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“I mean, I can be Switzerland, right?”

She eyes me. “Switzerland?”

“Bella Swan. You’re a twilight fan, surely?” It’s not really a question, I already know. I’ve seen her Team Charlie t-shirts. Yep,Team Charlie.

“You — how’d you know about twilight?”

I give her a lopsidedduhlook. “Please.”

“Emma bought me that shirt,” she whispers, like someone will hear us.

I glance around at the empty hall as I whisper back. “Uh, huh. I mean, I don’t blame you. Charlie’s cool. I liked him the best in the movies. Personally, I’d trade Edward and Jacob in for one of Chief Swan.”

Finally she laughs. “Stop making fun.” She shoves me.

“I’m not!” I laugh. Sobering when I see the smile doesn’t reach her eyes. Something’s bugging her. “But in all seriousness, you can tell me if you want. Don’t feel you have to, but you just looked sad when we were talking about taking over from Pres.”

A deep breath pulls from her chest. “I’m gonna say it really fast, and it’s only because I had a little nip of butterscotch schnapps before I arrived and it’s given me some liquid courage.”

My eyes go wide. “Drinking on the job? Ainsley Parsons, I never?—”

Her hand connects with my shoulder as she gives me a playful shove.“I don’t really like Christmas all that much,” she sighs. “My dad and I don’t get along. He hasn’t made the holidays the most memorable over the years.”

“Shit, I’m sorry to hear that.”

She shrugs one shoulder. “We’ve tried over the years. But it wasn’t good growing up, he was a liar and didn’t treat my mom very respectfully.”

I stare at her. I was not expecting that. “Ains—” I don’t know what to say.

“So that’s my sad little story.” Her eyes find her feet again. “I prefer fall, truth be told, and I love Halloween.”

“You hate Christmas and yet you do all of this even though it brings you pain?” I feel a similar sensation knowing this information. It’s hitting my chest like a loaded freight train. Firing up the juices in my veins, it makes me wanna find her father and punch his lights out.

“I don’t hate it. It’s just always been a hard time for me.”

“But you never act like you hate it.”

She sighs. “I’m good at pretending, Cole. I’ve become really, really good at it. Maybe I should add it to my boring resume.”

The words hang and I don’t like them. I don’t like them one little bit. I lift her chin with my fingers so she’s forced to look at me. “You don’t have to pretend with me. Never. Do you hear me?”

She swallows hard, and I see it, the trepidation in her eyes. It makes me want to hurt anyone that ever put that look there, and I vow right here, right now, I never will.

“I’m sorry,” I go on. “About your dad. He sounds like a real jerk.”

“He is. And it’s not Christmas’s fault. We never had much growing up, and my mom made it as fun as she could. I mean, I didn’t know any different. But sometimes when she didn’t think I could hear, I caught her crying a lot around the holidays.”

“Your mom’s a good woman. She deserved better.”

She nods. “Funny, that’s what she keeps telling me. Earlier today you asked me what was wrong?” She glances up at me and I nod before she goes on. “I got a text from Drake. Asking when I’m coming back. Then I found out a few hours ago that he’s already been seen with another girl from out of town.”

My lips part, but no sound comes out. She really knows how to pick ‘em. Not that she picked her own jerk of a father, but Drake? What a fucking loser.

“Drake’s a dick,” I say. “He’s rebounding. He knows he’ll never get anyone as good as you. We both know it, so he’s retaliating. It can’t be good for his inflated ego that you left him the way you did.”

“Thanks Cole. One day he might get it into his head that I left because I deserve better.”

It’s like she’s telling herself and if she says it enough times, she might really believe it. “Yes, you do.”