Page 14 of Promise Yule Be Mine (Christmas Falls: Season 2)

14

NOVA

I wished there was a different way to do this. A different way to do my job than to spend so much time in close quarters with him.

It was torture, plain and simple.

I felt like one of those people in rom-coms or something, who kept getting drawn to the person they hated and they were a slip-up, an accident or a misunderstanding away from a terrible mistake that would unwind both protagonists' lives.

But my life wasn’t a rom-com. This wasn't a cute Hallmark movie where everything worked out in the end and nothing bad ever happened. This was real life and in real life even one small mistake had consequences.

"Music?" Kody asked beside me and reached for the radio.

I nodded without looking at him. I didn't know if I could without betraying all the thoughts running laps in my head.

He flipped through the whole spectrum of stations before he gave up with a sigh.

"I don't even know what music you like," he said and gestured for me to take over.

I chuckled and turned to the first available station.

It blasted country music but I grimaced and changed it again.

"Not a fan?" he asked.

"It's not that. I like country. I'm just very selective. Give me Dolly Parton, Shania Twain and The Chicks all day long, but everyone else…I don't know. Leaves a lot to be desired."

Kody nodded. "Fair," he said.

I changed to the next station. Kylie Minogue's “Can't Get You Out of My Head” played. Specifically, the la-la-la part.

Kody groaned. "God. Make it stop."

I laughed and turned the volume up just to see his reaction.

"No. Please. Show mercy," he fake-cried but kept his eyes on the road, unwavering from the task at hand, thank God.

I took pity on him and turned to the next station. “Silent Night” filled the car with its solemn melody.

"You don't like Kylie? That one was a classic."

He nodded with a sigh. "I know. And I'm sick of it. My ex used to be obsessed with her so I can't listen to any of her old songs or I get PTSD."

Ex .

I didn't know why but I hadn't even thought of Kody as someone who had exes. For some reason I'd assumed he and Jenna had been together since high school, although neither of them had told me so. Yet another peculiar thing about them. How little they talked of their relationship.

"That bad, huh?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. He completely ruined it for me. Completely ruined most pop for me, really."

I paused and stared.

"He?" I asked.

He opened his mouth but stopped before anything came out, then licked his lip and glanced at me. "I'm bi," he said, his voice barely a whisper.

"Oh."

Really, Nova? ‘Oh’? That's all you can say?

Although, what could I say to that? I'd made an assumption about him as if only straight people could be in straight relationships, but then again I'd tried not to ponder over his sexuality that much. Not when it was a hopeless endeavor that could only lead to more embarrassment and obsession.

"Is that…is that okay?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't it be?" I looked at him properly for what felt like the first time, and he stole my breath away.

The sunlight hit the side of his face, making him look like an angel, casting a glow that made his gray eyes brighter than they'd ever been and all the more enchanting.

It might have only lasted for a second, but it imprinted on my mind like a life-changing memory almost immediately.

"I don't know. A lot of people can be weird about bi people," he said.

"Well, a lot of people are assholes with a helmet. Doesn't mean they're right."

Kody blinked. "‘Assholes with a helmet’?"

I couldn’t hold my laughter in at his confusion that made mouth and 'stache curve comically to the side.

"Yeah. Assholes with a helmet. It's like an honorary asshole. A master of all assholes. A champion asshole."

Kody burst out in laughter and the sound gave me goosebumps, wrapping around me like a ghostly hug.

"I've never heard that before. That's hilarious," he wheezed, trying to compose himself.

"It's a Greek phrase. I learned it after doing a Greek wedding. It stuck." I shrugged.

That wedding had been all sorts of epic. A perfect marriage of tradition, Mediterranean stereotypes, and drama galore worthy of a telenovela. I really should send a message to Chris and Nikos, see how they're getting on.

"Well, I think it might stick with me, too."

"Happy to be of service." I flashed him my smile and he kept glancing from me to the road as if…as if he couldn't look away from me.

Wait.

All this time I thought I was projecting, but what if…what if he actually liked me? What if he had been flirting with me like I'd tried avoiding doing with him?

I tried to read his mind, his heart, his very soul. But seeing as I wasn't a mutant nor had magical powers, I couldn't do any of that. And yet I was convinced it wasn't all in my head.

Does Kody Campbell like like me?

“Silent Night” turned to “All I want for Christmas” and it shook me from my self-induced stupor.

"How do we feel about Mariah? Yay or nay? Did the ex ruin her too for you?"

It didn't matter if he liked liked me. He couldn't act on it and even if he could I wouldn't. I would never betray my best friend like that.

"He did, but this is a classic. I can't hate on it even if I tried," he said.

For a second I forgot what he was talking about, but when I remembered I blurted a "thank God" and turned up the volume.

"So you like Christmas then?" he asked when the song finished and another holiday song started.

"I'm not a monster. Of course I do. It's the best time of the year."

He smiled. "I know it might sound weird, but I love it too."

"Why would it sound weird?"

"Because we live in a Christmas town and Christmas is the busiest time of the year. I know a few people that have a love-hate relationship with the holiday," he said.

"But not you?"

He shook his head.

"That's because you're a happy person," I said. He was, wasn't he? He smiled so much I wondered how his cheeks didn't hurt, and I'd know. People had been asking me the same thing all my life.

No matter how much I promised myself I'd never do anything to hurt Jenna I couldn't stop myself from being absolutely enthralled by her fiancé.

What is wrong with me?

"Th-thanks," he stuttered and he couldn't hide the widening grin on his face.

Oh God. I'm doomed.

I turned up the volume to drown out my thoughts and any further conversation, and was only half successful, but at least it made the journey go by faster and less painfully embarrassing and frustrating than the first half.

We found the cake store and parked up in front of it. I switched on my professional mode once more as I walked up to the door and pushed it open.

A little bell above jingled, alerting the bakers to our arrival, and an older lady with gray hair up in a bun under a hairnet appeared to greet us.

"Hi there, welcome. How can I help?"

I offered her my hand and introduced myself. "We're here for the cake tasting?"

She frowned. "Cake tasting?"

I nodded. "Yeah. For the Kody Campbell and Jenna Torres wedding?"

The woman didn't make any attempt to go through her diary, or laptop, or wherever she stored appointments, she just kept gawking at me. "But…but you canceled."

"We what?"

"Yeah. You emailed last night to say the wedding is no longer going ahead and to cancel the tasting for today."

I turned to Kody who shook his head.

"We didn't. I called you yesterday to make sure everything was okay for the tasting," I told her.

"Yes, and then later in the evening I got your email."

"But I didn't email."

"Well somebody did," she said.

I asked to see the email and she put the pair of glasses hanging off her neck on and retrieved her phone from her apron pocket.

*Apologies for messing you around. I'm afraid we can't make it for the tasting tomorrow and we won't be needing your services after all. The wedding is off.

Kind regards,

Nova Myers .

"What the fuck?" I said before I could hold myself back. "I didn't send that."

Kody took the phone from my hand and read it too.

"You signed it," he said.

I leaned into him and looked at the email address.

[email protected].

"That's not my email address."

Was someone playing a prank on me? Was someone testing my abilities as a wedding planner?

"I don't know what's going on but I didn't send that. Can we still do the tasting?" I looked up at the baker, handing her phone back.

"Well…" she said. "You could, the problem is I'm…I'm no longer available to do the wedding."

I shook my head in confusion. Again.

"What do you mean? What could have changed since last night?"

"Well, when the email came I was a little relieved, to be honest. I was worried about how I was going to make it work so close to Christmas. And since you canceled?—"

"We didn't," I said.

"I thought you did. And I booked a little vacation for my family and me."

I sighed and turned away.

How could this have happened? Who would impersonate me?

I couldn't even go off on this woman because it wasn't her fault, although I had half a mind to for not confirming with me by phone. Why would she double-check when she'd gotten an email with all the details only me, Kody and Jenna would know?"

Jenna!

I took my phone out and dialed her number. Before it even started ringing it went on voicemail and I growled.

Was she behind it? Had she canceled? Why would she do that to me? Why would she do that to herself?

Nova: Jenna, did you cancel the wedding cake? Please be honest with me.

"Are you okay?" Kody reached up and touched the small of my back, grounding me back into the room.

He had no right to be touching me like that. He had no right to be making me feel this way. So calm in the face of disaster. So desperate in the face of sin.

"I…I'm fine," I managed to utter. "I should be asking you if you're okay. It's your wedding I've managed to screw up."

I knew I hadn't screwed up anything but before I pointed fingers I needed to know if my best friend was the culprit.

"Hey, it's not your fault."

"Maybe not, but still. I need to fix it."

He smiled a genuine smile and I hated him for it. For being so serene and gentle and kind, considering what had just happened.

"And I'm sure you will and you'll do a great job like always. Until then, though, want to grab some lunch before we head back? I kinda expected to be munching down on cake right now so my stomach is about to complain big time."

I laughed. And I annoyed myself doing it. Because I shouldn't be laughing. I should be getting back to work trying to solve this huge-ass problem that had sprung out of nowhere.

"Sure. Let's go for lunch," I answered and as we left the store and made our way back to the car I got a message.

Jenna: What?? No I didn't. What do you mean canceled? She can't do our cake anymore? Crap. What are we going to do now?

I paused and stared at my screen.

If not Jenna, then who?