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ANGELA
My feet are crossed on my coffee table, and I’ve got nothing going on until later today. It’s my day off so I figured why not relax around the house before the chaos of the holidays start. I always feel like I need two extra days off after the holiday to recoup. Holidays are exhausting; so much interaction, and you never get any sleep. It’s almost like when you go on a vacation. Everyone wants to do something like go to a theme park or something. Why? You are going to come home more exhausted than when you left. My idea of the perfect vacation is a cabin in the woods, nothing around, and a hot tub on a wraparound porch. The whole point of a vacation is to relax and find time to refresh. A quiet place and hot tub are just the place to do it if you ask me.
‘What you got for me, baby girl?” Derek says, answering his phone.
Criminal Minds is on the TV and I’m just admiring the view. Derek Morgan is so dreamy. The way he treats the women in the show, with respect, and not like objects—is sexy. His mama must have raised him right. The producers wrote his character beautifully, flaws and all. I like seeing a man that cries and talks about his problems. You don’t see that every day since society frowns upon it. To me, showing emotions isn’t feminine, it’s human. We all need to stop listening to what society tells us, and just be ourselves.
The coffee maker beeps, and I run to the kitchen, and slide back before I miss anything good. I don’t know why I’m so obsessed with this show, but I watch at least one episode every night. It’s my second time through it, and I’m still finding things I missed the first time. I love that about rewatching shows, you pick up on things you missed the first time. Like little Easter eggs or hints about romances you didn’t even realize they hinted at throughout the previous season.
Reid is being introduced and if I hadn’t already seen the entire run of the series, I would equivocally say he isn’t going to last, but we all know he does. The first impression he gives the team cracks me up. It leaves them all questioning their own intelligence. He is just so nerdy and has a wealth of knowledge, even on the first case.
My coffee warms me up as I watch a couple more episodes to pass the time. Honestly, I’m not stoked about my brother being in town. He didn’t come down last Christmas and the whole holiday season went well. My dad didn’t have anyone to bitch at. Not that I don’t want to see him, it’s just he does things to intentionally rile my dad up. I swear, he could talk about his business for hours and not even take a breath. No one wants to listen to that. I can’t wait to count how many times he calls himself a millionaire. The last time he came down for Christmas Eve dinner, he mentioned the word millionaire seventy-six times in four hours.
I get it, he’s rich, we all do, but what makes him think any of us want to sit around and discuss profit margins, investments opportunities, or the software the company uses? Don’t get wrong, I’m glad Stefan and Hendrix’s company took off, and provides them with a stable living for the rest of their lives, but others aren’t so lucky. We will have to work our jobs until the day we croak most likely, and like my dad, I get sick of it being rubbed in my face.
Promptly at four-thirty, my alarm goes off, and I groan. Ugh, do I have to? Here’s the thing; I love my parents, but you just never know how family functions are going to go. My dad has been mad at my brother for a long time, but they need to give it up. We are still family, and we aren’t going to be around forever. Holding grudges about something as idiotic as someone’s profession is atrocious. Who cares if Hendrix wanted to become a business tycoon instead of a firefighter, it’s his prerogative, right? He had two daughters that followed in his footsteps, so I don’t know why he is still so worked up about it. Hendrix is going to be a billionaire, and to him, that’s my brother’s definition of success. Yet, loyalty means more to my father than money.
Just get up, get dressed, and throw on a fake smile for tonight. You can do it.
My feet hit the ground and I stand up, meandering to my room to get ready. Maybe I could fake sick. Get out of it completely. No, I can’t be that person that comes up with excuses not to go to family gatherings. Maybe it won’t be that bad and they can refrain from their bullshit for one night. Yeah, like that’s going to happen.
Clothes start to drop to my closet floor as I whisk through the rack of dresses and shirts. Usually, I would wear a dress, but today I think I’m going to go with dark jeans. I pull open the bottom drawer of my dresser and pull out my skinny black jeans and jump around until they are over my ass so I can button them. Picking a shirt is going to be a difficult decision because I want to look dressy, but also be comfy. I come across a red satin one-shouldered blouse and take it off the hanger. This will be perfect coupled with some black booties. Once I get the rest of the outfit on, I lined my eyes and throw my hair up into a high bun. It’s not like I have anyone to impress, but still want to look presentable.
The reality of how tonight is going to go, my brother and my dad will have words after listening to him brag about his business, they will stay in separate rooms, except at dinner, because my mother will make them both eat, and then Hendrix will leave afterward. Sometimes he doesn’t visit, and usually he has some excuse about a meeting or just being swamped and not having the time. I think this pisses my parents off even more because they barely see him as it is. The holidays are the only time they can count on him coming down. If he would just lay off the business talk, he and my father could get along for one night. I think Hendrix likes the drama, especially when it makes him the center of attention.
I grab my phone and keys on the entryway table and head out the door to my parents’ house. Most places probably have snow on the ground or very frigid weather, here in Texas, it’s about sixty degrees, and sunny. It’s rare for us to get snow, and if we do, it’s never a lot. Hell, our town isn’t equipped to deal with snow in the first place. They don’t have a snow plow, so if by some chance we do get a blanket, schools and business typically close for the day until the roads start to clear. Michigan would laugh at us.
After driving the three blocks, their driveway is already full and it’s safe to assume the Lamborghini is Hendrix’s. Although it’s a beautiful car, he is always over the top when he purchases something. I’ll never understand the point of a car collection his size. He can’t possibly drive them all, and they are just money sitting in a garage, right? I think he likes that he can flash things, and it makes him feel powerful. Not everyone would waste away their money like him.
If I was to become a millionaire, I would pay off my parents’ house, pay off mine, buy a newer car, and then put the rest in the bank and live off it as long as I can. There is no need for multiple cars, a mansion, and fancy vacations. That’s why when people win the lottery or whatever, they are usually broke within a few years. They just go around buying anything and everything instead of thinking about their future.
I get out of my car, and start walking up the driveway, taking a look at the Lambo in the driveway, but not too much or my brother will want to tell me all about it for the next three hours. I’m not a car person and could care less what it looks like as long as it gets me from point A to B without breaking down. Right before I step on the porch, the door opens.
“Holy shit, is that you Angela?” Stefan says, stopping dead in his tracks. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”
I regret not wearing a cute dress now. Why the hell is he here?
“If it isn’t Stefan Valentino, almost billionaire,” I reply, hand on my hips, taking in the pleasant sight. I didn’t know he was going to be here. His eyes are giving me a once over, but maybe he is just surprised that I’m grown up. I’m not that acne-covered teenager anymore. The white t-shirt he has on is tugging at his broad shoulders, and I’m fighting the urge to help him take it off.
“We will see. Still got a lot to do for that,” he replies, walking past me. “I’ll be inside in a minute, gotta grab something out of my car.”
He walks to the driveway and opens the door on an Audi. So, he has good taste in cars, but I bet he doesn’t have fifteen of them like my brother. Stefan strikes me as the man to save his money. Sure, money can change people, but he’s always been smart. Even when we were young, I knew he was going to make something great of himself, and now look at him.
“What are you doing? Come inside,” Leslie says, pulling me inside and shutting the door.
My sister doesn’t like to be without me at family functions because we always have to keep the guys away from each other, but she brought her boyfriend along this time. The first time my parents are meeting him, and that’s a big deal for her. So, not only do we have Noah to think of, but also the drama between my dad and brother. It’s going to be a long night.
“Jesus. What’s going on?” I ask, stumbling into the house as she pulls me by the arm. That’s going to leave a bruise.
“Our brother is boring my boyfriend to death. Who wants to talk about business on Christmas Eve?” She rolls her eyes, and points to the corner sofa where Hendrix is undoubtedly spouting off some profit margin bullshit that none of us care about in the slightest.
His attention turns to me for all of five seconds when I lean in for a hug, but he doesn’t even stop talking, just continuing his story. I mouth sorry to Noah and walk away. Looks like he is stuck there for the foreseeable future.
“Drinks are in the fridge, dear,” my mom says.
Alcohol is necessary for a Haddon family function. I wonder what she picked up this time. I open the refrigerator and see beer and some wine. A warm hand touches mine on the handle and I freeze.
“So, I prefer beer, but I take you as a wine drinker,” Stefan says, peeking out from behind the open door with a goofy grin.
