Holiday Spice & Everything Nice

by Conn, Claudy

  “Really. Is that so hard to believe?” Jace had genuine hurt flash across his face. “I wish we could have been more. You and I both agreed-”

  “I know, and it still rings true. I thought maybe you felt sorry for me and that's why you've been around.” Sasha quickly looked away.

  “I don't feel sorry for you. I hate that you think of me that way.” Jace tipped her chin up. Regret filled his eyes.

  “Everyone knows you're dating someone else, so it's weird to be here with you.” It was weird in general, but no need to rehash that issue.

  “Tell you what. I'll mingle for a while, since I'm Rocky's best man, and I'll take you home.” Jace squeezed her hand. “If you want, we'll snag a chick flick from Netflix and watch it together, even if it's a corny Christmas movie.”

  Sasha laughed, feeling better all of a sudden. She really wished she and Jace could have made things work. He was the best. “Deal. I'll put on my ready-to-party face and be the plus one you deserve.” She flashed what she hoped was her best smile.

  Chapter Four

  Thirty minutes in, Kevin hadn't made his way to Sasha yet. She stuck to the man she'd arrived with like glue. The moment the guy headed toward the bathroom, he thought he had a shot, but the frustrated wail of his sister forced Kevin to turn around. What happened? By the sounds of it, one would think Marly Jean had a humongous problem.

  He held back a groan when he found out the culprit of her shriek. Bridezilla in training? Oh boy, this wedding event would turn out to be rather...interesting if things didn't go his sister's way.

  “I can't believe you forgot!” she screeched at the caterer, who reeled back, red faced and practically in tears. “How could you? I paid-”

  “What seems to be the problem here?” Kevin interjected, hoping to smooth things over. Why wasn't Rocky taking care of this? Marly Jean balled her fists and dropped them to her sides.

  “I paid this company big bucks, and she's messing things up left and right!”

  “Whoa, hold it right there. Calm down and explain what the deal is. Let me see what I can do to fix it.” Kevin touched his sister's shoulders.

  “I had a cake made for tonight, and they screwed up the order. We can not have chocolate! Rocky's allergic!” she seethed.

  “I'm so sorry for the mix up!” the woman apologized. This time, tears streamed down her cheeks. “I'm the only one working, so I can't go to the shop to get it.”

  “I can help,” a sweet, soft voice said from behind Kevin, He let go of Marly Jean and faced Sasha. “Why don't you give me the keys to the store, Casey? I'll go pick up the cake for you.”

  So she knew the woman.

  “I have a photo of the right cake,” Marly Jean stated. “Give me your phone number and I'll text it to you.” She didn't even wait for an answer from anyone before she yanked her phone from her small handbag. Why the hell did she carry a handbag in her own house?

  “I'll go, too. I know what you like,” Kevin offered, killing two birds with one stone. He wanted to get out of here, and it would give him a chance to talk one on one with Sasha.

  Speaking of, she didn't seem happy at all about his offer. He hoped she wouldn't change her mind, but seeing as how Casey the caterer must be her friend, Kevin doubted she'd hand over the keys if he went alone. He hoped that'd be the case, anyway.

  “Then I'll text you the cake. I love you, Kev. Thanks for playing hero again.” She glared at the woman before flipping through her phone. Seconds later, his text notification went off. Kevin glanced at the cake in question as Casey handed over the keys to Sasha. She rushed toward the door without a word to him or his sister.

  “Hey, what's the rush? Don't you have to tell your boyfriend you're leaving?” he asked. Play it cool. No sarcasm. This time, he wanted to do things right.

  “Jace isn't my boyfriend, and he won't even miss me if I'm gone for a little while.” Sasha continued on her path to the door without looking back.

  Just as they left the house, Kevin called out to her. “Sasha, wait!”

  She halted and whirled around. “So you remember me.” Surprise registered in her voice.

  He remembered her all right, but he gave her the truth. “I had to ask Marly Jean. You're definitely not the girl I remember from high school.”

  She snorted. “I didn't even think you knew me then, so that's a bonus I guess. Or maybe not.”

  Time to ask her point blank. “Did I do something wrong to you back then? Eat your bowl of Cheerios? Steal your favorite reading spot? Piss off your best friend, and you're holding a grudge?” So much for no sarcasm, but shit! He didn't get her attitude at all.

  Sasha rolled her eyes. “You're full of yourself. What makes you think if you did something to me that I'd be holding a grudge all these years later? Don't let your head swell so much, Mr. Small-Town-Royalty-turned-Famous.” She spun on her heel without another response.

  What the hell? Kevin grabbed her arm a little too rough, and he knew it the moment his fingers curled around her elbow.

  “Let go!” she yelled, shoving hard at him with her other hand.

  “Sorry. I didn't mean to grab you so hard, but I'm serious. If I did something to you at any time, then I apologize.” It was only him she gave the cold shoulder to. Well, maybe others, but he didn't notice.

  Sasha's lips thinned as she clutched her purse. “I was a little rash just now.”

  “Yeah, I'd say so-”

  She interrupted him. “Not about you. I wanted to get away from the party so bad, I made the offer to pick up the cake.”

  He didn't get it.

  “I came with Jace. In his car.” She slapped a hand to her head.

  “Easy solution. We'll go in mine. You still have the keys to the store, and I've got the means to drive. I promise my driving is much better than half the characters I played.” Damn, that made him sound so full of shit. No wonder Sasha gave him the evil eye half the time.

  “Let's hope,” she muttered.

  *****

  “Is it because I'm famous?”

  Sitting in the passenger seat of Kevin's car, Sasha blanched. He'd been quiet for a while. Until now. “Huh?”

  “Do you dislike me because I'm famous?” he asked again, his tone completely serious.

  “Does it bother you if someone doesn't like you? If that's the case, you're in the wrong profession,” Sasha replied. Why wouldn't he drop this stupid subject already?

  “Oh believe me, I've had worse than a pretty woman's cold shoulder, even for no reason. Just look at the articles about me lately.” He spun the wheel, looming closer to Casey's shop.

  “So then why are you so desperate to know?”

  “Why are you so desperate to avoid the question?” he shot back.

  Touché.

  To be fair, she had nothing against Kevin himself. Not that she knew of, anyway. A combination of her mood and the uncomfortable situation of going to his sister's party tonight kept her on edge. Yeah, she'd had her thoughts about him and the life he led from high school, but why was she holding that against him now? Sasha hated everyone doing the same about her and her father, and she was being a total hypocrite. Damn it!

  She sighed. “You didn't do anything to me in high school to make me hate you. Does that ease your mind?”

  “Only if you're being truthful.”

  “You left before all the crazy happened around here.” Sasha decided to be completely truthful. Not that she owed him any sort of explanation, but he did seem genuinely bothered by her mood. “My father stole from friends of your family. While he meant to do it, there was an underlying issue. Still, the people didn't take kindly to it and pressed charges. To keep Dad out of jail, I had to take care of him full time. He had a tumor, which caused irrational behavior, and he didn't want anyone to know, which was why he stole. He needed money for the surgery. To top it off, we got another diagnoses a few years later. Alzheimer's. The town isn't that forgiving. Everyone knows he's an ex-con, so they thought it was a similar situ
ation.” Her father had done some shady things years ago, just before Sasha was born. She didn't know too many details about that part of his life.

  “I still don't understand why that means you have to be snappy with me. For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I knew your dad had some...issues.”

  The word bothered her, but Sasha knew Kevin wasn't saying it to be mean. It was true. “Chalk it up to a bad day. I almost got fired from work, and I need this job. Dad's health insurance doesn't cover much, and he's getting worse. I've got a friend who stays with him when I work and need a break. She's doing this for free, but he's going to need a better, more supervised setting soon.” Fresh tears stung her eyes. Sasha wasn't even going to mention the test she took today. Nope, that one was staying hidden.

  “And you can't pay for it,” he said softly.

  “No.”

  “You came to the party tonight to get a break, huh?”

  “Yeah. Jace is a friend. My ex-boyfriend, actually, but we broke up on friendly terms.”

  “Awkward.”

  To the extreme.

  “You aren't comfortable around my family?”

  “I'm not comfortable around a lot of people right now,” Sasha admitted, picking at a tiny piece of fuzz stuck to her outfit.

  “Is it because you're afraid of running into the family friends who want to prosecute your dad?”

  Did his questioning ever end? “Partly.”

  “Just so you know, I'm not like most of my family. I don't mean that in a snotty way. They're all...kinda high maintenance. I never felt like I fit in. So any friends they have are a lot like them, and you shouldn't let them intimidate you.”

  Ha! Easier said than done. Sasha stayed quiet. The wheels were turning in her mind. She sighed with relief when they pulled up to Casey's store. They could get in, out, and back to the party with the cake. She didn't particularly want to go back to the party, but the ride with Kevin wasn't any less uncomfortable. She should have told Jace no, but the idea of a few hours away from her dad and the apartment for a while was a godsend. She practically flew out of the car, with Kevin trailing behind her. Sasha halted in front of the store, frowning. Something seemed off, but she couldn't place it.

  “Did you ever wish you could get locked in a store all night?” Kevin asked out of the blue.

  She snorted. “Where in the world did that question come from?” She caught his shrug before unlocking the door. Inside, Sasha darted toward the alarm and punched in the code. Once disarmed, Sasha flicked on the lights and scanned the room.

  “I don't know. They have scenes like that in some movies. It made me wonder,” he finally answered. “Think of the adventure, the possibilities.”

  “Are you imagining something along the lines of Night at the Museum?”

  “Maybe. Hey, did you know I was almost cast for the leading role?”

  Sasha headed toward the back where the cakes were stored in the refrigerators. “Really?” she asked with genuine curiosity. At the same time, she debated how much he was pulling her leg. Was he trying to impress her? “So, why didn't you get it?”

  “I had to turn it down. Too many bigger roles.” Sasha whirled around to face him at that statement. At first, she thought he was being an asshole, but the look on his face told her something deeper- like he hadn't been picked and his wounded pride forced him to act like that. “Must be the great life,” she muttered, continuing to head back to the cakes.

  “It has its perks. I was kidding, by the way. They didn't pick me. It sucked, because I loved that role. It would have been fun. That's the way Hollywood rolls.”

  She hadn't expected him to admit it. Saying nothing, Sasha flicked on the light switch in the back room, glancing at all the fridges. She'd completely forgotten to ask Casey which one. Time to play the random game. “Can I see the picture your sister sent you?”

  “Sure,” Kevin said from behind her. Sasha faced him as he pulled out his cell phone. She noted the picture, then went back to picking a door to open.

  “Nice tricking by the way,” Sasha said while going through the fridge. “Night at the Museum debuted in 2006. You weren't even out of town yet.”

  “Did I impress you even a little?” Kevin chuckled. “You definitely caught me.”

  “Well, you proved you're a good actor. You almost had me feeling sorry for you about not getting a role you never auditioned for anyway,” Sasha retorted. “Try harder next time.”

  “I'll have to do that. By the way, it would still be cool to get locked in a building at night. Well, depending on the place, anyway. I wouldn't want to be trapped in certain places.” He poked his head in another fridge, muffling his words.

  A door slammed outside somewhere close by. Sasha jumped, startled. Her heart raced. The faster they found the cake, the faster they could get out of here. Why did the store creep her out so much this late at night?

  The sound of approaching heavy footsteps grew louder with each passing second. Kevin was on alert, too. He exchanged a worried glance with Sasha. Neither got a chance to say anything.

  “Don't move!” a male voice boomed as a masked figure appeared in the doorway.

  Chapter Five

  Kevin reacted fast. He had no idea what the man's intentions were. He had no clue if he had a weapon on him, and if so, what type it was. None of that mattered. He was covered up for a reason, and no honest man came strutting into a store which was normally closed late at night. He'd ether come to rob the place, or Sasha had a stalker, but Kevin doubted that one.

  This wasn't the movies. He'd played in several scenes with this kind of scenario, but never had he been in an empty building with a burglar/killer standing before him.

  Sasha screamed as Kevin barreled toward the guy, knocking him over. Sure enough, he had a weapon. Knocking it far away, he wrangled with the man until he had his arms pinned in an awkward angle. “Call the police, Sasha!” he instructed, though she'd already pulled out her phone and had it up to her ear.

  By the time she hung up and had given out all the necessary information, Sasha was practically in hysterics. “It's okay. He's not going to do anything on my watch. The cops will be here soon. You're safe.” He hoped his calming tactics would work. Hell, he was shook up, too. Things like this didn't happen often here. Even though he didn't live here anymore, Kevin's memories were always of a safe zone. The world had totally changed on him, including a place where you could leave doors unlocked. It should have been a clue when Sasha had to disarm the security system. They didn't have things like that growing up.

  The man beneath him struggled and grunted. Kevin's tight grip kept him from moving much further. He continued to hold him down, staring at the weapon a few feet away. He wasn't going to play worst case scenarios, but was damn glad he'd come with. If it had been Sasha alone...

  Sirens wailed in the distance, growing closer pretty quick. He breathed out a sigh of relief. Just as police officers ushered in yelling and had their guns drawn, his phone rang. Kevin didn't loosen his grip until the closest cop told him to go ahead. The man never stood a chance as the cops surrounded him.

  Marly Jean's number registered on the caller ID. Too bad she'd have to wait a while. He shoved his phone back in his pocket and reached for a trembling Sasha. She didn't fight or make a remark. She crumbled against him. He ran a hand down her back as he held her. Close call. So damn close.

  It took over an hour for the cops to take their statement, even though nothing had been taken and no one hurt. They had to call Casey, since it was her store, which alerted Marly Jean and the whole family. Kevin's phone rang relentlessly. Finally, after about the thousandth time, he answered and told his sister he would call her as soon as they were done. He half expected her to pitch a fit over the cake not arriving, but her last words before he almost hung up surprised him.

  “At least tell me you two are okay.” Her voice held worry.

  “We aren't hurt. We're still talking to the police, so I'll call you back soon,” Kevin replied, sne
aking a glance over at Sasha. She was holding her own pretty well. She'd collapsed in a chair and had color back to her face, but her quaking body still showed signs of distress.

  “I feel horrible!” his sister wailed.

  Kevin hung up, not ready to listen to Marly Jean make it about her.

  When Casey arrived to survey her place to assure the cops there was no damage or anything taken, she wrapped Sasha up in a bear hug. Unlike Sasha, Casey broke down in tears. She'd been almost hysterical earlier, but never any tears. Sasha was more quiet and sullen now.

  When the cops gave them the okay to leave, Kevin held his hand out to Sasha and aided her to stand. “Do you want me to take you home, or do you want to go back and ride with Jace?” he asked softly, studying her face.

  “Take me home if you would, please. Jace already knows I'm okay and that I don't want to return to the party.” She blew wisps of hair from her face. “Kevin- thank you. Your quick response saved us tonight.”

  *****

  If only Sasha's heart would stop beating at a ridiculous rate. She needed to calm down before arriving home, though it would probably hit the news and alert everyone anyway. There wasn't a way around keeping this silent, especially because Kevin had been with her.

  She rattled off her address, and he took her home, both silent along the way. Once Kevin pulled up in front of her apartment building, she pushed open the car door. Kevin shut off the engine and climbed out. “What are you doing?” Sasha blurted.

  Walking you to your front door. I'm not taking chances tonight.” He said it so seriously. So what happened tonight rattled him just as much? Sasha had no idea why that shocked her. Having an intruder dressed in black with a mask wasn't something to mess with.

  “Oh.” Heat rushed to her cheeks for being so blatantly rude. “I...thank you. For everything. And I should also apologize for being so rude ever since I bumped into you.” She'd always seen Kevin from afar, other than a few times in high school. While he'd never been flat out rude to her, he'd never made any real effort to talk to her, either. His friends, however, were cruel. She should have never thought he was like them, or at least, given him a chance to show his true colors before giving him a cold shoulder.