She stared at him. “Because I don’t want to fall in love. I’ve told you that a hundred times.”

“And I’ve told you a hundred times, you can’t use your parents as your role models. That whole situation shouldn’t define your future.”

She sighed. “But it does.”

“Who’s it with?” Addison asked.

“Yeah. Tell her that part, Nic.”

She glanced at Addison. “So, I don’t actually know her. At all. In fact, I just met her the one time when she approached me at lunch.”

Addison drew her brows together. “What? Wait.” She held a hand up. “A strange woman came up to you and asked you to go skiing with her for Christmas? Is this one of your stalkers?”

“I don’t think so, but yeah, I have noticed her watching me.”

“Tell her the rest,” Eric prodded. “Tell her about the girlfriend part.”

Nic grinned. “Well, she kinda needs a date. Her ex is now dating her brother and last year at Christmas, she slept with the ex. So this year, she wants to avoid that scenario.” She pointed at herself. “I’m to pretend to be her girlfriend.”

“Oh my god! No! You’re so not going! Nic, that’s just weird. Who goes up to a complete stranger and asks them to pretend to be a girlfriend? Eric is right. You’re crazy to consider it. What if she’s a serial killer or something and she’s trying to lure you away?”

“You guys, no. It wasn’t like that. I didn’t get any bad vibes from her at all. She was really apologetic about the whole thing. She knew it sounded weird, she said that several times.” She smiled at Addison. “Did I tell you she was really cute?”

Addison squeezed her arm. “I’m with Eric, Nicky. I wish you could meet someone normal. I wish you’d stop all this crazy stuff you’ve been doing.”

“I don’t want to meet anyone normal. I don’t have anything to offer anyone normal,” she said. “But I wouldn’t mind another beer.”

“So this woman intrigues you and you’ve already made up your mind?”

“Well, it’ll be something different.” Sure it would. But she did remember the look of desperation in her eyes—Abby Carpenter. “It might be fun.”

“But it’s Christmas. Would you really leave your uncle alone for the holidays?”

“It’s perfect, really. One of his buddies wants him to go to Vegas with him, but he’s hesitating because he doesn’t want to leave me alone. I told him to go, that I could hang out with you two, but he hasn’t made up his mind.” She shrugged. “You know me and Christmas. Just a day to get past.”

Addison squeezed her arm. “I hate that you still feel that way.”

“Oh, it is what it is. I think I’m too old to change.”