Her mom and sister moaned. “Oh no,” her mom said. “Poor Calvin.”
“I know! We had agreed it was best that he not come by anymore. It would be too hard on Calvin. That’s why we gotta get out of there soon. We went an entire year without meeting him, and now he’s frickin’ everywhere. I can’t risk running into him day after day. Cal’s already been through too much.”
“You’re welcome to stay here till you find a new place,” her mom offered. “There’s plenty of room.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Julia said. “I’ll let the Realtor know I’m in more of a hurry now and see how fast she thinks I could get into something. The royalties from the Black Friday cookbook sales should land in my account at the end of December. And with that, I can basically pay cash for a house. Guess how much I made in just that weekend?”
“Ten grand?” Mary guessed.
“Mary. What kind of house could I pay cash for with ten grand?”
“Sorry, that was just off the top of my head. Must be more.”
Julia laughed. “Guys, I make four dollars a sale, and over five hundred thousand people bought the book during those three days. I’ll earn overtwo milliondollars. Can you believe that?”
“Holy shit,” her sister said.
“Tell me about it. Sam MacDonald changed my life. And it was all thanks to Alex. If nothing else, he did me that favor.”
“That, and saving you and your son’s lives,” her mother said dryly.
“True. I’ll send him a thank you fruit basket once we’ve moved.”
“Better be a damn good fruit basket,” her mom muttered.
“Anyway, back on topic,” Julia said. “Maybe we will come crash with you for a few weeks. It would probably also help Cal to keep him away from ‘the scene of the crime.’ Plus, I don’t want to risk running into Alex. My heart can’t take it.”
“Whatever you need, honey. Just stay close. I’ve become accustomed to seeing Calvin all the time, and this old grandma won’t handle it well if you move too far away.”
* * *
“So, you gonna get in trouble for starting that fire?” Sam asked from across the table.
Alex and his family were gathered in his mother’s dining room, feasting on roasted ham and all the fixings. Sam, Annie, Jake, and Hannah had flown in the previous day and planned to stay through the new year. His mom was on cloud nine, loving the company.
“Nah,” Alex said. “I spoke with the building owner and said I’d pay for the damages. He was fine with that. I think he was just relieved to have a psychopath out of his complex. And, believe it or not, Ray went to bat for me and swept it under the rug with the brass.”
“Who’s Ray again?” Annie asked.
“He’s the dude that was banging Alex’s girlfriend,” Mitch said.
“While Alex was still dating her,” Jake added helpfully.
“Thanks for that reminder, guys,” Alex said. “He probably felt like he owed me or something. Maybe he felt guilty? Beats me. I didn’t ask and don’t care as long as I don’t have to deal with it.”
“That’s old news though,” Johnny said. “Now he’s working out a plan to woo his neighbor.”
“Julia Knight?” Hannah asked. “I’d love to meet her.”
“Well, I’m makin’ my move tomorrow morning,” Alex said. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“Ooh, a diamond Christmas present?” Hannah said, looking at Jake, who had proposed on a Christmas morning. “Worked for me.” Jake winked at her.
“No, no. Too soon for that,” Alex said. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’ve only known each other for two months.”
“Sometimes that’s all it takes,” Sam said. He and Annie had dated about that long.
“Uh, a lot of times, that’s all it takes,” Mitch agreed, grabbing Maggie’s hand and kissing it. He and Maggie had gotten together very quickly too.
