Page 214 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“Right,” I answered.
“Then definitely do not tell him. There’s no reason to. You just need to look at it as closure. It was something that needed to be done before you moved on with Cayden. You needed to know that Brad was an asshole and that you deserved better. It’s actually a good thing that this all happened.”
I wished she was right. I couldn’t see any good things to come out of this. Even if it did make me realize that Brad hadn’t changed, I still was hurt by the entire situation. I had come so far, and with one date, I had been so quickly thrown back to where I had started – hurt, confused, and insecure.
“Maybe you’re right,” I said. Mandy nodded.
“I am right,” she said. “Seriously, you can’t tell Cayden about this. Promise me that you won’t.”
“Fine,” I said. “I promise that I won’t tell him.”
She smiled.
“It’s the right thing to do, Tiffany,” she said. “Nothing else is going to happen with you and Brad. Cayden doesn’t need to know about it.”
She was intent on pounding this into my head. I could not tell Cayden. I could not ruin a good thing with a great guy.
We wrapped up lunch by talking about her newest fling. I was glad that she had brought him up and was more than happy to discuss her life. I wanted to keep my mind off the things that had tortured my brain all morning. It was nice not to think about Brad being an asshole or avoiding Cayden, even if I was only distracted for a few minutes. After we were finished eating, I thanked her for coming for lunch and for her advice. I would be following it. Cayden could never know what happened last night.
CHAPTER 29
CAYDEN
“Christmas in two days!” Austin bounced out of my car. He was out of control with giddiness. I was glad that he had made a full recovery from his illness. Sure enough, it was some sort of virus that only rest could solve. Luckily, we had stayed inside all weekend, watching lots of cartoons and snuggling in bed.
“Grandma!” Austin burst into my mom’s house. He raced toward my mom, nearly knocking her over. She embraced him and laughed.
“Someone is feeling better,” she said, kissing his forehead. He looked up at her and nodded.
“I am feeling great,” he said, dashing toward her living room. My mom smiled and looked toward me.
“I’m so glad he’s feeling better,” she said. “The rest must have made a world of difference, huh?”
I nodded.
“I’m so happy, too,” I said. “It was awful seeing him so sick. I was really hoping he would get better by Christmas.”
“Are you looking forward to going back to work?” my mom asked me. I nodded. I wasn’t necessarily happy to go to work, but I was happy to see Tiffany again. I had texted with her on and off over the weekend, but with Austin not feeling great, we weren’t able to meet up with each other.
“It will be nice to wrap up some things for the holidays,” I told her. “I’m only staying for a half day today, so I’ll be here to pick up Austin earlier than normal.”
“Great,” my mom said. “I need to finish up some Christmas shopping this afternoon. Speaking of Christmas, you are planning on coming to the tree lighting ceremony tomorrow night, right?”
“Of course,” I said. It was a tradition that we had done for years. On Christmas Eve, Miami held a small celebration and lit a Christmas tree in the center of town. It was a simple ceremony, but beautiful. Austin was looking forward to it as well.
“I was thinking, it would be nice if you invited that girl from work,” my mom said. To be honest, I hadn’t even thought about inviting Tiffany, but it was a great idea.
“That would be nice,” I said. “I know that she doesn’t have a close family and she doesn’t have any Christmas plans. It will just be low-key, right? You won’t make things weird?”
My mom laughed and playfully swatted at me.
“Me? Make things weird?” she laughed. “But in all seriousness, I promise I won’t embarrass you.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I said sarcastically, but turned serious. “I’m just a little nervous about introducing her to Austin.”
“Why?” my mom asked. “She sounds like a great girl and I’m sure Austin will warm up to her in no time. I don’t know anyone that Austin has met that he hasn’t liked.”
My mom was right. Austin liked everyone he met. He never had an issue with teachers or his friends’ parents. He would be welcoming to Tiffany.
