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“Things changed, Jonesy.”I swallow back a sob.“I’m going home.I don’t feel well.”
He frowns.“Do you want me to drive you?”
I shake my head, too exhausted to answer.
“Okay.Is CJ at least there to take care of you once you’re home?”
She’s with her parents at their extended family Christmas in Madison, but he doesn’t need to know that.“I’ll be fine.I just want to sleep.”
His forehead creases.“At least text me when you get there.”
“It’s a ten-minute drive.”The concerned act is starting to grate, and my tone is sharp.If he cared so much, he would’ve told me.
That first time, I barely knew him.That’s excusable.But after working with him, laughing with him, feeling my pulse jump at the sound of his voice, I can’t believe I didn’t recognize him in the VIP room.He kissed me.Put his hands all over me and growled dirty things in my ear.I was surprised that I got off so quickly with Luke.I don’t usually with a new guy.But in retrospect, maybe it’s not so strange.All this time, did my body know?My heart?Meanwhile, my brain refused to make that connection because it was such a ludicrous thing to even think.
God.I can’t stand here looking at him for one second longer.Putting my hand on his chest, I give him a shove so I have room to open the car door.He lets me move him without complaint.
“Goodbye, Jonesy.”I shut the door and shut him out.
As I drive off, a realization hits me.He tried to tell me.Those odd stop-and-start conversations.Santa Luke trying to talk me out of our hookup in the VIP room.He tried to tell me, but he sure as fuck didn’t try hard enough, and I sure as fuck didn’t want to hear it.I had a complete blind spot for the fact that Hollis was Luke Lawless.
Oh god.It rhymes.
I am so very fucking stupid.
Twenty
Jonesy
“Is it true, old man?You’re quitting the biz?”
I look up from where I’ve been staring at my phone, willing Liv to text me back, to see Landon and Ben grinning at me.
“You heard right.”I brace myself for chop-busting and shit-giving, but instead, they tumble all over themselves like puppies to shake my hand.
“We just, we learned so much from you,” Ben says, pumping my arm up and down.
Landon elbows him aside to say, “Witch hazel and coconut oil saved my bikini line.”
“Uh, you’re welcome,” I say, rather than pointing out that I’m notthatmuch older than them, and I flip off a laughing Deke behind Landon’s back when the younger guy pulls me into a hug that leaves smears of body oil on my chest and arms.
Landon wanders off to hit a vape with some of the other guys, but Ben hangs back.“Hey, man, no hard feelings for taking your spot, right?”
He gestures down at the Santa gear he’s wearing, and I wave him off.When I’d asked off for tonight, Nick and I agreed to let Ben step into the holiday numbers as Santa.Then Liv went home sick and I ended up with nothing better to do than show up here after all, but I’m not going to be a diva about my place in the show.
“Take it with my blessing, kid.”
He shoots me a double thumbs-up and ambles off to join his buddy in the corner of the dressing room.Once it’s just me again, Deke sidles over.
“I need you to know that you made me the man I am today, Jonesy,” he says with mock seriousness, dropping his massive hands on my shoulders.“You showed me how to pleasure a woman and how to stuff a sock in my pants so I can succeed in this business.Thank you.”
“Fuck off,” I say with a laugh.“You know neither of us needs a sock.”
“Obviously.”He spins to the mirror and starts to position his polar bear ears around the mass of curly hair in a bun on top of his head.“It was nice of you not to kick the kid’s ass and take your role back.”
I wave it off and go back to staring at my phone.I don’t care about being Santa, but I am pleased to use this unexpected free night as my final Luke Lawless performance.Let Ben be Santa.I’ll trot out a few of my greatest hits and just have fucking fun one last time.
I only wish I didn’t have a little voice in my head telling me that something’s seriously off with Liv.
