“I could say that I’m still wounded from Holly, but that’s only partially true. Honestly, I’m a little bored with the whole thing. No matter which nightclub we go to on Saturday nights, it feels the same. Like it’s the exact same people there. And I’m just not sure I want to seriously date someone I met at a bar.”

“Guessing, but you met Holly at a bar?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“At a gay bar?”

“Yes.”

“Yet she’s dating your brother.”

“Engaged to be married, let’s not forget.”

“Oh yeah. Maid of honor.” She laughed at the look on Abby’s face. “I’d tell them to kiss my ass, I think.”

“Oh, I so want to do that. My mother would kill me, though. She wants us all to be one big, happy family. No quarrels, no drama.”

Nic sighed. Growing up, quarrels and drama was all she knew. What would it be like having a traditional Christmas celebration? Would they have a special meal? Probably. She could envision a big, beautifully lit tree, a house decorated to the hilt, maybe some candles and Christmas music.

“What are you thinking?”

“What will Christmas be like?”

“What do you mean?”

“We had this little fake, tabletop tree. No lights, just some old, mismatched ornaments on it.” She didn’t add that on a good year, they’d have a gift or two wrapped. Other years—most years—the gifts would still be in their Walmart bag. If there were gifts at all, that is. “We opened gifts on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, we’d have Chinese food.”

“Why Chinese?”

“Back when my parents first got married, it was the only thing open on Christmas Day. My mother liked to say that it was tradition.” She sighed. “It was a crappy tradition.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So, tell me what Christmas will be like.”

“Well, it’s very Christmasy, that’s for sure. It’s a big, two-story log house and my mother will have every inch of it decorated.”

“Fireplace?”

“Huge fireplace. And there’ll be stockings hung there. A large tree—never artificial—that will make the living room smell like the forest. It will be decorated to an obscene degree, so much so that there’ll hardly be any green showing and it’s quite beautiful.” She paused. “I’m sorry. I sound like I’m bragging. It’s—”