Page 26 of Hampton Holiday Collective

“Nah. Just salty about not getting a warmer welcome,” I lament.

She grips my arm tighter, preventing me from taking another step. “I’mhappy to see you. Why don’t we go on a walk?”

Side-eyeing her skeptically, I pull a face. The snow’s not coming down like it was yesterday, but it’s still wicked cold outside.

“I don’t want to go on a walk.”

“Well, I do. And I want you to go with me.”

I stare at her blankly. What’s her angle? We really don’t have time for a walk. There’s a long list of things to do to get dinner on the table. Plus, we always watch theMuppets Christmas Carolwith the kids on Christmas Eve—if we don’t start it by six, we’ll mess up their bedtime routine.

Tori plants one hand on her hip, and that single move tells me I’ve already lost. Then Rhett walks into the kitchen and seals my fate.

“What’s going on?” he asks, observing the silent standoff.

One side of Tori’s mouth turns up, just slightly, before she speaks.

“Jake won’t go on a walk with me.”

My eyes practically bug out of my head. “You’re such a brat! Are you really tattling on me to your husband right now?”

Ignoring the battle of wills waging between his wife and me, Rhett takes two steps closer, his face etched with concern.

“Bro, what’s wrong? Do you want to—”

“Fine! Fine. I’ll go on a stupid walk.”

Walking with Tori is more tolerable than being grilled by Rhett.

I shuffle to the door and wait for Tori to slip on her coat and hat and lace up her boots.

“Tattletale,” I mutter under my breath as she smugly links her arm through mine.

“It worked, didn’t it?”

We walk in a peaceful silence for a few minutes, down past the bench swing and along what should be the shoreline of the lake. The world is quiet in the way only fresh fallen snow can hush it into stillness. The cold air sears my lungs with each inhalation, but it soothes more than it burns. Surprisingly, I feel less harried with each step we take. Not that I would admit that to Tori.

“Where’s your holiday spirit this year?” she eventually asks, breaking the silence and bursting my bubble of solitude.

I shrug nonchalantly, my shoulders riddled with renewed tension. Time to downplay my feelings. Again.

“Just not feeling it this year.” With my hands in my pockets, I hunker down deeper in my coat to avoid the icy wind.

She keeps her attention fixed on the path ahead of us and asks, “Is everything okay with you and Cory?”

Fuckin’ A.

Leave it to Tori to not beat around the bush. I should have trusted my gut and refused this stupid walk. There’s no point in attempting to bullshit her. She’ll see right through me. She always does.

“Yeah, mostly,” I hedge. “I mean, yes. We’re fine. Our relationship is rock solid. Nothing is specifically wrong. But between the kids and his work, we never have time for each other around the holidays. It’s just hard at this time of year. He’s under a ton of pressure, and I’m trying my damnedest not to add to his plate.”

I trail off, and she doesn’t try to fill in the silence.

“I feel stupid complaining. Really, nothing is wrong, and we’ll get through this, just like we always do. But between you and me, it’s hard being just a dad,” I confess.

Tori halts beside me and pulls on my arm, forcing me to stop, too. “What do you meanjusta dad?”

I blow out a frustrated breath. Nothing’s coming out right today. I hate to sound like a whiny little bitch. But she’s the one who made me come on this stupid walk in the first place.