Not entirely certain.
He’s been cranky with me since we hopped on the last flight out of Michigan and back home to San Francisco two nights ago.
Or maybe I’ve been cranky with myself.
My phone dings, and I drop everything to dive for it on my nightstand.
Not a friendly text from Amanda like the few I got last night.
It’s a sign when my heart sinks this low at the sight of my sister’s name in my messages.
I’m never disappointed to see Lorelei’s name light up my phone.
But she’s not Amanda.
How much of a sign is that as to how much I need to take this leap?
Winona needs to know how big you want the statue of you to be.
I stare at the message from my sister.
Stare harder.
And then I call her.
“What the hell?” are the first words out of my mouth when she answers.
“You’re basically a superhero at home now,” she replies. “They’re asking Amanda the same. I think I heard your snow globe will be the centerpiece for the statue they’re putting up of the two of you in Reindeer Square.”
“I don’t need a fucking statue.”
“Too bad. They’re making one of you anyway. It’s not every day people fakeRomeo and Julietto end a generations-long family feud.This is the best thing to happen to Tinsel since they renamed the town in the sixties.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. “I don’t want a statue.”
“Take it up with the mayor. Who, by the way, is Grandma’s new favorite person. Oh! Did I tell you I got a new job? Vicki Anderson herself stopped me at the party last night to ask me if I’d be interested in working at the Gingerbread House. She’s retiring, basically effective immediately, which we all knew, and Kimberly Anderson had already asked me, but having the Big Grandma’s approval is cool.”
“You did not just saythe Big Grandma.”
“I did. It’s my new nickname for her. How’s work? You get that emergency all sorted?”
She knows there wasn’t an emergency. “Yep,” I lie.
“Good. You were missed at the party last night.”
I missed the party too.
I’ve never been sad to miss social events. They’re things I do, but they’re not things I look forward to or miss when I can’t make it.
But last night, I wanted to be at that party.
I wanted to be there with Amanda, watching her sparkle and shine and listening to her tell the story of our fake engagement.
Listening to her tell everyone that she fell hard for me the same way I fell for her.
No idea if she would’ve. But it’s what I want.
It’s what I want to believe in.
