I nod in agreement.
“Good. We can call Luna and have them meet us. Mom found a place on the corner with good reviews. It looks family-friendly.”
“Grand.” Rhys pulls out his phone and steps away. “I’ll give them a ring.”
“Gavin Mackenzie?” a woman’s voice says behind me, and the hair stands up on the back of my neck. I know the voice. Callie might even know the voice. We only saw this woman a few days ago.
I see Blair coming our way between the vendors, alone. Her long red hair is falling down her back, and her black coat is fitted over a pair of wide-legged jeans. She smiles at me until her gaze slides to Callie at my side, and I see the expression falter.
My stomach constricts. There could be a better time to run into Blair than at an event with Callie’s entire family. Maeve glances at us from a booth of wooden figurines she’s looking at, but Tom seems oblivious.
For all they know, she’s just a friend who never took my heart and ran it through a food processor. Twice. “Hiya, Blair,” I say.
Callie slides into my space, her shoulder pressing into my chest. It’s natural to draw my arm around her back and hold her against me. Once my shield is in place, comfort fills my body. I can relax a fraction, and it’s because Callie is standing beside me.
Hm. Interesting. My heart feels entirely apathetic toward Blair.
“Merry Christmas,” Callie says brightly. “How fun to run into you again.”
We can all read between those lines and sense the underlying sarcasm in that word. Fun? This is the opposite of fun. In Callie’s defense, she sounds genuine.
Blair glances at her dismissively, then looks at me again. “I didn’t like the way we ended things the other night. It didn’t feel like there was any closure.”
Our relationship is so closed, you couldn’t open it with a prybar. Maybe our last conversation felt incomplete, but we didn’t get closure any of the other times she walked out on me either. I blink at her. “I’m not sure we need that, Blair.”
Her chin tucks slightly. “There’s so much to tell you, though. Liv’s dad had a turnaround and decided he wants to know her, so she’s been building a relationship with him.”
How can one small bit of information spear my heart and make me happy at the same time? I sense myself being drawn back, like Blair knows exactly what to say to hurt me and ignite my curiosity enough to grasp the coattails of her mood.
Callie leans against me. “That’s such a beautiful thing.”
Blair’s eyes flick her way in irritation. “Should we grab a coffee, Gav? I can tell you everything.”
Without Callie, presumably. Despite how much I care about Liv, and how badly I’ve wanted this information, I don’t appreciate the way she’s weaponizing it, using it as a manipulation tactic against me.
Callie opens her mouth, but I squeeze her arm softly and she closes it again. I need to be the one to do this.
“We’re here with Callie’s family, so it’s not a good time. Have a good Christmas, Blair.”
She doesn’t miss the finality in my tone. The small step backward she takes gives me a moment of pause, but aside from my desire to be a good person, I feel nothing else for her. It’s freeing.
Blair stares at me for a beat before giving a slight nod. “See you around.”
I’m rather hoping not. Callie remains where she is until Blair walks away. Then she turns a little in my arms, looking into my face. “You good?”
I tighten my hold on her, sensing the mood shift between us. We ignore the close way her mum watched that interaction. “Aye.”
“Good.” Callie moves on seamlessly, making me endlessly grateful for her. “Are you having a good time?”
I glance at her parents, who have started walking toward the restaurant. “Your family is lovely.”
“My dad said you talked horses.”
“A wee bit.”
She nudges me gently with her shoulder. “Now that your secret’s out, you can expect a wee bit more.”
“I don’t mind it.”
