Page 1 of Fake Dating the Dragon
ONE
Penny
Christmas is trulyone of my favorite holidays. I’ve got nothing against Halloween, it had a good run, but the way the city of Madison transforms during those weeks in December is nothing short of magical. From the bright green wreaths and garland that begin to appear around every lamppost, to the stores blasting holiday music from their speakers loud enough to filter out into the streets, and finally when the ice rink opens up in the center of Harrington Park.
I’d rather be spending my lunch hour anywhere else than standing outside the ritzy Bleu Valentine, the restaurant my siblings picked out to hold our pre-holiday meeting. Which, from the minimalist silver Christmas decorations alone, looks well out of my budget.
“Here we go,” I say under my breath, hefting open the large glass door.
As I enter, the expensive speakers play a slow jazz rendition of Frosty the Snowman which nearly drowns out the low hum of conversation and silverware clinking in the main diningarea. Above me, single white LED bulbs hang from the ceiling, twinkling like stars.
“Can I help you?” A tall woman appears from the dining room and takes her place behind the host stand.
“Yes, I’m here to meet my family.” I cross the small space and watch as she swipes through her tablet. “The reservation should be under Woodhouse.”
“Of course. It looks like your party is already seated. Right this way.”
The dining area is a true marriage of modern and rustic design with an exposed wood beam ceiling and the same LED drop lighting from the lobby to create a warm and inviting ambiance, in stark contrast to the plain white tablecloths and metal chairs against the hardwood floor.
“Penny,” my twin jumps up from their seat and pulls me into a hug, much to the chagrin of the hostess, who leaves without saying another word. You’d think one of us had recently returned from war.
Hazel and I are nearly identical, except Hazel has their honey blonde waves dyed black, cropped short and slicked back. At least now Mom can tell us apart unshifted. We have the same green eyes, the same stout and curvy frame, mine a bit more than theirs, and the same love of campy science fiction.
“Hey,” I nod to Marigold and eye the fourth chair, “Where’s Violet?”
“You’d think she’d be here since she called this little family meeting,” Mari says, looking down at the menu.
Mari is younger, with bleached blonde hair and blue eyes, which reminds me of old noir films, with smoky hallways and clandestine meetings. She works a few blocks from here downtown, at Faraday’s, one of the largest department stores in Madison.
I sit down next to Hazel and open up the menu. Yep, it’s out of my price range, and the place is way too fancy to have a children’s menu. Iced tea and complementary breadsticks sound good.
“Hey, sorry,” Violet says, slipping into the last chair. “The meeting ran late, I swear my boss just loves to hear himself talk. Where are we?”
She looks the most like our father out of all my siblings, her long dark brown hair secured with an expensive claw clip and stormy gray eyes lined with a deep brown pencil. Violet followed in his footsteps and went into accounting, and being the eldest, she set the bar pretty high for the rest of us. Not to mention, she ended up marrying rich.
“We were waiting for you,” Mari smiles politely.
“Great.” Violet’s voice takes on its authoritative tone, which reminds me of a mix of sitcom mom and politician. “I guess I’ll get right to it. I’m being transferred to the New York office in February.”
“That’s great! You’ve always wanted to move to New York.” I reach over and touch her shoulder.
“I know it’s a huge change, but we’ll also be closer to the boy’s grandparents. Since the Christmas Eve party at Mom and Dad’s will be the last time we’re together for a while, I figured we’d drive up and stay over the holiday like old times.”
The table erupts in chatter, plans are made and everyone’s excited about spending the holidays with the entire family under one roof. Well, everyone except me and I feel horrible about it.
For the last few years, it’s been a quick family lunch on Christmas Eve before heading back to the city in time to enjoy all the holiday movies on TV. A few hours of talking to the extended family and having to defend my single life while hearing the usual ‘inspirational’ phrases.
Don’t worry, Penny, you’ll find someone. Don’t worry, Penny, I was lost when I was your age.
They act as if being 32, single and happy with an hourly position is something to be ashamed of. I’m not lost, I am right where I want to be, in my lovely rent-controlled apartment downtown, living with my best friend, Shae. Okay, so my relationship status isn’t really ideal, but I’m not desperate or in a rush to settle down because my other siblings have.
“Who all is going to be there?” Hazel asks.
“Family and friends and maybe some women from Mom’s book club.” Violet shrugs.
“And Roger.” Mari teases.
My heart sinks. “Roger? As inmy ex-boyfriendRoger?”
