"Hi Poppy! Let me get you a coffee," Carly says as I enter Perfect Brews. She's the owner of the best coffee place in town and one of the sweetest people I've met.
“Can I have apain au chocolatto go, too?” I can’t resist those buttery miracles of hers; I’m convinced she puts something addictive in them.
She leaves the counter and motions for me to follow her to one of the small empty tables.
"I don't think I’ve thanked you enough, Poppy. You've been such a great help with the Christmas Parade. Everyone is helping of course, but, you know... some people do spend a lot of time just staring into space if they aren’t given guidance." She sighs, and I think she might be thinking of a specific person. I smile. She is the sweetest, but she does have a hint of ruthlessness in her.
"No worries. Do you need me to do anything else? I've just got to hand this assignment in at the community college, but after that I'm free."
Her eyes turn bright and glittery with excitement.
"Okay, so I don't want to abuse your goodwill, but..." She wraps both her small hands around my left hand. "My dear brother, Blake. You know who he is, right? I think you've mentioned you had a class with him. Well, he was supposed to deliver the float for community college earlier this morning. When I called him earlier, he said he'd have it done. But the parade is tomorrow! There's a few people working on it right now at the college, but I believe they need all the help they can get."
Her brother. Professor Blake. Of course, I know who he is. He's in my every dream. I don't think Carly would approve of my crush. She's in her mid-fifties, and something tells me she'd find it very inappropriate for someone who's twenty-five to date her forty-year-old younger brother.
It's not like I can say no.
It's not like I want to say no.
Let's just call it my Christmas present. And after that, I'll get over him and find someone my age to date.
New Year's resolution: install a dating app and go on dates instead of sighing after someone who'd never even glance my way.
But until then, there's a few days left.
"I'm going there, anyway. Don't worry, it'll get done."
She smiles with so much glee I think I'm conning her.
Chapter 2 - Blake
I drag my hands over my face again, hoping the problem in front of me will solve itself.
When I look back at the two students–the problem–they're still staring at me, waiting for instructions.
"Anthony, please stop worrying about the lights. First off, you need to focus on the college structure. If we do that, we slap a banner on it and it's done. What have you been doing all this time?"
I sense my impatience coming through and hold myself together.
"Just something that resembles the front of the college is fine. We'll put that Santa over there next to it, and it's done. You've got this!"
They nod. Luckily, some of the encouragement got through to them because I'm feeling defeated at the moment.
I didn't want to handle this in the first place. My sister, Carly, made me. She just informed me I'd have to help out with the community college float. Yes, I'm a forty-year-old man still afraid of his big sister. She's got everyone in this town fooled but not me.
The students who volunteered were very eager to get started and do the float themselves, which, in retrospect,stupidly, I thought would be great. My sister wouldn't get cross with me, and I wouldn't have to spend any time on this Christmas float. Somehow, they failed to tell me that some of them got sick and others went away for the holidays. Leaving me with one big problem right on Christmas Eve.
To be fair, I could've at least checked-in over the last couple of days, but I didn't want to deal with it.
I certainly don't want to deal with it now.
Everything's still a fucking mess.
"The float floor is fine, Rebecca! Go help out the others," I yell.
I hate Christmas and everything Christmas-related. Why do people always make it a big deal? What's so special about it? Our parents never cared too much for it, but, for some reason, Carly loves it. I like that it gives me some time off, but other than that? Everyone's stressed out buying presents people don't need for people they don't care about. It's like we're in a made-up fairyland that ceases to exist once Boxing Day comes around.
I take a seat, trying to control my thoughts. I grab a water bottle and chug it. I know I'm overreacting. Luckily, no one seems to pick up on how wound up I am. I don't deal well with lack of control.
