“That’s an Evanescence song.”
“Hmm?” She seemed startled by my interruption as she abruptly stopped wiping the counter.
“The song you’re singing.”
“I didn’t realize I was humming.”
“You were. It was that Evanescence song. What’s it called?”
She looked away. “‘My Immortal.’”
“Yeah. That’s right. It’s beautiful.”
She didn’t acknowledge my sentiment. Instead, she turned and continued what she’d been doing.
How the hell was I supposed to stay in Palm Creek and keep these feelings inside? The pressure to tell her how I felt was immense. When I was away, it was out of sight, out of mind. But tonight? It took everything in me not to unleash my feelings. The words were still at the tip of my tongue as I piled the last of the food into a Tupperware container.
Let me make you happy, Farrah. Give me another chance to be the kind of man you deserve. I promise I would rather die than hurt you again.
When the doorbell rang, my stomach sank. I knew she was expecting her boyfriend for dessert. I’d hoped he wouldn’t show.
Farrah left the kitchen to answer the door. Reluctantly, I followed her into the living room.
Nathan had already let Niles inside.
“Hey, how was your dinner?” she asked him.
“It was good,” he said. “I missed you.” When he leaned in to kiss her, I had to look away. It hurt more than the last time.
Seeming nervous, Farrah turned to face me. “You remember my brother’s friend, Jace.” Then she gestured over to my father. “And this is his dad, Phil.”
He offered his hand to my father. “Nice to meet you, sir.” Then he lifted his chin toward Nathan. “What’s up.”
“Hey,” Nathan droned, seeming just as happy to see this guy as I was.
Niles didn’t even make eye contact with me. That made me wonder if Farrah had mentioned our past. Either way, that didn’t stop me from glaring at him. I couldn’t help it. I wanted him gone.
He wrapped his arms around her from the back, which made me cringe.
“Hey, good news…” he told her. “Over dinner today we decided to spend Christmas in North Carolina. You’d better take some time off. You’re coming with us.”
Farrah blinked, seeming like she didn’t know what to say about that. So nice of him to offer her a choice about going.
“Whereabouts in North Carolina?” I asked, forcing him to acknowledge me.
“North. The mountains. We have a house there.” He looked over at Nathan. “You need to come, too. I know she’s not gonna want to leave your ass alone.”
“No, thank you,” Nathan said. “I’ll be just fine here. Don’t worry about me, Farrah, if you want to go.”
Farrah chewed on her lip. “I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it.”
I knew it had to be difficult for Nathan to concede to her leaving over Christmas. I was certain the idea of her spending the holidays out of state with this guy bummed him out.
“You won’t be alone anyway,” I said. “Dad and I will need a place to crash again. Christmas will be no easier for us than Thanksgiving. You’re stuck with us.”
Nathan’s expression brightened. “Sounds like a plan.”
Farrah thumbed in the direction of the kitchen. “I’m gonna get the desserts ready.”
After she left, Niles turned to Nathan. “Can I talk to you outside for a minute?” His voice was low.
Nathan shrugged and reluctantly stood up. “Uh…sure.”
What the hell is that about?
He’d better not have been bullying Nathan into taking that damn liquor store job again. It was interesting that he’d waited until Farrah went into the kitchen, like he didn’t want her to know he was accosting Nathan. My fists tightened. I wanted to punch him.
I watched them talking out the window. Nathan looked tense as he listened to whatever Niles had to say. Tempted to go out there, I refrained.
After a few minutes, they came back inside. I’d known Nathan long enough to see that something Niles had said out there definitely irked him. As soon as I got the chance, I’d have to ask him what happened.
Niles sat down next to Dad, and they started shooting the shit about the game.
I could see Farrah in the dining room setting up the dessert plates. I’d been so preoccupied that I’d neglected to see if she needed anything. No other lazy asses in this house had offered to help.
“What can I do?” I asked, popping my head in.
She didn’t look up at me. “Nothing. Go sit. I’m just warming the pies. I’ll call everyone when dessert is ready.”
Farrah looked around, as if she’d forgotten where she’d put something. She seemed rushed and tense. I wanted to hug her, take all of her stress away. Rather than leave the doorway, I continued to watch her. I don’t think I realized I hadn’t moved until she said, “What?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re looking at me like you want to say something.”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry. No. I’m just…” I said nothing else.
All of the unspoken words continued to bubble in my chest. But if I couldn’t say them earlier in the truck, now was certainly not the right time with Niles in the next room.
Once everyone gathered around the table, it was clear that someone was going to have to stand, since there weren’t enough chairs. Niles was the fifth wheel who’d disrupted our peaceful family gathering of four, but I quietly volunteered by taking my pie to the corner of the room and leaning against the wall. I watched Niles like a hawk as he turned to speak to my father.
“So, Phil, what is it that your company does?”
“I own Muldoon Construction.”
“No shit? You guys handled the renovation of the old strip mall into apartments, right?”
My father nodded proudly. “Yes, indeed we did.”
“My cousin lives there. He’s always complaining about the cheap particleboard in the kitchen.”
Farrah’s eyes narrowed. “Niles…”
What the fuck?
It was a miracle I hadn’t punched him yet.
Dad’s response couldn’t have made me any happier. “Well, you tell your cousin that unless he wants to pay more rent to live in the best section of town, he’d better kiss the ass of that particleboard.”
Niles stuffed his face with apple pie, and thankfully, he shut up after that.
What the hell does she see in this guy?
“Hey, Jace. You mind if I show you that thing with my car I was telling you about?” Nathan suddenly asked.
I squinted before realizing he was bullshitting just to get me alone. Placing my plate on the corner of the table, I said, “Yeah.” I patted my dad on the shoulder. “Be right back.”
“Is it so urgent that you have to leave the table in the middle of dessert, Nathan?” Farrah asked.
“Yeah. I don’t want to forget. Sorry. It’s been bugging me. It won’t take long.”
Once outside, I made sure we stood away from the window so Niles couldn’t see us.
I kept my voice down. “What’s up, man?”