Christmas Eve
“Okay. Explain to me again why you won’t call him? It’s been three weeks. Surely you’re not going to just leave things the way they are.” Ansley was draped over the love seat in Kate’s apartment living room. She was scrolling through her phone, not even looking in Kate’s direction.
Kate rolled her eyes as she added a few more sprinkles to the cookies she’d made for her neighbors. “I’m not going over this again with you. Honestly, Ansley, I don’t understand why you’re so obsessed with him.”
Ansley’s gaze darted to meet Kate’s, and she lifted a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “I don’t know. I just figured you sounded so happy when you were spending time with him at that resort.”
Chest tight, Kate swallowed the lump in her throat. “I was happy, until I realized he’s just like the rest of them. He’s a liar who’s only interested in what makes him happy.”
“Sheesh, Kate. I didn’t realize you turned into such a cynic.”
Kate flinched as she went over what she’d just said in her head. Ansley was right. Over the last three weeks, her attitude had continued to spiral. She’d fixated on everything that had developed between herself and Liam. Doing so had forced her heart into a constant state of unrest. Had she done the right thing? Should she have listened to him? Maybe, but he could have just as easily made the first step in mending bridges. It wouldn’t have been that hard to track down her number.
“You okay?”
Kate jumped and stared at her friend. Concern was etched into Ansley’s perfect features.
“Because you look like you want to murder that cookie.” Ansley sat up and peered over at the counter. “What did that cute little Christmas tree ever do to you?” She made a poor attempt at hiding the amusement regarding her own statement.
Glancing down at the cookie, Kate groaned. Rather than being adorned with perfectly piped frosting like all the other cookies, the one in front of her looked like it had been done by a two-year-old. She opened the cupboard where the garbage can was and picked up the cookie.
“Don’t you dare!” Ansley jumped off the love seat and scurried over to the island. She snatched the cookie out of Kate’s hand and brought it to her lips with a flourish. “Mmm.” She smiled before propping herself onto a bar stool and gave Kate a pointed look. “What if you were wrong?”
“Wrong about what?” Kate leaned over the next cookie, frosting bag poised.
“About Liam.”
She flinched again. “I’m not.”
“But what if you were?” Ansley pressed. “What if Liam was innocent and you walked away from the best person you ever had a chance to be with?”
Kate brought up her gaze to meet Ansley’s. “Who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?”
Ansley gasped and placed a manicured hand on her chest. “I can be a romantic if the timing is right.” She took another bite of her cookie. “Humor me. What if you were wrong and Liam was actually perfect for you? What would you do?”
One of Kate’s brows arched as she studied her friend. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“That’s right. Nothing. First of all, I don’t have his number. Second of all, I did make a pretty big fool of myself. There’s no coming back from that. Third—”
“You love him.”
Kate choked on a bit of spittle when she sucked in a breath. The cough that followed was just as painful. “What?” she managed to spit out as soon as she caught her breath.
“You heard me. I’ve seen you in love, Kate. I know the signs. That means when you fell in love for a second time, it was like déjà vu. You are in love with that man, and you need to get him back.”
A snort escaped Kate’s lips. “I can’t get him back.”
“But you would if you could?”
Kate sighed, putting down her frosting bag. “I don’t know.” She glanced at Ansley, and her friend’s wide eyes were drilling into her. “Okay, fine. If I found out I was wrong, and he wanted me back, sure, I’d try again. But none of that matters, because it’s never going to happen.”
Ansley tapped her finger on the counter, not speaking for a few minutes. “You know what we should do tonight?” Without waiting for a response, Ansley leaned forward and smiled brightly at her. “Karaoke.”
Kate let out an exaggerated groan. “I don’t want to go to a karaoke bar with you tonight. It’s Christmas Eve, for heaven’s sake. I bet there isn’t even one open.”
“I know of one.”
Her brows creased. “Who would be crazy enough to have karaoke night on Christmas Eve?”
“Mulligan’s.”
Kate considered her friend for a few moments. Mulligan’s would be the one place that would try to bring in some people before the festivities began tomorrow.
“You know you want to,” Ansley sang. “And I’m sure they’ll only be playing Christmas music. We could go, sing some songs, eat some junk food, and call it a night.”
The offer was tempting. She could use an opportunity to burn off a little steam. The tension left her shoulders as she let them drop and allowed a smile to fill her face. “Okay. Let’s do it.”