“I don’t know if I told you already, but I’ve got the opportunity to buy my building.”
“Oh, my gosh! That’s fantastic!” Cathy said.
“Thanks, the only thing I need is to come up with the down payment by December thirty-first, and the only way that is going to happen is if I can think of a way to make a ton of money at the Mistletoe Market. I need something big. But I don’t know what.”
“I’m sure you’ll think of something, Kate,” Cathy said. “Plus, we can all try to come up with ideas, right, Jax?”
Jax nodded without speaking since their mouth was full.
“I really appreciate you all.” Kate smiled. “If you come up with any brilliant ideas, text me day or night.”
Everyone at the table nodded.
“Now, did you finally watch that documentary I told you about, the one where the guy poisoned his wife by putting eyedrops in her protein shake?” Cathy asked.
“I did! Just goes to show you, super healthy eating isn’t worth it. I mean, if something tastes so bad when it doesn’t have poison in it that you don’t know when it does—just enjoy life and don’t torture yourself.” Kate answered.
“What do you think, Jax? Did you and Ellie see it?” Cathy asked.
Hannah nodded along, even though she hadn’t seen the show in question. She zoned out as they talked and thought about Kate and the Mistletoe Market. Maybe they would be near each other. Hannah had grown to love Christmas since moving to Marley Creek. She had decades of bad holidays to make up for. She’d had nothing but crappy Christmases throughout her childhood. Her parents used the holidays as a time to drink more than they ate food. And when she’d been with Chad, he’d only given her gifts that he could enjoy, like the year he’d given her a corset and lacy thongs. For the first of her four years with him, she’d tried drinking her way through the season only to come away with headaches and shame spirals.
This year she’d spend almost every day between Black Friday, which was only a week from tomorrow through Christmas Eve, immersed in holiday goodness. And she’d have access to rich hot cocoa anytime she was at work. It was going to be so much fun! She’d thrifted eight ugly sweaters to wear during the season. Now if she could think of a way to help Kate. She continuedto brainstorm while the others discussed more streaming shows she hadn’t watched. If they started talking about Hallmark Christmas movies, then she could join the conversation. She’d started her Christmas movie watching on November second.
Talk at the table stopped, and Kate quit rubbing Hannah’s leg. Hannah snapped back into the conversation.
Cathy and Kate were looking at Jax, who was taking a long drink of their beer.
“She moved out? When did this happen?” Kate said in a high-pitched voice that Hannah had never heard from her.
Hannah waited to find out who they were talking about. She hoped it wasn’t Jax’s girlfriend, whom she’d met once and thought was super nice.
Jax reached over and put their hand on Kate’s. “I’m sorry. Remember how I was saying we’d barely seen each other awake for weeks and that she wasn’t interested in spending time with me?”
“You’d better not say she cheated on you. If she did, I’m going to go punch her in the face.”
Hannah looked at Kate, and her jaw dropped before she could catch herself. Tears were shimmering in Kate’s eyes, while Jax, on the other hand, was not choked up at all. If she didn’t know better, she’d think Kate was the one who’d broken up with their girlfriend, not Jax. Could Kate have also dated Jax’s ex? Was that why she seemed to be so upset?
“It was totally mutual. What do people say? We grew apart. We talked about dating other people; we even joined that new app, Throuple.”
“Really? I’ve got to see this app.” Cathy said.
Jax reached for their phone, which was on the table, but Kate beat them to it, and she pulled it away.
Hannah took off her glasses and cleaned them with a napkin. They weren’t dirty, but she didn’t know what to make of Kate’s behavior, and she wanted a momentary distraction.
“Not right now, we’re still mourning the loss of Jax and Ellie. Have some respect, Cathy,” Kate said.
Cathy held up her hand, “Okay, okay, sorry,” she said with a glint in her eyes.
It was clear to Hannah that Cathy wasn’t taking any of this seriously, so why should she be getting worried? Cathy had known everyone involved for longer than Hannah. Then again, maybe Cathy enjoyed stirring up drama. Hannah gently placed her hand on Kate’s leg. Kate’s body was rigid.
“Kate, look. Obviously, I’m sad, but none of this was a surprise—we hadn’t been out together in months, and I know you noticed that,” Jax said.
Kate rested her elbow on the table and put her chin on her palm. “I just thought you two were forever.”
Jax put their head back and looked at the ceiling. “For a long time, we thought that too. I’m sorry I’ve fallen off my pedestal of long-term queer love success.”
Cathy patted Jax’s arm.
