“Well, one of the main tenets of the holidays is giving gifts to loved ones.”
She huffed out a laugh. “I know what Christmasis. I’m just not a fan of celebrating it.”
Her words made him wonder why, but it was too soon to ask.
“Let’s start with some shopping,” he suggested, trying to keep things light.
“Who says I plan to shop for anyone?” She side-eyed the passing trolley and its waving conductor.
“Maybe this was all just a ruse to get you to help me buy gifts for Natasha and my cousin’s wife.”
That got a chuckle out of her and she elbowed his side. “Pretty elaborate ruse, my dude. But I should probably get a gift for my agent while I’m here. Let’s start over there.”
Jess directed them to a makeup store, and Nik followed her lead. As they browsed the spa and skincare aisles, he told her about his family—his mother and father back in Brooklyn, who’d moved their whole family from Ukraine to America in the 1990s; his brother, who was learning the meaning of the word “compromise” with Natasha; his cousin Alex and his wife, Marina, who were expecting a baby in the spring; and his cousin Fedya, Nik’s partner in crime when they were little, who was now a father of three.
Nik was careful to open up first. He hadn’t forgotten how, after their first kiss, she’d ducked his question about why she’d left Chicago. He seriously doubted “too cold” was the only reason. So as he spoke, he kept his comments thoughtful, leaving spaces and gaps for her to step in, if she wanted to. And he didn’t ask her anything outright.
Eventually, she opened up just a little.
“My sister Jaina’s an accountant in Texas,” she said, testing a red lipstick on the back of her hand.
He waited to see if she’d supply more info. After turning her hand this way and that, as if checking how the lipstick looked in the light, she continued.
“She’s a drama queen. Every time we talk, Jaina has some other shit going on with her job, her friends, or a man. I can’t keep up.”
“Is that for her?” he asked, pointing at the lipstick.
“Hell no. This is for me.” She added two more stripes of red in different shades and compared them. “Which one do you think is better?”
Nik flagged down a salesperson to help Jess try on the color she liked best, and he smiled as she preened in the tiny mirror attached to the end of the aisle.
“I like it,” he said. “Very Christmassy.”
“Shut up. No, it’s not.” But she sent him a coy little smile that set him ablaze.
“What’s the color called?” he asked, because he wanted to remember it.
She rolled her eyes to the ceiling and sighed. “Holly Jolly Berry.”
Nik laughed, and as they wound their way toward the cashiers, Jess surprised him by returning to the topic of family. Her words came out in bursts, laced with unspoken—and perhaps unacknowledged—emotions.
“I mean, it’s great and all that you have a good connection with your family,” she said. “But not everyone has that. And the holidays force the issue, like there’s something wrong with you if you’re not in the spirit of celebrating and putting aside your differences to deal with your toxic or dysfunctional family members.”
He couldn’t argue with that. “So, how do you usually celebrate, if not with your family?”
“I stay home and catch up on TV, indulging in some good old R&R while everyone else is busy.”
“Alone?” He tried to keep the surprise out of his voice, but probably failed.
“Yes,alone. I like my ‘me time.’”
Nik wanted to ask more, to dig deeper into what she was saying, but she’d tell him when—and if—she was ready.
“Oh, Naomi would love this.” Jess picked up a skin-care boxed set. “She has sensitive skin, so she’s always on the lookout for all-natural products. I’m going to get this for her.”
“Is she the one who was at Rhianne’s party with you?” Her energy changed when she talked about her friend, as opposed to her family. She lit up when she mentioned Naomi’s name.
“Yeah, and now I’m never going to hear the end of it, thanks to you.”
