old guy she works for, right? And isn’t he married? Has kids older than us? Gross.”
Chace nodded. “Apparently they’d been having an affair since before Kelly and I even got together. At least they were broken up when we met. Or so she tells me, anyway.”
“Dude, that’s just nasty. And I mean it in every possible way. But really, you’re better off. I always knew that girl was shady,” Ethan said.
“Yeah,” Chace said, staring down at his bare feet.
“Yeah, uh, you probably don’t wanna hear that right now.”
“Nope.”
“So…now that you’ve killed the conversation…”
He laughed. “You’re the one who brought up Kelly.”
“Yeah, not knowing she’d gone straight up—well—Kelly on you. Hey, the good news is you can leave Nowheresville now. You should come back to Richmond.”
“Actually…I’m moving to D.C.”
“Oh yeah? When?”
“Uh—in a few days.”
“Uhm, so I leave the country for the holidays and you just go and completely rearrange your life, huh? Were you gonna even tell me? Send me a postcard? Something?” Ethan scratched his head in mock confusion.
“Dude, it’s all been very spur of the moment. It’s kinda hard to get in touch with you with this ginormous time difference, you know.”
“Ha, it is pretty big. The jet lag is gonna be ridiculous when I get home. Man, but this has been one amazing Christmas. You really shoulda come with me.”
“Yeah,” Chace said, but not regretting his decision to stay for one moment. Even though he’d wanted to go earlier, and he’d been really pissed at Kelly for making him stay—especially after she tried to wreck his Christmas anyway. If he’d gone to New Zealand, he would have probably never met Whitney. And not meeting Whitney would have been a true tragedy.
Chace debated for a moment over whether or not to tell Ethan about Whitney. In the end, his desire to not hear a lecture from Ethan about how he shouldn’t be dating again so soon won. No, it was best to keep quiet about Whitney. He waited for Ethan to finish bashing Kelly for making Chace stay in Virginia. And then he bashed Chace for listening to Kelly.
When Ethan was finished, he said, “What are you gonna do with your apartment?”
“I guess break the lease if she doesn’t want it. I need to do something with my furniture, I guess.” Most of the furniture in the place was Chace’s. And movers were coming in the morning to take what was Kelly’s and put it in storage. Or so the voicemail she’d left him had said.
“You know, I could use some furniture.”
“You certainly could,” Chace said. Ethan’s apartment had little more than floor cushions, bean bags, and an air mattress in the way of furniture. He’d been a nomad for most of his life, although he’d been in Richmond for quite a while by Ethan standards. “You know what, man? You can have it. You have a spare key to the place. Come get it when you get back to the States. I’ll pay the January rent, so you shouldn’t have any problems getting in or anything.”
“Thanks. You’re always helping me out, bro. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
After his conversation with Ethan, Chace started packing. He was ready to get out of that place forever.
Chapter 10: Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
Whitney knocked on Chace’s door. It was a few days before New Year’s Eve. She’d seen him almost every day since they’d first had lunch together.
He opened the door and pulled her into a hug, dragging her into the apartment.
She laughed, trying to back away from him. “Hey. I brought you something. You’re crushing it.”
“Oh, sorry. What is it?” He loosened his hold on her, but didn’t let go.
She held the box up between them. “Cookies.”
“You made me cookies?” He took the box from her.
“My sister made ’em. I helped. Trust me, that’s the way you want it.”
He laughed and set the box of cookies on the coffee table.
“It looks so empty in
Chace nodded. “Apparently they’d been having an affair since before Kelly and I even got together. At least they were broken up when we met. Or so she tells me, anyway.”
“Dude, that’s just nasty. And I mean it in every possible way. But really, you’re better off. I always knew that girl was shady,” Ethan said.
“Yeah,” Chace said, staring down at his bare feet.
“Yeah, uh, you probably don’t wanna hear that right now.”
“Nope.”
“So…now that you’ve killed the conversation…”
He laughed. “You’re the one who brought up Kelly.”
“Yeah, not knowing she’d gone straight up—well—Kelly on you. Hey, the good news is you can leave Nowheresville now. You should come back to Richmond.”
“Actually…I’m moving to D.C.”
“Oh yeah? When?”
“Uh—in a few days.”
“Uhm, so I leave the country for the holidays and you just go and completely rearrange your life, huh? Were you gonna even tell me? Send me a postcard? Something?” Ethan scratched his head in mock confusion.
“Dude, it’s all been very spur of the moment. It’s kinda hard to get in touch with you with this ginormous time difference, you know.”
“Ha, it is pretty big. The jet lag is gonna be ridiculous when I get home. Man, but this has been one amazing Christmas. You really shoulda come with me.”
“Yeah,” Chace said, but not regretting his decision to stay for one moment. Even though he’d wanted to go earlier, and he’d been really pissed at Kelly for making him stay—especially after she tried to wreck his Christmas anyway. If he’d gone to New Zealand, he would have probably never met Whitney. And not meeting Whitney would have been a true tragedy.
Chace debated for a moment over whether or not to tell Ethan about Whitney. In the end, his desire to not hear a lecture from Ethan about how he shouldn’t be dating again so soon won. No, it was best to keep quiet about Whitney. He waited for Ethan to finish bashing Kelly for making Chace stay in Virginia. And then he bashed Chace for listening to Kelly.
When Ethan was finished, he said, “What are you gonna do with your apartment?”
“I guess break the lease if she doesn’t want it. I need to do something with my furniture, I guess.” Most of the furniture in the place was Chace’s. And movers were coming in the morning to take what was Kelly’s and put it in storage. Or so the voicemail she’d left him had said.
“You know, I could use some furniture.”
“You certainly could,” Chace said. Ethan’s apartment had little more than floor cushions, bean bags, and an air mattress in the way of furniture. He’d been a nomad for most of his life, although he’d been in Richmond for quite a while by Ethan standards. “You know what, man? You can have it. You have a spare key to the place. Come get it when you get back to the States. I’ll pay the January rent, so you shouldn’t have any problems getting in or anything.”
“Thanks. You’re always helping me out, bro. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
After his conversation with Ethan, Chace started packing. He was ready to get out of that place forever.
Chapter 10: Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
Whitney knocked on Chace’s door. It was a few days before New Year’s Eve. She’d seen him almost every day since they’d first had lunch together.
He opened the door and pulled her into a hug, dragging her into the apartment.
She laughed, trying to back away from him. “Hey. I brought you something. You’re crushing it.”
“Oh, sorry. What is it?” He loosened his hold on her, but didn’t let go.
She held the box up between them. “Cookies.”
“You made me cookies?” He took the box from her.
“My sister made ’em. I helped. Trust me, that’s the way you want it.”
He laughed and set the box of cookies on the coffee table.
“It looks so empty in
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