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Story: The Christmas Bet
Chapter 1
Allison
“What’s the body count at now?” Lacy asks as she turns in her chair away from her laptop to face me. It’s the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, the last day before December is upon us. Right before the reason for the season is in full swing.
“Body count? Really?” I cross my arms over my chest and narrow my eyes at her. I lean my hip on the frame of her office door.
Lacy Boyd has been my best friend since high school. We’re inseparable. We even made sure that we went to the same college and had the same major: Hospitality Administration. Now, we work for the same event services company, Kincaid Events.
“How fast did you run out of the restaurant this time, Allie?” she asks as she folds her arms in front of her on her desk.
I sigh, “The minute they brought dessert and I saw Dan reach into his pocket.” I run my hand through my hair. “How did you know?”
“He asked me what I thought of the ring. I told him if he wanted to continue a relationship with you then he should return it, that it wasn’t the right time. Obviously, he didn’t take my advice.”
“No, he didn’t. And it’s not that it wasn’t the right time; it never would be. I didn’t want to marry him,” I say as I walk over to the armchair in front of her desk and fall into it. “I don’t want to just marry anybody. I want to marry the one.”
“The one. You keep bringing that up, but none of these men end up meeting your standards.” She swivels in her chair.
“Well, I would think I’d have to kiss a lot of frogs to find my prince.”
“Um, hello? Dan, Thomas, Michael—they all were great guys. They could’ve been your prince.” She pulls her brow together.
She might be on to something with the body count. The three guys she named were only a couple in the handful that have wanted more. Whether it was kids or marriage, they always wanted more. And that’s not something I want to give to just anyone.
Love is magical; love should be like a dream. There should be sparks and flames, an undying need for each other. My soul should need his, my body reacting to his very presence, and my heart should beat for no one but him. I should know without a doubt that the man I marry is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.
None of these men made me feel anything but just happy for a moment in time.
Lacy makes fun of my body count, but I know that I have to go through all the wrong ones until I get to the right one. Hopefully, sooner rather than later. A lot sooner, because I’m on my way to becoming a cat lady at the ripe old age of thirty-two.
And I know my outlook on love is made up of magic and fairy tales, but it’s what my parents had when they were alive. They loved each other so much, and the only thing they loved more than each other was me. They had their moments, they fought, they cried, but they loved with such passion. Love always won. No matter the situation, they shook it off and love fixed it all. I want that magical love. Sure, I’m being cynical now by throwing out men left and right that see a future with me, but I can’t see one with them. I refuse to settle.
“I want kids, and I want marriage, but only with the right man. These guys were not the right one, they were only for right now,” I say softly.
“Then why bother dating at all?” Lacy stands up from her desk bending over it, her eyes narrowing.
“Because you have to go through the ones that aren’t right so you can find Mr. Right,” I retort with a shrug.
“That seems like a lot of unneeded work. Look, just hook up with guys, give them a fake ass number, and move on to the next. It’s so much easier.” She laughs.
“Why don’t I just charge them a fee to be with me for the night?” I deadpan.
“Hmm. Yeah, I think prostitution is illegal in New York, but feel free if that’s your prerogative. Just don’t get caught. I can’t afford the bail.” Her lips curl upwards.
“Shut up!” I throw a pad of sticky notes at her, and we both break out into laughter.
“You want to go shopping? I need to get out of this office for lunch, and I still have some Christmas shopping to get done.” She bends down to her desk drawer, fishing out her purse.
I stand up and cross my arms over my chest, making my way towards the door. “Christmas is like four weeks away. You have time.”
“Listen, Scrooge, some of us like to get things done early, not wait until the last minute,” she says as we walk out the door, grabbing her coat before we leave her office.
“First, you know damn well this is my favorite time of year. Second, shopping at last minute with the rush of last-minute shoppers makes it fun!” I smile and head towards my office to grab my jacket and purse.
“You really are crazy, you know that?” Lacy laughs.
“Yeah, I’m your bestie. I have to be.” I stick my tongue out at her as I walk out from y office to meet her.
Allison
“What’s the body count at now?” Lacy asks as she turns in her chair away from her laptop to face me. It’s the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, the last day before December is upon us. Right before the reason for the season is in full swing.
“Body count? Really?” I cross my arms over my chest and narrow my eyes at her. I lean my hip on the frame of her office door.
Lacy Boyd has been my best friend since high school. We’re inseparable. We even made sure that we went to the same college and had the same major: Hospitality Administration. Now, we work for the same event services company, Kincaid Events.
“How fast did you run out of the restaurant this time, Allie?” she asks as she folds her arms in front of her on her desk.
I sigh, “The minute they brought dessert and I saw Dan reach into his pocket.” I run my hand through my hair. “How did you know?”
“He asked me what I thought of the ring. I told him if he wanted to continue a relationship with you then he should return it, that it wasn’t the right time. Obviously, he didn’t take my advice.”
“No, he didn’t. And it’s not that it wasn’t the right time; it never would be. I didn’t want to marry him,” I say as I walk over to the armchair in front of her desk and fall into it. “I don’t want to just marry anybody. I want to marry the one.”
“The one. You keep bringing that up, but none of these men end up meeting your standards.” She swivels in her chair.
“Well, I would think I’d have to kiss a lot of frogs to find my prince.”
“Um, hello? Dan, Thomas, Michael—they all were great guys. They could’ve been your prince.” She pulls her brow together.
She might be on to something with the body count. The three guys she named were only a couple in the handful that have wanted more. Whether it was kids or marriage, they always wanted more. And that’s not something I want to give to just anyone.
Love is magical; love should be like a dream. There should be sparks and flames, an undying need for each other. My soul should need his, my body reacting to his very presence, and my heart should beat for no one but him. I should know without a doubt that the man I marry is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.
None of these men made me feel anything but just happy for a moment in time.
Lacy makes fun of my body count, but I know that I have to go through all the wrong ones until I get to the right one. Hopefully, sooner rather than later. A lot sooner, because I’m on my way to becoming a cat lady at the ripe old age of thirty-two.
And I know my outlook on love is made up of magic and fairy tales, but it’s what my parents had when they were alive. They loved each other so much, and the only thing they loved more than each other was me. They had their moments, they fought, they cried, but they loved with such passion. Love always won. No matter the situation, they shook it off and love fixed it all. I want that magical love. Sure, I’m being cynical now by throwing out men left and right that see a future with me, but I can’t see one with them. I refuse to settle.
“I want kids, and I want marriage, but only with the right man. These guys were not the right one, they were only for right now,” I say softly.
“Then why bother dating at all?” Lacy stands up from her desk bending over it, her eyes narrowing.
“Because you have to go through the ones that aren’t right so you can find Mr. Right,” I retort with a shrug.
“That seems like a lot of unneeded work. Look, just hook up with guys, give them a fake ass number, and move on to the next. It’s so much easier.” She laughs.
“Why don’t I just charge them a fee to be with me for the night?” I deadpan.
“Hmm. Yeah, I think prostitution is illegal in New York, but feel free if that’s your prerogative. Just don’t get caught. I can’t afford the bail.” Her lips curl upwards.
“Shut up!” I throw a pad of sticky notes at her, and we both break out into laughter.
“You want to go shopping? I need to get out of this office for lunch, and I still have some Christmas shopping to get done.” She bends down to her desk drawer, fishing out her purse.
I stand up and cross my arms over my chest, making my way towards the door. “Christmas is like four weeks away. You have time.”
“Listen, Scrooge, some of us like to get things done early, not wait until the last minute,” she says as we walk out the door, grabbing her coat before we leave her office.
“First, you know damn well this is my favorite time of year. Second, shopping at last minute with the rush of last-minute shoppers makes it fun!” I smile and head towards my office to grab my jacket and purse.
“You really are crazy, you know that?” Lacy laughs.
“Yeah, I’m your bestie. I have to be.” I stick my tongue out at her as I walk out from y office to meet her.