Page 60 of Holiday Hopefuls
“About what?”
“About my coming with you.”
Picking at a loose thread on the couch, I do my best to hide the hint of disappointment threatening to make itself known in my voice. “I told them you were going with your parents to Boston to see your grandma.”
Oliver nods slowly, my heart stupidly sinking a bit more with each pass.
“So anyway,” I lock eyes with Oliver, willing myself to think about the new plant babies I know will be coming my way soon from Ian and Aaron, “how do I pay you for your services? Cash? Card? Check? Twenty boxes of designer chocolate?”
His face never changes. Not even when he says, “I think I should go with you.”
My heart stops. I’m dead. No longer among the living. Gilmore is on his own. Goaty will never be covered in stray glitter again.
“As long as you’re okay with it, of course.” Oliver quirks a brow. “Callie?”
“W-why?”
“If it’ll help you, why wouldn’t I do it?”
“We’d have to share a room.”
“I think I’ll manage.”
I sit up straighter. “What about your family?”
Oliver shakes his head with a dark and quiet chuckle. “Funnily enough, you got that one right. They are going to Boston.”
Huh. My brows knit together. “Blythe?”
“She and some friends are going to Mexico.”
“Lucky girl. I’d love to go sit on the beach for Christmas instead of being with my family,” I mutter.
“Hey—” Oliver leans forward, elbows resting on his knees “—I know for a fact that you won’t be alone with your family this Christmas.”
“Really?”
“Yep.” He smirks. “I heard you’ve got a pretty great boyfriend that’s coming with you.”
The smirk I mirror back fades as I lean back into the couch. “But our deal … ”
Oliver rolls his chair across the small space, taking my hands in his. “Callie, I promised you we were in this together, right?”
Nodding, I do my best to ignore how the warmth from his hands runs through the entirety of my body. How desperately I want him to hold me close like he did in front of our families. “Right.”
“So, we’ll just keep up the pretense through the holidays.” Titling his head, Oliver beams. “If something with my family comes up before Christmas, you can attend if your schedule allows. And I’ll accompany you to Aspen Point.”
Releasing a dramatic sigh, I feign only mild satisfaction. “I guess that would be easier than finding a new fake boyfriend before then.”
“Undoubtedly,” Oliver grins. “So, my beautiful cocoa connoisseur, what does the rest of your week look like? Anything family-holiday related I can crash?”
“I have my class’ holiday program tomorrow,” I offer, ignoring how intently he’s listening. I’ve never received such full attention before. It’s a little unnerving. “I invited my family, but Connie is the only one who usually shows up.”
Oliver twists to grab his phone. Pulling up December seventeenth on his calendar, he opens a new event. “What time?” His voice is patient, sincere.
My brows try their hand at joining my hairline. “You want to come watch my kids act like reindeer?”
Oliver, the handsome man that he is, grins. “What are fake boyfriends for?”
