Me: He’s probably going to insist you teach him how to run routes.
Danny: You always know the exact right thing to say. Merry Christmas.
Me: Merry Christmas.
Danny: Miss you.
Me: Miss you more.
A heart emoji ended the conversation, so I knew he was boarding the plane.
As usual, my grandparents spent the holiday with us. As I’d threatened at Thanksgiving, I insisted Tina play Scrabble, yet my connivingly lucky little sister came perilously close to beating me at my best game. Even though it was Christmas, I didn’t hesitate to remind her she’d always been a menace. She chose the next game and resoundingly beat the entire family in seven-hand rummy. I decided she was a witch when it came to cards.
The rest of the week passed with no drama, which was strange. It was the first time that Derek Watson hadn’t made an appearance at someplace I was, even on the one night Tally talked me into going to the Sportsman to hang out with kids who’d graduated from Central Valley. But I should have known it was too good to last.
A couple of days before New Year’s Eve, Kaitlyn Frost started posting on social media about the big bash she’d planned. This year’s theme was football heroes, and Danny Chambers was going to be the guest of honor. It was déjà vu all over again. A New Year’s Eve football party at Kaitlyn’s house with all the “old gang” in attendance. I couldn’t think of anywhere I’d rather not be. Then Danny texted.
Danny: We’re invited to a party at Kaitlyn’s for New Year’s.
Me: I saw on social media that she was hosting something.
Danny: Not what I said. We’re invited.
Me: She hasn’t said a word to me, but she’s made a big deal about you.
Danny: It’s only a party, T.
Me: I’m gonna pass. But you go if you want.
Me: I’m being straight up here. No hidden agenda. Go and have a good time.
Danny: We’ll talk about it when I get back.
As it turned out, we didn’t talk about it at all. Sheila called the day before New Year’s Eve in a panic. Hailey—who lived in town for crying out loud—had bailed on her shifts over the holiday. Though my boss knew she was asking a massive favor, she promised to pay me a bonus the size of working a week of shifts if I’d cover New Year’s Eve and the day following New Year’s Day. Since I was planning to head back to campus the day after New Year’s anyway, leaving a couple of days early for the kind of money she was offering sounded like a good idea.
Plus, it got me out of that awful party at Kaitlyn’s.
I was sitting on my couch with a massive bowl of popcorn watchingDick Clark’s NewYear’s Rockin’ Evewhen I about stuck myself to the ceiling at the loud pounding on my door. After picking up the popcorn kernels that had jumped from the bowl and landed on the blanket covering my lap, I stood and walked over to the door. Through the peephole I saw Danny scowling back at me.
“It’s cold as fuck out here, T. What took you so long to answer the door?” he asked as he dropped his duffel bag on the floor and stomped snow from his boots on the rug.
“It’s almost midnight. What are you doing here?”
The incredulous expression he leveled on me had me taking a step back. “I asked you to go to Kaitlyn’s party with me.” His coat followed his boots. “Imagine my surprise when I rolled up to your house to pick you up only to discover you’d left yesterday.” He stalked toward me. “Why didn’t you tell me what Derek did at Thanksgiving?”
“I took care of it.” I wrapped my arms around myself. “Well, Tina and Dad did most of the talking, but Derek left me alone. I didn’t see him at all when I was home this time.”
“Yeah, well, that was what I wanted when I accepted Kaitlyn’s invitation for us.”
My brows went up.
“I wanted a do-over of the night you stuck me in the friend zone. My plan before I fucked it up was to take you out of the friend zone. If not for Kaitlyn and Derek—and my own stupidity—I might have succeeded. This time I wanted to make it clear to both of them that we are together.” He stalked toward me, and I backed up at his glare. “Instead I find out from Tina that Derek’s been harassing you foryears. Why didn’t you say something?”
I found my way back to the couch and tugged my pillow over my lap, hugging it to my chest. “It’s nothing new. He made himself clear to you way back when.”
Danny flexed his left hand and rubbed his right hand over the knuckles. That’s when I noticed the swelling.
“What did you do?” I asked, my voice vibrating with fear and anger. How dare he mess up his hands on such a worthless person as Derek Watson?
