Page 75 of A Very Bossy Christmas

“Hey, Ma.”

“Dec. Why isn’t Maddie here? What happened?”

“It’s just what I told Casey.” I say a quick prayer, just in case there’s a chance she’s so busy she’ll actually fall for that crap.

“Don’t you give me that, mister. There’s something wrong. I can hear it in your voice. You’re hungry and you’re anxious. Tell me. Or, you know… If you’d feel better lying to your only sisterandyour only mother, then just keep doing that. Go on. I’ve got a million relatives coming into town and a house to clean, but I got all the time in the world over here.”

“We had an argument, okay? She quit.”

“She quit her job?”

“Yes. And she quit…being my fake girlfriend.”

“What did you just say? She quit being yourfakegirlfriend? Did my sixty-year-old ears hear that right?”

“Yes. I know it sounds weird—”

“Ya think?”

“But that’s just how it started out. Things got real, fast. And they were good. They were better than good. They were better than anything. And then I messed up, but I’ll make it right. I just have to talk to her before the guys get here.”

I can hear her sniffling, which is awesome.

“Ma. Don’t cry.”

Well, this is a fucking delightful unexpected treat.

“Aw, Decky, I’m sorry. I’m sorry you felt so bad about everything that you had to go and fake a girlfriend.”

“It’s no one’s fault, Ma. Well, maybe it’s my fault.”

“I like her, Dec. I like Maddie. I like her with you. Even Nonna likes her.”

“I know. I do too.”

“I just don’t know where I went wrong with you. You were such a good boy. Always my little angel—I don’t know why you can’t get it right with a girl.”

“I wish I knew. I thought I was doing pretty good, too… You think I should go back to New York real quick to fix this?”

“Declan Sullivan Cannavale, don’t you dare! You can’t leave your brother with those animals—Aiden and Eddie can’t handle them.”

“Those animals fromyourside of the family, you mean?”

“You should be Brady’s best man—we don’t talk about it, but you know it.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Least you could do is be there for him for the next few days.”

“Yes. Least I could do after providing him with a bride.”

“All right, that’s enough about that.”

There’s banging on the door.

“Eh! Room service! Somebody in there order a wicked awesome steamin’ pile of trouble?!”

“Shut your feckin’ gob, O’Sullivan—this here’s a fine establishment.”