Page 15 of Merry Mix-Up
"Come with me. Let's go watch the parade and then go see the lights afterward." I tucked my shirt in and did up my pants, then jammed my shoes on my feet.
"Um… Well… I have to talk to Jade about the dress today." Again, there was apprehension in her tone, but I wasn't taking no for an answer.
"I'll pick you up at five thirty. Be ready." Kissing her again, she whimpered in protest, but this time, I claimed her lips. "And if you're a good girl, when the parade is over, I'll buy you more Mexican."
She only smiled at me as I rushed out, stuffing my phone in my pocket and grabbing my coat on the way. When I got to Mom and Dad's for my fast shower, Dad was in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee.
"Oh, God, I need some of that," I told him, winded from jogging up the sidewalk. It wasn't so much that I was out of shape as that I felt pressured to make everything fit in the short window of time I had.
"Coffee, huh? No walk of shame?" Dad snickered at me and gave me a knowing look. I hadn’t really reconnected with anyone in town except my family since being back, so he had to have figured out that I slept over with someone. "Who was she?" he asked as he pulled a second mug out of the cupboard to fill with the hot brew. "That Lyons girl from the other night?"
I kicked my shoes off by the door to avoid leaving puddles from snow I tracked in, and I reached for the mug he held out toward me. "Uh, yeah. Amber…" I smiled when I said her name even though she didn't like it. I thought it was sweet.
"Naomi's friend? She's a little young for you, right? Ten years younger?" Dad raised an eyebrow of concern, but I shrugged him off.
"Yeah, eleven, actually, but age is nothing but a number when you're an adult." I sucked a sip of hot coffee through my teeth and started for the stairs to go have a shower.
"Well, be sure you know what you're doing, Son. I know Naomi really likes those girls a lot. They've been friends a long, long time. If you mess it up with her, Naomi will have your throat." He chuckled at the thought, but I took that seriously as a warning. He wasn't wrong. But I didn't plan to do anything that would make things between my sister and her best friend awkward.
"Thanks for the warning, Dad. I gotta shower. Running into the Windy City today for a quick meeting, then the parade tonight." I was a few steps from the door when he caught me by calling my name.
"Newt," he said, and I stopped and looked over my shoulder. "I'm happy you're finally moving on."
I smiled at him but said nothing as I darted up the steps two at a time. I was happy to be moving on too. And it couldn't have been with a better person.
9
JADE
December 8th
Newt was running late on his trip back from the city. He sent me a text and told me to meet him at the gazebo next to Santa's workshop—which was on the town square next to the bleachers set up for folks to view the parade. They brought in the little shed they'd painted to look like a north pole workshop every year and parked it on the same spot. Kids would line up all hours of the day to sit on some strange man's lap and tell him what they wanted. It was weird, but it was tradition. I was pretty sure Amber and I were two of those kids at one point in our lives.
When he found me, I was seated and the parade was underway. I draped a blanket over the empty spot next to me to make it look like my seatmate was just off using the porta potty or something, so he had a spot saved for him. He climbed the bleachers and squeezed past the soccer moms with their little kids and finally collapsed next to me, toting a cup of cocoa in each hand.
"Long day?" I asked, taking a cup of cocoa from him as he sipped from the other one.
"My God, traffic was awful, and getting into Danville just as a parade is starting is a nightmare too." He settled next to meat a comfortable distance and I sipped the cocoa he'd brought. It wasn't scalding, but it wasn't lukewarm yet. It was the perfect temperature to enjoy without burning my mouth, though he probably didn't plan it that way.
"How'd the meeting go?" I asked him, because this morning, he seemed so rushed to get out of my apartment, I figured it was pretty important.
"Ah, well I have a client who is pretty particular and if things don’t go his way exactly how he wants them to, he throws a fit. I know how to handle him, though. Now, it's a Saturday and I'm on a date with a very beautiful woman. I'd rather talk about the parade than work." He bumped into my shoulder with his and I smiled at his compliment.
"Okay, well you missed the firetrucks. They were covered in tinsel and holly. And the parade always opens with Santa, so you missed him too." I took a long swig of the cocoa and detected a hint of peppermint. I should have been flattered that he'd been talking to someone who knew Amber thinking it was me. But this one I had to pass on. I disliked peppermint in my cocoa, but I'd drink it and be thankful.
"Ah, well Santa was the highlight for me, and the Clydesdales." Newt gave me a cheeky grin, and I snickered.
"You didn't miss those yet." We watched a few floats roll past, then listened to the cacophony of the Danville Marching Band as they played a few upbeat Christmas tunes. A person joined the party to my right, so I had to scoot closer to him, and Newt put his arm around me. It was nice and I felt warmer, but I was a bit nervous someone would see us like this.
"Will you be helping make the centerpieces?" I asked as my eyes scanned the crowd. I was no longer able to enjoy the parade like a normal person because I was too busy fearing someone who knew Amber would see me snuggled up to Newt and tellDerek. I hated that feeling, especially because I should have been able to just get lost with this man and fall freely.
"Uh, I think so, barring any other work emergencies." He pulled me closer and leaned in. "I heard there's a really hot woman going to be there to help. I wouldn't miss that for the world."
I blushed and hung my head. He was so sweet. The compliments felt so amazing, but in the back of my mind I wondered if he knew I was the "wild child" with rainbow hair, would he feel the same way?
It felt like a dangerous conversation. I knew we'd make the centerpieces at Mr. and Mrs. Phillips's house, and Naomi would leave with Jared when the wedding party left after finishing. It would leave me and Newt in too comfortable of a position. He'd want to cuddle or talk, and it would lead to kissing and then more. I wanted it. I desperately craved it. But I spent the whole day today thinking as I was sewing Naomi's gown, and I knew Amber was right. Newt had to be off limits if for no other reason than I couldn't hurt him. I didn’t know what situation he went through with his ex or how she hurt him, but I didn't want to be that woman. I even tried to tell him the truth, but the work emergency sprang up.
"Oh, we need playlists!" I blurted out as the first thing that popped into my mind. Here and now was not the place to have that conversation about my real identity. It needed to happen, sooner rather than later, but the holiday parade was loud and there were too many people around.
