle away time before dinner was served.
“Look at what my son does for you. Would it kill you to give him the divorce he asked you for instead of forcing him to stay married to you another second? Hasn’t he suffered enough all these years?”
I turned on my heel to stop my mother from saying another word and to make sure Candy was okay. Before I could do that, though, she rushed from the dining room, sending a windstorm in her wake.
My eyes met my mother’s, my jaw jumping. She hadn’t moved. She looked nonplussed as she munched on a few almonds that were sitting on the table.
“What?” she asked me, acting innocent.
It was hard to see this woman who gave me life, who had a heart of gold, treat my wife like unwanted company. It would’ve been one thing for her to treat actual company that way. Heaven knew I hated company as much as I hated figs, but this was different. “Mom,” I said, clacking my tongue, and decidedly leaving her as I went to find Candy.
It was rare that Candy got her feathers ruffled, but when she did, it always upset me. She might’ve become an ice queen, but deep down I knew the soft woman I’d fallen in love with was still in there. That soft woman didn’t deserve to be spoken to like that in her own home, least of all by my mother.
Finding her wasn’t all that difficult. I went to our bedroom and walked straight to her dressing room where Candy sat at her vanity, her head in her hands. Her blonde hair I loved so much was laying over her shoulders and masking her face.
I cleared my throat. “Candy—”
She didn’t move a muscle. “Don’t, Nick. Just…don’t.”
“But—”
“I’d like time to myself.”And I’d like to finish a goddamn sentence.“Please tell the chef I’ll take the rest of my meal up here. And maybe it’s best if you sleep in another room tonight.”
She sounded weak, like she’d given up. I knew the feeling well but wasn’t used to it from her. What surprised me most was how that was the first time she’d ever asked me to not sleep in our bed. We’d never spent a night apart, except the nights I stayed on Long Island after working the closing shift at The Black Sheep, which had been rare.
I couldn’t help but wonder where we went from here.
I’d had so many different thoughts on this whole divorce topic since I’d brought it up that I was starting to make even my own head spin. I knew it was for the best. Then I held out hope. Then I gave up. I felt like I was on a damn seesaw. But the truth was there had been many moments lately where I would have sworn we were getting closer, where I could see the Candy I had fallen in love with shining through the icy mask she wore like a second skin. Then…
This.
My mother.
Chapter 25
just fucking jolly
Nick
What I wouldn’t have given for two fingers of whiskey neat right about now. With snowflakes falling steadily outside the car and the human ice sculpture sitting next to me, I could’ve used the phantom feeling of warmth whiskey provided.
The back of the town car was laden with tension. I supposed it couldn’t be helped since it was the first time I had been in such close proximity to Candy since she’d asked me to sleep in another room.
If it wasn’t for us having tickets to a sought-after holiday-themed production, I almost doubted we’d be sharing space this soon. But, like the operatic music we’d be hearing tonight amid the dancers and other performers, Candy was passionate and possessed unmatched determination. So, even in the face of a little tension, she found reason to carry on like normal.
