Page 37 of Snowed

“I have not.” It’s been more like an hour and a half.

“Uh-huh.”

I guess I needed to cool it. But the last four nights of having to watch Lucy on dates with a bunch of douches hadn’t been fun, and tonight’s was especially difficult to watch. Every other evening, Lucy had looked bored as shit. The only time she’d perked up was when I raised the signs I’d made for her. But tonight she hadn’t looked my way all evening. She was too busy laughing and doing the things she did when I flirted with her—blushing, running her finger along the base of her wine glass to avoid eye contact, and playing with her hair.

Caleb lifted his beer to his mouth and smirked. “You’re doing it again.”

Fuck. I was. “I’m just keeping an eye on my sister’s friend. The guy she’s hanging out with seems like a real douche.”

“Oh yeah? What makes him a douche?”

I shrugged. “Side-parted hair, that stupid I-work-on-Wall-Street zip-up vest, teeth that are too white and too perfect.”

Caleb’s smirk widened. “Hot for your sister’s friend, huh?”

“Just watching out.”

“There’s watching out and then there’s watching. You’re doing the latter, my friend.”

I waved him off and went to turn down the annoying music my sister had put on. If I had to hear Mariah Carey sing “All I Want for Christmas is You” one more time, I might break a speaker. Between the decorations, my hands being sticky from tonight’s crushed candy cane brim martini, and the same holiday tunes on repeat, I felt like I was going out of my mind.

On that note, I looked over at Lucy again, just as she threw her head back in laughter. Yeah, it’s the Christmas crap that’s making me pissed off, not watching this shit.

A little while later, I refilled Caleb’s beer.

“You know,” he said. “I used to have a pretty big crush on my best friend’s girl.”

I shrugged. “Oh yeah? Did you make a move?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Bro code. I spent five long years watching him not appreciate the good thing he had. Eventually they got engaged, and then I watched him break her heart when she caught him cheating a month before the wedding.”

“Damn. That’s tough. Do you still keep in touch with her?”

Caleb smiled and lifted his left hand, displaying a shiny, gold wedding band. “Every night when I get home. After they split, I woke up and took my shot. I finally realized I didn’t want to live with regret and grew some balls.”

His story hit home, though when I looked over and considered whether it was finally my time to take a shot with Lucy, her date was holding her damn hand across the table.

It was another half hour before he left, and I was put out of my misery. At least she hadn’t gone with him. Lucy came over and sat at the bar, like she had each night this week, but I kept my distance until she finally waved me over.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Nothing. I just wanted to say hi. You’ve been busy.”

“Hi.” I pointed to the nearly empty wine glass she must’ve brought with her from the table. “You want another?”

She shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

I poured her usual and set it on a coaster, then proceeded to wipe down the bar around her without saying anything.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know. You seem…off.”

“Everything’s just peachy.”

Lucy’s brows pulled together.