Page 81 of I Could Never
“You’re acting a little weird.”
He wiped the counter vigorously. “Must be your imagination.”
I nodded, feeling dumb for wishing he would admit he was jealous. I quickly changed the subject, blurting out the first thing that came to mind as I watched him clean. “Your hair has grown out so much, Josh. Your scruff, too. It looks good though.”
“It goes along with being stuck in the woods.”
“Is your job weird about facial hair?”
“They don’t give a fuck as long as I bring them business.”
“Good. That’s the way it should be.”
He finally stopped wiping and turned to me. “I meant to ask you… Are you going home for Christmas?”
“To Oregon?”
“Either that or California?”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
“You can, if you want. I have no problem manning the ship here with Scottie if you want to see your mom.”
I had no desire to be anywhere else but Woodsboro for Christmas. The two Christmases Brad and I had been together, we’d separated to see our families, so I hadn’t ever spent the holiday here.
“I was kind of looking forward to experiencing a Christmas here,” I told him. “I have no guarantees that I’ll be in Woodsboro next year. I mean, we might, but...”
“Okay.” He nodded. “Well, my brother Michael usually has our family over there on Christmas Eve. You should come. Scottie, too, of course.”
“I would love that.”
“I’m sure Neil would love to see you.” He winked.
I cringed. “I hadn’t thought of that. Will it be awkward if I’m there?”
“No, he’s cool. There are no hard feelings.”
“Good.”
It touched me that Josh had invited me to his family’s Christmas gathering. Granted, he probably felt like he had no choice, but I was still moved that he was thinking ahead about it and not wanting me to feel left out.
“I’d love to meet your dad, too,” I said.
“He’s a trip. He’s been through a lot, but he still has a good sense of humor. He’s had his ups and downs over the years, but he’s in a good place now.”
“Does everyone exchange gifts there or...”
“Actually, Michael’s wife, Vanessa, assigns us all one person to buy for. I’ll let her know you guys are coming, so she can add you to the list.”
“Oh, I love that idea. That makes it so much easier.”
Josh nodded. “Before this year, Christmas was about the only time I’d come home. But I made sure never to miss one.”
“Brad, too,” I said. “He loved coming home to Woodsboro for Christmas.”
“Yup.” After a moment, Josh added, “We should get a tree.”
“Yeah?” I smiled, surprised at his suggestion. “Where are we gonna put it?”