The Christmas Crush: A Festive Romantic Comedy Novella Page 4

  It hung in the air like a bad smell as I changed into my red cocktail dress, and taunted me as I dug into my closet to find a half-decent pair of shoes.

  Ryan and I weren’t together. We never had been.

  So why was Principal Potter’s mistake bothering me so much?

  Because I wanted it to be the truth, not a mistake. The little thought popped into my head, completely unbidden, as I seized a pair of black heels.

  No way. That wasn’t right.

  My silly little crush on Ryan had been extinguished years ago. We were best friends. Nothing more.

  And freaking OUCH did these shoes hurt. Had my feet magically grown half a shoe size since I’d last worn them?

  DING-DONG!

  And there he was, right on cue. My best friend, who I very much did NOT have romantic feelings for. Setting my chin resolutely, I marched down my rickety stairs, channeling my inner Beyoncé. But, not used to wearing heels, I tripped, almost rolled my ankle, and desperately clung to the railing to avoid taking a tumble — all of which kind of ruined my “strong, independent woman” vibe.

  Stupid, stupid shoes.

  I took the rest of the stairs carefully, all Beyoncé delusions shattered. I threw open the door, and there was Ryan. At the sight of him, my heart fluttered.

  He looked incredible. We wore a tailored navy suit over a crisp white shirt with the top button undone. His blue eyes sparkled and hair was neatly groomed, but he’d left his three-day stubble unshaved. I had the craziest urge to touch it.

  No, Marley. This is RYAN. Focus.

  He held out a small bouquet of flowers, his expression slightly uncomfortable. “To thank you for coming with me tonight.”

  My cheeks flared. Were those red roses? Red roses meant…

  “Oh, and sorry they’re roses. I grabbed them on the way and this was the least squished bunch of flowers the gas station had.” Ryan grinned. “Would you have preferred a pack of gum, or perhaps a magazine?”

  “Oh no, that would’ve been way too romantic,” I joked, forcing a smile.

  “You look great, by the way,” Ryan said.

  I took a deep breath in an attempt to calm my haywire heart. “Thank you. You too.”

  Why, oh why, was this so awkward?

  In an effort to appear more like a normal human adult and less like a brainless idiot, I put my flowers in water, grabbed my jacket, and retrieved my engagement gift for Theo and Anna from the fridge.

  By the time we arrived at Romano’s, the party was in full swing. The entire restaurant was closed to the public for the function, and somebody had spared absolutely no expense on this soirée. Under the delicate strands of twinkling Christmas lights, waiters in tuxedos weaved through the crowd carrying trays full of champagne flutes and hors d'oeuvres. A string quartet serenaded the partygoers with instrumental versions of popular love songs. But the pièce de résistance was a spotlit display in the center of the room, featuring a glamorous, five-tier cake adorned with thousands of sugar roses.

  “Anna’s parents are filthy rich. They own half of Evermore,” Ryan murmured.

  “I thought you said she was a waitress.”

  “I did. But her parents own the place. They own a ton of restaurants.”

  “Quite the detail to forget to mention,” I hissed. I clutched the cake box I was holding in horror, cursing under my breath. The triple-layer red velvet cake I’d made — complete with two lovebirds fashioned out of modelling chocolate on top — suddenly seemed ridiculous and juvenile. I wanted to hide. But there was nowhere to retreat.

  I shoved my cake box onto the gift table, and pushed it to the very back where I hoped nobody would see it.

  Theo bounded towards us, pulling a beautiful redhead in tow. “Marley!”

  I gave Theo a huge hug. “It’s been forever. Congratulations!”

  “This is my fiancée, Anna.” Theo beamed. The boy looked completely smitten.

  While Ryan exchanged a few words with his brother, I shook the beautiful girl’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, thank you for having me.”

  “Oh, not at all.” Anna pulled me into a warm embrace, like we were old friends. “It’s so nice to meet Ryan’s girlfriend. He’s been talking about you all week.”

  I flushed. “Oh, we’re not together.”

  Anna winked at me. “Yet.”

  I blinked, unsure what to say in response. It was an extremely presumptuous statement, but I couldn’t exactly argue with the bride-to-be, could I? I sneaked a quick look in Ryan’s direction. He was laughing with Theo, and appeared not to have heard our exchange. Phew.

  Luckily, I was saved from responding by Ryan’s mother, swirling towards us like a tornado, arms outstretched. “Well, if it isn’t Marley Beekman!”

  “Hi, Mrs. Kennedy,” I said, as she kissed me squarely on both cheeks. I was pretty sure I’d need to go to the bathroom to assess lipstick stain damage after this. “Nice to see you.”

  “And what a pleasure to see you, too.” Mrs. Kennedy tucked her arm into mine. “Thank you for coming along with Ryan tonight. I can’t tell you how relieved I was that he was bringing a nice girl as a date.”

  “Not a date, Mom.” Ryan re-entered the conversation. “Marley’s here as my friend. Don’t make her uncomfortable.”

  Well, that ship had already sailed.

  “Oh, Ryan. Stop with that talk!” His mother chided him. “Honestly, I wish you were a little more like Theo. Find a nice girl and settle down. No more of this casual dating nonsense.”

  Ryan’s expression faltered, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’d have to find a girl who wanted to settle down with me for that to happen, Mom.”

  “More focus on relationships, less focus on work, Ryan.” His mother wagged a finger at him. A waiter appeared with a tray of bite-sized fancy appetizers. Ryan swiped one and shoved it in his mouth, chewing furiously.

  He then coughed, gagged, and held a napkin in front of his face as he swallowed.

  “You forget how to eat there, buddy?” I teased.

  “What was that?” He mimed stabbing himself in the chest.

  I glanced at the departing waiter’s tray, loaded full of bite-size pieces of bread smeared with something black.

  “Looks like olive tapenade to me,” I said, grinning.

  “That should be illegal,” Ryan gasped. He grabbed a glass of champagne from the next waiter who walked past, and chugged it in one gulp.

  “You don’t drink.” I smirked, raising my eyebrows.

  He looked down at his empty glass, as if just realizing what he’d drank. “I guess I do when I have to get olive whats-it out of my mouth.”

  Our eyes met, and we cracked up laughing.

  “Anyhow, as I was saying…” Mrs. Kennedy interrupted. In my banter with Ryan, I’d forgotten she was even there. “Your job, Ryan. You work far too much, spend far too much time talking to this boss of yours when you’re meant to be on vacation.”

  I glanced at my best friend, and his smile was gone. I couldn’t read Ryan right now. Usually he loved winding up his mother, joking around about his lifestyle. But something was different tonight.

  “Ryan’s amazing at his job, Mrs. Kennedy,” I said. “He’s pretty much single-handedly saved my bakery in the last few days.”

  Ryan flushed, swallowed. “You’re giving me way too much credit.”

  But his smile was back. I’d do anything to keep him smiling like that.

  “Seriously,” I insisted, picking up steam. “He has incredible marketing ideas. I would be lost without his help right now.”

  Mrs. Kennedy pursed her lips and smoothed her forest green dress. “Well, isn’t that nice to hear.”

  She patted Ryan on the arm affectionately, and his smile grew wider. My heart swelled at the sight, but in the dark recesses of my mind, something was bothering me.

  What was going on with Ryan, anyway? He’d been strangely secretive about New York. Cagey about his phone constantly blowing up. The old Ryan I
knew would have been full of fake-arrogant, hilarious comments about his popularity with the ladies.

  There was something he wasn’t telling me.

  11

  Ryan

  A light dusting of snow swirled as Marley and I ran along the Riverwalk, away from the engagement party. I’d never been so glad to see the back of something.

  “Owww, my feet,” Marley moaned.

  I stopped running. “Are you ok?”

  “I think I’m getting a blister.” She bent down and rubbed her ankle.

  “Want to hop on?”

  Marley laughed. “A piggyback? What are we, six?”

  “Well, the choice is yours,” I said. “You can either walk in the snow in heels, or you can let me carry you.”

  “Fabulous,” she muttered, looking down at her dress, stockings and strappy shoes in despair.

  It had been a long night of polite small talk, big smiles frozen in place. Marley had been amazing — she looked incredible and conducted herself with unbelievable poise. She’d also successfully redirected every conversation about my personal life to neutral territory. When my great aunt Tessa asked me if I had a girlfriend yet, Marley complimented her brooch. When Anna’s mother cornered me and asked a million questions about New York, Marley admired the beautiful decorations and asked who the party planner was.

  The woman was practically Switzerland. And I felt incredibly indebted to her.

  “Come on.” I shot her what I hoped was my most winning smile. “It’s the least I can do for you after you dazzled that entire party tonight.”

  “Hardly,” she sighed. “But sure, I would like a piggyback. No running or goofing around though. I don't want you to slip, I can’t afford a broken bone right now.”

  “Huh?”

  “The joys of being self-employed with no medical insurance.”

  Oh, right.

  “I’ll be careful.” I stuck out my pinky — a gesture we used to do all the time when we were kids. “Pinky promise.”

  She grinned, locked her little finger with mine. “Guess we really are six.”

  And with that, Marley hitched her skirt up, and climbed onto my back. True to my word, I walked as carefully as I could. We made our way along the snow-dusted Riverwalk, her arms wound around my neck and her hair tickling my cheek. Her body felt warm against mine, and she smelled like vanilla and sugar cookies.

  “So did you enjoy yourself tonight?” Marley’s breath warmed the side of my face as she spoke.

  “It was… fancy.”

  She laughed. The sound was like a running stream.

  “Very fancy,” she agreed.

  My stomach rumbled loudly. “Too fancy for real food apparently.”

  “Hungry?” Marley lolled her head on my shoulder.

  “Starving, actually,” I admitted. “Let’s just say I’m not a fan of caviar blinis or oysters on the half shell.”

  “Bleugh, me either.”

  “You know what I would love right now?”

  “A burger with extra cheese, large fries and a milkshake?” Marley said.

  “You read my mind.”

  Marley hopped off my back. “Well, it’s only fair we honor tradition.”

  “Only fair, indeed,” I said.

  Beachbreak Burgers was the only place in Evermore that was open for food at midnight. It was also the best place in town for anything deliciously greasy or deep-fried. Marley wasn’t joking when she said it was tradition — we’d spent practically every Friday night there back in high school. And it hadn’t changed one bit since then, I was very glad to see.

  After ordering roughly half the menu, we slid into a vinyl booth in the corner of the restaurant. Our table was conveniently placed in front of a wonderfully tacky, over-tinseled Christmas tree.

  “Man, I missed this place,” I said, sinking into a bum-dent in the booth.

  “This is so much more my scene.” Marley stretched her arms out. She was still red-faced from the cold. “Give me a bacon cheeseburger over a lobster blini any day.”

  “I didn’t even know what a blini was until tonight,” I said.

  “Oh come on, Kennedy. Haven’t they taught you anything about culture in New York?”

  Before I could retort, a teenager with a long, blond braid came over.

  “Two Christmas Special milkshakes, extra whipped cream.” She banged the drinks down on the table — thump! — and grinned at us. “The rest of your food will be out as soon as possible.”

  With that, she disappeared behind the front counter, where she resumed making out with her boyfriend, who appeared to be the cook. Somehow, I didn’t have high hopes that our food would arrive any time soon.

  “Ah, young love.” Marley smirked at them, before dipping a finger in her whipped cream. She put her finger in her mouth. “Mmm, this is already the best thing I’ve eaten all night.”

  I plunged a straw into my shake and took a sip. It was thick, creamy and delicious. My trainer would kill me if he could see what I was doing right now, but I didn’t care.

  I eyed the teen couple behind the counter. They were still attached at the mouth. “I’d love to be seventeen again. Not having a care in the world.”

  Marley bit her lip. “Seriously? Chemistry pop quizzes and curfews and having to eat your mother’s cooking every night?”

  I laughed. “Well, maybe I’d change some things.”

  “I sure would.” Marley closed her eyes. “Maybe if I’d studied a bit harder in school, I wouldn’t be the family disappointment.”

  “The family disappointment?” My voice went up an octave, like I was going through puberty all over again.

  She sighed. “Oh please, I can’t keep up with all the orders at the bakery, but I’m not making enough money to hire anyone. I’m failing before I can even get things going properly. I do nothing but work. Meanwhile, Katherine and Annika are doing everything perfectly. I look like a complete fool next to them.”

  “Mar,” I said, reaching across the table and grabbing her hand. “You are many, many things. But you are not a disappointment.”

  “What am I, then? I have no money, a business that’s about to go under, and I haven’t been on a date in three years. I’d hardly call that a success story.”

  “Wait, you haven’t been on a date in three years?” I blurted.

  Her eyes met mine. “No.”

  This was news to me. Marley had been seeing someone when I left for New York. They’d been on a few dates in quick succession, and she seemed happy. It looked like it might get serious. I’d never admitted it to anyone, but it was one of the reasons I left. I couldn’t watch her fall in love with somebody else, but I wouldn’t stand in the way of her happiness either.

  “Why?”

  She held my gaze steadily for another moment, then looked away. She fiddled with a paper napkin.

  “Because I missed you.” It was barely above a whisper, but I heard each word loud and clear. My heart caught in my throat.

  “I… I missed you too, Mar.”

  Her eyes moved over my face, like she was searching for an answer she couldn’t find. “Why did you leave?”

  I swallowed painfully. “Marley, there’s something I never told you. I… I was jealous.”

  “Jealous?” Marley’s eyes hardened.

  “Of you seeing someone else.” My words sounded as stupid and selfish out loud as they did in my own head.

  “What are you talking about?” Marley’s voice rose. “You’re always seeing someone. Your phone has been going off all week with girls texting you.”

  “Girl, not girls.” I said.

  “Well that’s even worse!” Marley glared. “How is she going to feel about you telling me this stuff?”

  I rubbed my eyes. “She’s my boss.”

  “YOU’RE DATING YOUR BOSS?”

  Around the restaurant, heads turned.

  “Marley, my boss is the one always texting me. About work. Not because we’re dating.”

  “Oh.�
�� Marley’s expression turned sheepish. “But, if you were jealous of me with someone else, why didn’t you just ask me out yourself?”

  “I never wanted anything to come between our friendship, I guess. At the end of every day, it was always me that you wanted to watch football with and cook dinner with and talk to on the phone before bed.” My heart was practically pounding out of my chest. “I think, deep down, I was scared that if I told you how I felt and if you didn’t like me back, I’d ruin everything.”

  I paused. Marley’s expression was indecipherable.

  She crossed her arms. “Go on.”

  “I know it’s a stupid reason for me to have left and I’m sorry... I think when you got in that relationship, it hit me just how much I liked you. More than I maybe should’ve.”

  “Okay, I got onion rings, Cajun fries, two Mexiburgers and a side of special sauce.” Blond braid was back, her arms stacked with baskets of deep-fried goodness. Everything smelled amazing, but I’d suddenly lost my appetite.

  “Thank you.” I nodded to the waitress.

  “Do you need anything else?” She glanced between Marley and I. “Salt? Ketchup?”

  “We’re fine, thanks,” Marley said.

  “Refills on the milkshakes?” The girl continued.

  “No. Thank you.” I shot the waitress a pointed look. A look of recognition swept her face, like a lightbulb had gone on. “Oh, I get it, I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.”

  As she sauntered off, I turned back to Marley and forced a smile. “I should report her to her manager for sass.”

  “Teenagers these days, no respect for their elders,” Marley quipped. Her tone was joking, but her eyes were huge, full of questions.

  The air between us hung heavy with everything left unspoken. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure you could see it through my shirt, like a cartoon character.

  She looked up at me. “Liked, past tense?”

  I shook my head.

  She smiled.

  And I took a deep breath. This was really happening. I could do this.

  “Marley?”

  “Yes, Ryan?”

  “Would you like to go on a date with me?”