Page 101 of The Holiday Grump
I couldn’t hold it together anymore. My body shook as I fought to draw in enough oxygen between the wails. Grace sat next to me, muttering about how awful the bed was.
“I… I was just there and…” Between sniffs and hiccups, I told the story of the Pulla Appreciation Day and how I’d been seeing Fredrik, first as friends with benefits and then as something more.
“And now I can’t even face him,” I finished. “I caused this awful scene, and Spencer is going to sue him. He’ll destroy him. But maybe, if I go far away again and break all contact, he’ll lose interest in Fredrik. He’s only going after him to punish me.”
Grace listened, rubbing her hand up and down the back of my fluffy coat like she was comforting a bunny rabbit. “You’re in love with this guy?”
“Did I say that?”
“Oh. I feel like you said that.”
At this point, it was probably written across my forehead, because it was true. I was desperately in love with him, even if I hadn’t been brave enough to say it out loud.
“If I really love him, I have to fix this,” I said. “I need to call Spencer… let him know I’m not with Fredrik. That he has nothing to do with this, and I’m going away. I need him to turn his anger at me, not him.”
Grace looked at me like I was losing it. “Why? That guy sounds crazy.”
“That’s what I mean! I can’t let him go after Fredrik. Maybe if I get far away from here?—”
“Well, if that’s what you want, I have good news!” She smiled, pulling a brochure out of her pocket. Palm trees and white sand. “I got us a gig! That’s why I’m here. You weren’t answering your emails, and we need to get to Bar Harbor this weekend to board the ship on Monday.”
“This weekend, as in… Christmas?”
“Yeah. The cruise leaves the day after Christmas, and they have a huge New Year’s party planned. It’s really last minute. Two servers pulled out, and they need replacements.”
“We’d be serving cocktails?”
A huge smile spread across her face. “In a tropical climate.”
“I’m supposed to keep the store open for two more days. But I don’t have anywhere to live. I can’t go back to Fredrik.”
Grace cast a disapproving look at the storage room. “I’m not happy with Uncle In-soo! He let me think you had a place to stay, not a daybed! Don’t worry about him. Don’t worry about the store. Just close it and we can go.”
“How do we get out of here? Do you have a car?”
Grace’s mouth twisted. “No. A friend gave me a boat ride. But there are buses, right?”
My anxiety amped up a little more. “I don’t know! This place is so inaccessible.”
Grace took out her phone and, to my amazement, did an internet search.
“You’re getting a signal? Mine hasn’t worked once! I always have to climb the hill outside of town. That’s why I haven’t replied to your emails.” I offered her my useless phone as proof.
“It’s okay,” she said, browsing the local bus company’s website. “There’s a bus leaving today at twelve and then one on Friday.”
I glanced at the clock on my screen. “It’s already eleven! And I don’t have my things. Everything is in Fredrik’s storeand in his house. I’d have to go back…” I blocked one nostril to stop myself from hyperventilating.
Grace squeezed me into a side hug. “It’s okay. Breathe. We can stay here until Friday. It’ll be like… camping.”
“Camping?”
“Yeah. I’ll get some camping gear, and we’ll stay here in this store. We’ll cover the windows and put up a sign that says we’re closed for the season, then enjoy some yummy food, wine, and puzzles. Just hang out here. Get you over this heartbreak.”
I sucked in a breath through my one nostril, trying to settle my cries. She was so good at this. Always looking at the upside and finding a solution. I wanted to be like her, not this wobbly mess.
“And how do we go to the bathroom?” I asked.
“Hmm… is there a gym? A gas station?”
