Page 3
It’s a FaceTime call from Cami, my brother’s wife and my childhood best friend. A smile tugs at my lips, and I hit answer. When the screen connects, three familiar smiling faces appear.
“Finally!” Cami smiles at the screen. “I’m surprised she answered.”
“She’s alive!” Violet adds dramatically.
Poppy leans in. “I was trying to convince them that we don’t need to file a missing person’s report. And that you’re probably just working as usual.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Hi, to you all, too.”
The three of them are crammed together on what looks like Cami’s couch, and I can barely see them all.
“You look like you need a cocktail and a hot one-night stand,” Cami says with a smirk.
“I think she looks tired,” Violet says with a worried expression on her face. “She needs good food and a nap.”
I snort. “I am tired.”
If only they knew. I am so beyond tired that it’s not even funny. But I’ve been working hard so I don’t have to think about the sad times that the holidays bring. Not everyone loves the holidays. They’re a unhappy reminder, and not all good memories.
But if I didn’t have these ladies in my life, I don’t know what I’d do. Sure, we live states apart, but I still miss them very much, and we keep in touch with calls and daily texts in our group chat. They keep me in the loop of everything going on back in Bridger Falls.
“I’m glad you guys called. I have something to tell you,” I say with a tired smile. When we hang up, I’m probably going to sleep like a rock.
“What?” they all say excitedly at once.
“My boss just sent me on a mandatory vacation until after the first of the year.”
Three excited gasps explode through the phone.
“What?!” Cami asks.
“No way,” Violet squeals.
“You’re coming home, right?” Poppy queries.
When I nod, they immediately start talking over one another.
“We can get a room at the lodge ready for her!” Cami grins.
“Oh my gosh,” Poppy adds. “This is the best!”
“Mack will be so happy to see you,” Violet smiles. “Oh, this is so exciting! We’ve missed you so much!”
Mack is Violet and her husband Walker’s teenage daughter, and she’s a great kid. Cami and I used to babysit her when she was a baby.
The three of them look over, before Tucker’s face pops into view. “Hi, big sis.”
I smile when I see my brother’s face. “Hey, trouble.”
“She’s coming home for Christmas!” Cami tells him excitedly.
Tucker grins, his ball cap on backward, looking like the goof he is. “Good, you can stop in Vegas on your way and see me on the circuit. We’re doing a PBR Winter Invitational there, and I need someone to cheer me on. Everyone has stuff going on back here.”
I blink. “What?”
My first thought is that I have to work and there’s no way I can take time off. Then I realize I have nothing but time right now. Purgatory jail doesn’t sound as bad now that I’m thinking about it. Plus, I get a television series in the end. And I intend to get my prize. Plus, I wouldn’t mind supporting my little brother. I rarely get the chance to see him in action.
Cami looks intrigued. “That’s not a bad idea.”
