Page 9 of Christmas Crisis
“Relationship-y.” With his flat delivery, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He pressed back into the couch cushions.
At his lack of response, I continued rapidly. “The idea is that Stone’s people release a bunch of photos of you and me from the past few years, proving we’ve been a couple. And even though I don’t have personal stuff on social media, both my sisters do. There are enough pictures of us on Maureen’s and Marley’s public profiles to prove our case. If it came to that.”
Leo stood and began pacing. “So you want to tell people we’re in a relationship and have been for a while?”
“Yes. We say that we’re both friends with Stone, maybe Naomi too, but that it’s you and me who have been dating.”
“What if people think you and Stone are cheating on me and Naomi with each other? Why does our being in a relationship prove different?”
In my conversation with the PR team earlier, we’d addressed this possibility. “Shoshanna thinks that as long as you and Naomi confirm the story of us all being friends, it shouldn’t be an issue. Once the public knows about you, it’ll be easier to believe this was all a misunderstanding. Even if they were ready to turn on him this morning, people want to believe Stone and Naomi are in love.”
His lips pursed. “What about our family? Our friends? What do we tell them?”
I drew in a breath. “This is the part I think you’re gonna like least.”The part Shoshanna and I argued over the most.“It’s best if we do everything we can to truly…sell the story.”
Leo’s eyes widened. “Wait… You want to tell them we’ve been dating? Like, this whole time? And kept it from them? My brother and my parents?”
“Yes.” I fixed my gaze on him. “It’s believable. Everyone always says how close we are, and as far as they know, I’ve been free to date you.”
Leo resumed pacing. “And what reason would we give them for hiding our relationship? I’m fairly certain my parents have been a pinch away from asking me directly why we aren’t a couple. What am I supposed to say?”
Unlike Leo, I’d had hours to answer all these questions in my mind.
“We tell them we were only dating casually at first, maybe since James and Marley got engaged. They would understand why we wanted to be careful and not risk our friendship. Plus the family dynamics. After that, we didn’t tell them because we didn’t want to steal any thunder from the wedding. And we worried about disappointing them if things didn’t work out, so we kept it to ourselves. I know that explanation might hurt them a little, but it’s plausible enough that they’ll accept it. I’ve been quiet about my love life for years, so that’ll track. And you don’t talk about dating either, so they won’t question it.”
“You know why I don’t talk about it, Miranda.”
My breath caught. Of course I knew. I was one of only a handful of people who did. “I think they’ll be so happy for us they won’t dig too deep. They’ll see why we chose to do it at this moment once I’m linked to Stone in the media.”
“And when they find out the truth?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. But we’re grown adults, Leo. As much as I love my sisters, they’re not my primary consideration here.”
“No. That would be Stone.” A rare bitterness crossed his features before he turned away.
I stood, hovering a hand above his shoulder from behind. “Stone is important to me. You know that. But that’s not entirely the reason. I’m the one who made this mess. Now I feel obligated to fix it. I realize none of this is on you, and I’m asking you to help me clean up a problem I created. But I am asking… Please help me make this better.”
Leo spun to face me. His features appeared heavy with resignation but also, thankfully, affection. “Of course I’ll do it. You know I’ll always be there when you need me.” After a beat, he opened his arms, and I stepped gratefully into his embrace. “If the reverse were happening, I know you’d do the same for me.”
“Absolutely, I would.”
“Okay. Then how about you eat some of this food before it gets cold, and we can go over specifics tomorrow? Get our stories straight.”
“We’re doing this?” I needed the extra confirmation.
“Yeah, Miranda. I will be your pretend boyfriend so you can help your dumbass real boyfriend out of a PR problem he’s having with his fake girlfriend.”
I laughed. “Okay. I think it’s going to be easier for us to create this illusion than it would be for a lot of people. Between our matching timelines, photos, and how often we’re together, it shouldn’t be hard to convince anyone, friend or stranger, that we’re a happy couple.”
23 MONTHS AGO - DECEMBER
The boxes and furniture fit neatlyon one-half of the carport. The last of Mom’s things, ready to go to charity. I put my hands on my hips, contemplating the piles. It didn’t seem real sometimes that she’d been gone for over a year, but I was glad Marley was finally moving into her old room. No use for the biggest one in the house to sit empty.
Still, seeing the scarred oak bed frame in pieces cut deep. I’d spent so many nights in it as a child, huddled with my mom and sisters watching movies. I didn’t regret moving to California for college, but each time I came back to Coleman Creek, everything felt a little different. A little less like home.
I heard shoes shuffling on the concrete floor. James’s brother, Leo, walked in carrying my mom’s old dresser. I’d met him the day before at the Coleman Creek High School Talent Show. James sang a holiday song to Marley, declaring his undying love for my sister with a sappy slideshow backing him up. They were both teachers, so I supposed nothing said “I love you” like a well-executed PowerPoint presentation.
There was no doubt in my mind that Marley and James were in it for the long haul, so I figured Leo would be a part of my life too. Good thing he seemed like a nice guy. We’d exchanged small talk over the past twenty-four hours, and he’d been nothing but friendly and approachable—all smiles, which was how people often described me.
