The Holiday Experiment: A Mayberry Holm Standalone Christmas Novel by Rhys Everly

Author:Rhys Everly [Everly, Rhys]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rhys Writes Romance
Published: 2022-10-27T18:30:00+00:00

16 Enzo

Stupid!

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Why would I tell him that?

Why would I tell him I didn’t like him when he was the only one I wanted?

Stupid!

It was for the best. I knew it was.

Carson wanted something I couldn’t give him, no matter how big the temptation was.

I couldn’t give him more than my friendship. I couldn’t give anyone more than my friendship.

The way my father’s loss had torn my mom apart…

I didn’t want that to happen to me. It had taken my mom years of therapy and spells to get on top of her grief. And I was still working on mine. I just…I couldn’t handle a blow like that.

And it wasn’t as if my father had been old when he died. He had only been thirty-four when he was taken from us. It just happened one day without any warning signs. His heart gave out, and so did ours when it happened.

How could I give my heart to anyone if I had no guarantee they wouldn’t be taken from me the same way?

No, it’s better this way.

I made my way to the pier and pushed the door of Bubble Bubble open, alerting everyone to my presence.

“Enzo! You’re early. You don’t start for another hour,” Hwan said, checking his watch.

His hair was a silky silver color today, and he had a headband on with red cat ears and two stumpy gold antlers that made him look very festive and cute.

“Yeah, I…um…I was bored,” I answered and went behind the counter, making my way to the storeroom to grab my pink apron.

When I came out, Parker was unloading a tray of glass cups onto the glasswasher with a scowl. I couldn’t blame the guy. The glass cups—more like lidded mason jars with a hole for the straw—were a new addition to the shop. An environmental, plastic-free option for patrons. Not that I thought Parker cared about the extra work. He was a big, hardworking guy. He could handle it.

“Need a hand?” I asked him because I was nice like that.

“Huh? Nah, I’m okay,” Parker grumbled.

After working with him for a week and watching him interact with others, I knew that was his standard setting that only softened when it was just him and Hwan. Or when they thought they were alone anyway.

It had been quite the start, walking into them going at it in the storeroom on my second day on the job.

“Hey, what are you doing here? You’re early,” he added after a moment and his eyebrows united over the bridge of his nose in confusion.

“Jeez, guys. If you don’t want me here, just say so,” I said.

Parker rolled his eyes and his nostrils flared as he returned to his task.

“We’re just surprised you’re so eager. Surprised and impressed,” Hwan said, handing a customer their change.

“I’m positively insulted.” I put my hands to my waist and shook my head in fake dismissal.

“Good,” Hwan said matter-of-factly. “Oh, by the way…I know what you did last night…”

He sang the last bit, and my nerves went on high alert.

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