I nod because I don’t know what else to say. I had no idea Ana was so troubled, and though I dislike her, I can’t help feeling sorry for her. No kid should have to go through that.
“We wanted to try and explain it and to tell you we will cover the full cost of the car repairs,” Mr. Montgomery says.
Ana’s mom knots her hands on her lap as Callan places a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “I know we have no right to ask anything of you, Astrid, but we love our daughter, and we don’t want her to have a criminal record because she’s sick, and if she wasn’t, she would never have done this.”
I don’t think any of us can know that for sure, but I keep my lips sealed.
“Could you please consider not pressing charges against her? We would forever be in your debt if you did this for Ana,” she adds.
“This is emotional blackmail,” Callan says, sitting up straighter. “And it’s not fair.”
“I felt the same way when Georgina mentioned it a little while ago,” Mom says. “But then I thought, what if it was one of my daughters? Wouldn’t I do the same for them? And the truth is, I would.”
“But this is not our decision to make, Astrid,” Dad says. “It is your choice, and we will support you whatever you decide.”
Callan bends down and whispers, “You don’t have to decide now.”
I lean into his side as I think it over. I don’t want this hanging over me all through the holidays, putting a dampener on our celebrations. My gut tells me what to do, and I don’t need any other time to ponder it. “I won’t press charges.” I sit up straight and eyeball Ana’s parents. “But I will be taking out a restraining order so she can’t stalk me or come anywhere near me, and if anything like this happens again, I won’t hesitate to press charges next time.”
“Thank you, Astrid. Thank you so much.” Silent tears roll down Mrs. Montgomery’s face, and relief is visible on her husband’s face.
“We are truly sorry for all the trouble this has caused you,” Mr. Montgomery says.
I nod and offer him a tight smile before I get up. Callan climbs to his feet, too, resting his hand on my lower back. “I hope Ana gets the help she needs.”
My parents show the Montgomerys out, and I slump against Callan, mentally drained from the past twenty-four hours. “And you thought moving to a small town in Vermont would be boring,” I say, looking up at him. “There’s more drama in Ryemont than a K-drama on steroids.”
39
CALLAN
“Who’s the crazy bird?” Dara asks, lowering his voice so no one else hears.
“Astrid’s best friend,” I murmur. “Not surprised you picked up on that. She’s a lot.” We’re all over at the Nevans’ for Christmas dinner, and it’s basically a repeat of Thanksgiving. Gwen has barely paused to draw a breath, and she’s driving me nuts, hogging my girlfriend’s attention the entire time. If I hear mention of how she’s head cheerleader one more time, I might have to crack open a beer to try to drown out her loud voice.
“Astrid’s fucking beautiful, Cal.” Dara nudges my shoulder and waggles his brows. “And she’s really sweet. You seem happy.” My older brother scrutinizes my face.
“I am. Things have worked out way better here than I expected.”
“I’m glad, bro. You had us all worried there for a while.” I feel my brother’s body tense up. “Incoming.”
“Merry Christmas, Cal.” Gwen thrusts a small, gift-wrapped box at me.
“Why are you getting me gifts?” I sure as fuck didn’t buy her one.
“You’re the reason my bestie is floating on a cloud. I wanted to show my appreciation. Open it.”
Dara smothers his amusement, folding his arms and watching me tear into the paper. I pop the lid on the box, discovering silver football cufflinks.
“Wow,” Astrid says, looping her arm through mine as she examines the box. “Those are cool. Wish I’d thought of that.”
“You spoiled me enough, and you give me everything just by breathing.”
Dara bursts out laughing. “Mate, you are done for.” He slaps me on the back. “It was nice knowing you!”
“Sorry, I don’t have a gift for you,” Gwen says to Dara, batting her eyelashes, and is she flirting with him?
“You’re grand, Gwen. You don’t know me, and I didn’t expect anything.”
