Holly's Wishes (12 page)

“Oh no, it was fine. We were wrapping up a staff meeting.” Dan looked around their tiny table that was already packed with food. “Would you like to join us?”

Holly glanced away briefly. The three of them had been having such a wonderful stress-free meal. Dan didn’t know. He was only being polite. As far as he was concerned, Ben was one of Holly’s friends.
And he still was—but he was more than that.
She met Ben’s eyes. He appeared so … lost. She wanted to reach out to him. She just … couldn’t.

 “No, but thank you,” he said, with an uncomfortable tone. Maybe she had been reading him wrong after all. Maybe what she interpreted as sadness was really him being distant and distracted. “I think I see a stool at the counter opening up. It was nice to meet you both … and Holly,” he said with a certain formality, “it was nice to see you again.”

“You too,” Holly said quietly. Her phone buzzed as they watched him walk away.

“Is everything okay?” Dan asked. “You seemed kind of thrown off when he came over.”

“No, everything’s fine.” She sighed and read her text message.

Hey baby. I’m going to be a little late tonight. We got our holiday bonus early. Have some shopping to do for my sweetie’s special surprise. The future is looking awesome for us—you & me, baby! You & me. xoxo.

She shook her head. She was an idiot. Why was she sitting here getting upset about Ben, when she had the perfect guy at home?

Chapter 25

 “Happy Birthday, baby.” Jared rolled over and kissed Holly, lightly stroking her hair as he nuzzled her neck.

“Mmmm,” she moaned, curling into him. “It’s not my birthday, silly, it’s Thanksgiving. My birthday is still two weeks away.”

He still knew exactly how to send a shiver up her spine the first thing in the morning. It helped he’d been hinting daily he had something exciting planned for her birthday. Did this mean he was giving it to her early? She perked up.

“I know baby, but since I got my bonus already, I was able to pick up your big surprise sooner than I expected. Of course, if you don’t want it—” He rolled away from her, pretending to be upset.

“What?” she asked with a wide smile. “No, it’s okay. You can give it to me early. I mean, if that’s what you want to do. She playfully nipped at his shoulders, trying to get him to come back.

“I don’t know,” he said, “I may need a little convincing.” He turned his head toward her, flashing a mischievous grin. “Just how deserving are you?”

“Oh, I’m very deserving,” Holly said, wrapping her body around him. “Would you like me to show you?”

An hour and a half later, Holly woke up alone in bed. “Jared?” she called out.

“In the kitchen,” he replied.

She threw on her robe and followed the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Kissing him on the cheek, she sat down at the table as he poured her a cup.

 “What time are we going over to your parents?” he asked, smiling the biggest smile she’d seen in weeks.

Normally they’d head over around four o’clock, but since Ava, Max, and Jenna were coming in, she wanted to get there early to visit and share her news. This was going to be a year to remember.

“I guess we’ll leave as soon as we get dressed,” Holly said. “So …” Grabbing her mug, she walked over to Jared.

“So…” he repeated. “Why don’t you go make yourself pretty, and when you get back, I’ll have your surprise waiting for you. Then we can go see your family.”

Beaming, she kissed him before racing off to take the quickest shower she’d ever taken in her entire life. When she returned, she noticed a small box with a blue bow sitting on the coffee table. Walking over to the couch, she sat down beside Jared and waited.

“Happy Birthday, babe!” he finally said, handing the gift to her.

Holly stared at him. It wasn’t exactly the proposal she was expecting, but maybe he was saving the good stuff for after she saw the ring. She slowly opened the box, wanting to savor the moment she’d been waiting so long for. She knew he didn’t have a lot of money, and she didn’t have great expectations. The ring part wasn’t even that important to her. It was the message and commitment behind it.

“Well?” Jared asked as Holly just sat there staring, not saying a word.

“It’s a key,” she finally said.
A key. Not a ring … a key.

“I know, silly.”  He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and said, “Close your eyes and come with me.”

She did as she was instructed, and he took her hands to guide her across the room. Was it possible he was taking her to a locked box that held her ring? It was obvious her surprise was far from over. Maybe this was one of those proposals where the bride-to-be is sent on a treasure hunt. Now, that would be romantic! With renewed optimism, Holly held on tight to Jared’s hand as he led her toward the front wall of their apartment.

“Open your eyes,” he finally announced.

Scanning the space around her, she searched for the next clue.

“Look,” he instructed, “out the window.”

Holly looked out and down. Next to her car was a second car, a compact one, with a bow on the top. She glanced back up.

“You bought me a car?” she asked, confused.

“Happy Birthday, baby!” he yelled again. “I told you I had something big and shiny planned! Now I won’t have to borrow your car to get to work all the time. It’s going to take so much pressure off of us.”

“You bought this for you?”

“Well, it’s for us, of course. You know. I figure we can switch off and stuff … maybe every other week or something. What do you think? You’re speechless, huh?”

“Yes, I think I am indeed speechless.”

“I’m going to go get ready,” Jared said. “I can’t wait to drive this baby over to your parents’ house.”

“Wait,” Holly said.

He turned around. “What’s up, babe? You want to take it for a spin now? I guess that’s okay.”

“No, that’s not it.” She stared at him, trying hard to fight back her tears of disappointment.

“I really surprised you didn’t I? Are you all right? You’re acting kind of funny.”

 “No, Jared, I’m not
all right
,” Holly responded.

“I don’t get it, babe. In my book, this should be your best birthday ever. What’s your deal?”

“My
deal
is I finally figured out we’re reading two completely different books, and we always will be.” She stared into his eyes and saw a blank expression looking back at her. He clearly did not understand any of her frustration. “I thought you were going to propose today. Ever since Ava’s wedding, you’ve been saying stuff like you needed extra money to buy something special for me—for our future—something shiny. What the hell, Jared?
A car?
I thought you were talking about an engagement ring.”

“I can’t afford an engagement ring, babe, you know that. I got the car on the cheap from a buddy.”

She looked at him and shook her head. “Jared, the ring is so not even relevant. Proposing is really just words … from the heart. Last time I checked, that part didn’t cost any money. Of course, you have to want to say the words. You have to have
the balls
to be able to say the words.”

“This is bullshit. I bought you a freaking car, and this is the thanks I get? I’m going to take a shower.”

“Yes, this
is
bullshit. You’re right. You know what? I’m glad, too. Because now I know exactly how you really feel, and I can stop wasting my time. It’s okay, though. You don’t have to think about me anymore. I won’t be here when you get out. In fact, after I move all my stuff, I won’t be back again. Ever. Oh, and by the way,” Holly said, grabbing the key to the new car before walking out the door, “thanks for the gift.”

Chapter 26

“Holly? Is that you?”

Ava came out of the kitchen with Jenna by her side, her face covered in chocolate.

“Aunt Holly!” she said, running into her arms.

“Hi, sweet pea! I sure did miss you!”

“Guess what? Grandma made five kinds of pie
and
cookies. I don’t like pie, but I promised her I’d eat all of my beans, so she let me have a cookie before dinner. I took the chocolate one.”

Holly looked at her niece’s messy face. “You don’t say,” she laughed. “So did any of it wind up in your tummy?”

“Yup, and it was de-licious!”

Laughing, Ava tried to wipe her daughter clean with a napkin. “This little one already wore Mom out. She went upstairs to take a nap before dinner. The men are downstairs playing pool and watching the game. You know how they are.” She gave her sister a hug. “It’s so good to see you. Where’s Jared?” She pulled back. “Are you okay?

Holly only shook her head, knowing the moment she said the words her tears would start flowing.

“Jenna, honey,” Ava said, turning on the television, “why don’t you take a little rest and watch TV until Grandma comes down. Mommy needs to talk to Aunt Holly for a little bit.”

“Okay,” her daughter replied, already distracted by the show in front of her.

Taking Holly’s hand, Ava led her into the kitchen, where Tessa stood at the sink, washing dishes.

“Oh, hey, Holly. I didn’t know you were here. Grab a towel. You can dry.”

Holly sat at the kitchen table, burying her head in her hands.

“… or not,” Tessa said, looking over to her sister before turning the faucet off. “What’s going on?”

Ava put her arm around her sister.

“Jared gave me my birthday present today,” Holly started, sobbing between her words. “He wanted to give it to me early. He was all excited about it.”

“That’s good right?” Tessa asked, bringing over the box of tissues that had been sitting on the counter. “You told us he’s been hinting at something
extra special
this year. Why are you crying?”

“It wasn’t a ring.”

“I know you’re disappointed,” Ava said, rubbing her sister’s back, “but this doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen It just means it’s not the right time.”

Holly looked at her sister through her tears. “How much more time does he need?” She closed her eyes, letting all of the pent up anger, frustration, and sadness from years of waiting rush out of her body all at once. “I left him,” she said, her body trembling as she spoke the words.

“Oh, sweetie,” Ava said, turning her around to hug her. Tessa joined in as well.

 “He bought me a car. Not a ring, a car. A used car. Not even for me, really, it was more for us to share … every other week. All this time—all the hints.” Holly stopped to catch her breath, wiping her tears. “The point is there were no plans for making a commitment for a future together. The ring part wasn’t even that important. He could have done so much with just words and actions to show me he cared about creating a bond that would last a lifetime. Instead, he gave me something that could break down at a moment’s notice. It was a sign I needed to be done with him once and for all. He had no intention of proposing. I was a fool to think he’d changed.”

Tessa sat down at the table with her sister and took her hands. “I’m really sorry, sis. Men suck.”

“I know there’s someone out there who’s a thousand times better for you,” Ava said, getting her sister a glass of water.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “The thing is, I feel like an idiot more than anything else. It took this for me to realize I wasn’t in love with him, not even a little bit. I was in love with the
idea of him.
This fantasy I had in my head that I’ve had since I was a little girl—meeting the guy, getting married, having a family, living happily ever after. I was more in love with the idea that he could be the one to make it happen. I was so focused on my dream, I became blind to the person in front of me.” She rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Jared?” She wiped her eyes again, and glanced up at her sisters. “I stayed with him for all of the wrong reasons. I know that now.”

Ava sat down at the table, putting her arm around Holly. “Honey, you deserve so much better. And one day, you’re going to find that person who’s going to make all your dreams come true.”

“Hol,” Tessa began. “I … um …”

“What is it?” she asked with a concerned tone.

“Okay, promise you won’t get mad. I only didn’t say anything because you seemed so intent on this whole Jared thing. Well, it’s about Ben.”

“You two can be together now,” Ava said, smiling. “You should talk to him. Mom invited him and his parents over today for Thanksgiving.”

“Here? Today?” Holly sighed. She had thought about Ben her entire ride over. In fact, she hadn’t been able to get Ben off her mind. “It’s not going to happen. I saw him the other day, and he didn’t seem happy to see me at all. Anyway, he’d only think I was interested because I didn’t have Jared anymore. Today is going to be a disaster.” She cradled her head in her arms, resting her elbows on the table.

“You need to know something,” Tessa said, continuing where she left off. “Ben and I have been getting together.”

“What?” Holly asked, lifting her eyes up.
So now the guy who she thinks her heart might actually belong to, is dating her sister?

“No! Not like that. He’d kill me if I told you this, but, okay. At first it started as pool lessons. He asked Dad and me to teach him. He didn’t want you to know. I guess he thought he could surprise you with a win. Don’t worry, he’s still really awful.”

“You said
started as
. So it’s something different now?” Sitting back up straight, she waited for her to explain.

“Yes, he’s been texting me. He’s got it bad for you, Hol. He’s really a good guy. Here.” She shoved her phone into Holly’s hands.

She began to read the texts:

Ben: I can’t stop thinking about her. I have to see her again.

Tessa: You can’t. She’s in a serious relationship. It’s not fair to mess with her head like that.

Ben: I know. But, he’s not the right guy for her. No, you’re right. They seem to be doing better now. I need to let them be. Ugh. What is wrong with me?