Page 3 of Fake it 'Til Christmas
“The one who taught you how to bake?”
I nod with a proud smile.“Exactly.So, really, you owe her.Without her, I’d still be pet-sitting full-time, and you’d still be passive-aggressively reporting me to the condo board.”
“What?”
“I sacrificed for you, Soren.”I let out a sigh that deserves its own slow-motion montage.“I gave up my furry clientele, my beloved side hustle, for the peace and tranquility of your fake aloe plant.The least you could do is let this cat exist in peace for the next few days.”
“You should’ve been a lawyer,” Soren mutters like he didn’t mean to say it out loud.
I blink.“What?”
He shrugs one shoulder.“I still haven’t figured out how to win an argument with you.”
“Well, yeah, but then I’d be copying Trish,” I say, shuddering dramatically.“And that’s a huge no-no in my family.”
He tilts his head.“Why?”
I roll my eyes.“That’s a Wolfcraft secret.I can’t divulge private information.It’s not as if you start giving me Thorn secrets to form an alliance.”
“Our families aren’t enemies.”He glares at me.
“They’re not close either.Not since your brother broke up with Liz ...remember that?”I smile proudly because, unlike him, I do keep up with what’s happening between the Thorns and the Wolfcrafts.See, this is precisely why we’re frenemies.We never stood a chance.
He rubs his temples with one hand while probably doing those breathing exercises I taught him last year when he was stressing out about everything.
“That was almost twenty years ago, Fred.You have to move on,” he tries to use his best ‘I’m fucking calm’ voice.“Plus, whatever happens in Winterberry Cove is none of my business.”
He’s right.We have an agreement, and he doesn’t get along with his family.“If you must know, my parents have this ...let’s call it a ‘competitive parenting kink.’It’s like Olympic-level one-upping.‘I’m better than you,’ meets ‘this child must be better and completely different than the others.’As you’re aware, I’m the youngest, so I’m pretty fucked.”
Soren stares at me for a beat, then lets out a snort.“They really set you up for failure.”
“Right?”I throw my hands up.“Honestly, I’m just grateful I made it to adulthood with minimal therapy and only a mild addiction to cake frosting.”
“Should we talk about your chocolate habit?”
I gasp, hand over my heart.“Are you shaming my chocolate consumption, Soren?That’s ...you’re being hurtful.”
He shakes his head with a smirk.“Obviously not.I’m just bringing up?—”
“Don’t.It’s a coping mechanism, not a crime.”
Soren lifts a brow.“So tell me, how are you planning to claw your way onto this year’s prestigious Wolfcraft family nomination board?”
“Ah, the annual Hunger Games of the holiday season,” I muse.“So glad you asked.”
“I live in fear,” he mutters.
I tap my chin a couple of times.“Let’s see.I considered faking an engagement to Chris Evans, but apparently, he’s already married.Rude.”
He snorts.“That would’ve been ambitious for you.”
“Please.I can be very convincing.But since Chris is tragically committed and probably not emotionally available enough to adopt a puppy with me, I had to pivot.”
“To what?”he asks, like he’s not ready for the chaos about to unfold.
“If you must know,” I say with an exaggerated hair flip, “things with Chad are getting serious.”
Soren pauses like he’s buffering.“That guy ...there’s nothing serious about him except maybe a calcium deficiency.”
