Page 41 of Mistletoe & Mischief
“You know Veronica,” Brad went on. “She’s your client. Did she ever say anything about another heir to the Albright fortune?”
Thaddeus shook his head. “But Olivia was adopted as a baby. Legally, she was hardly ever an Albright.”
“I assume that kind of language makes her even angrier,” Brad said.
Thaddeus sipped his cappuccino, his eyes on the window. “And Maya wants Olivia in her life? Even after she stole right out from under her?”
Brad nodded. “Maya was alone for so much of her life. She’ll take any family.”
“And how do you feel about that?” Thaddeus offered Brad a soft smile. “As her boyfriend, I mean.”
Brad’s cheeks were hot. “You think it’s too fast?”
“I think I haven’t seen you care so deeply about someone like this in years,” Thaddeus said. “And it gives me hope. That’s all.”
Brad cleared his throat, momentarily at a loss for words. “I can’t begin to understand Olivia’s full motivations for stealing,” he said. “But if Maya wants to give her a chance, I have to stand by her decision. And protect her in any way I can.”
After Thaddeus and Brad finished their coffee and cake, Thaddeus excused himself back to the office. They hugged a final time, and Brad felt a wave of gratitude for their friendship. There had been many years in which Thaddeus had been his only confidant. He’d seen him through the depths of despair and out again.
Brad walked through downtown after that, engaging with the Christmas decorations and pausing at a few street vendors for a hot wine and a falafel sandwich with peanut sauce. He ate at a stand-up table, watching passers-by, mostly visitors from the city who’d come to soak up Christmas charm. They spoke too loudly for the quaint village, as though traffic buzzed around them. But only one car came down the road in the span of fifteen minutes.
Brad tried to call Maya after he finished, but she didn’t answer. Perhaps she was diving through more diaries; perhaps she was on the phone with Phoebe.
Or perhaps she just wanted time alone. That was okay. It had to be.
Brad didn’t feel like going back to his dark, shadowy home alone. He’d grown accustomed to being with Maya, which allowed him to avoid his anxious thoughts. Now, he felt them creeping back up again. He decided to head to the local bar for a nightcap. After that, he’d head home, watch a few episodes ofThe Office, and go to bed early. There was just one more day of school before break. He could make it.
The little dive bar on the corner was hopping. People from the city had apparently read about the bar’s “charm” and filled all the booths and high-tops. Brad took a stool along the bar, where the bartender, Nate, cracked his knuckles and greeted him by name. Brad ordered a beer and glanced at the basketball game on the nearest television. This was a fine way to spend his night alone.
“How’s it going?”
Brad turned to find a well-dressed man, clearly from the city, addressing him a few stools away. He wore a tan peacoat and a turtleneck, which made him look like a villain in a made-for-TV movie, and he had thick black hair and shimmering green eyes. His jawline could have cut through steak.
“Not bad,” Brad said, raising his glass to the stranger. “You traveling through for Christmas?”
“Something like that.” The man’s dimples deepened. “This is quite a funny little town, isn’t it?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Brad said. “I was born and raised here.”
The man laughed. “Were you! Hollygrove sounds like a made-up name. I drove up from the city this afternoon and could hardly believe my eyes when I got here. It’s like the set of a Christmas movie.”
“We take pride in that,” Brad said, grateful for this distraction. “Why’d you pick Hollygrove?”
The man chuckled. “Funny story. My girlfriend is the heir to an enormous inheritance here in Hollygrove. The plan is to bank on that and head back to the city.” He rubbed his first finger and thumb together as though he felt a wad of bills.
Brad’s heart dropped with the realization. This was Olivia’s boyfriend. He had to be tactical if he wanted to get closer to Olivia and ultimately bring Maya and Olivia together again.
“What’s your name?” Brad asked.
“Nick,” the man said, clapping Brad’s hand before shaking it.
“I’m Brad. A pleasure to meet you.” Brad moved aside to sit closer to him and inhaled a thick wave of Nick’s cologne. He couldn’t cough it up. He couldn’t insult him. “Tell me more about this inheritance,” he said.
“It’s wild, actually,” Nick said. “My girlfriend never had anything. She was always a mess, to tell you the truth. And she was devastated about it. Not that she spoke about it at length, but you could tell there was a hole here.” Nick gestured to his chest, where Olivia’s heart should have been.
“When did your girlfriend learn about this inheritance?” Brad asked, thinking already that he couldn’t wait to call Maya after this exchange.
“Just in the past month or so,” Nick said.
