and they need me to solve it, so I have to cut my vacation short.”
“That sucks,” Sebastian said. “I was looking forward to spending more time with you.”
“Believe me, I was, too. As soon as I sort things out, I plan on coming back here. And I’ll definitely return for Christmas, I promise.”
“Good, you better,” Sebastian said. “It wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“You’ve had plenty of Christmases without me!” I reminded him with a playful shove.
Sebastian shrugged. “Doesn’t change the fact that I was looking forward to spending this one with you. Come on, you know you have a special kind of energy you offer.”
“I suppose that may be the case. Fine, I guess I can’t disappoint.” I couldn’t help but smile as Sebastian ushered me into the house.
“How soon do you leave?” he asked.
“Early tomorrow morning.”
“Well, then, I hope you intend on spending all of today with me, because I intend on getting my fair share of you-time before you leave for another thirteen years.”
I laughed. “Of course I’ll spend the day with you, who do you think I am? Someone else’s best friend?”
Sebastian lead me into the living room, where Mr. and Mrs. Allen were sitting near the fire. Mr. Allen was reading a book and Mrs. Allen had a pair of headphones on, nodding along to something as she did some hand-sewing.
They both looked up at me as I entered, and Mrs. Allen took her headphones off with a smile.
“Glad to see you could make it today,” Mr. Allen said congenially. “If you need something to eat, there’s still plenty of leftovers in the kitchen.”
“I did make quite a bit more this Thanksgiving,” Mrs. Allen admitted with a sigh. “I do hope it can all get eaten before it goes bad.”
“I’ll make sure to do my fair part in a minute, don’t you worry,” I assured her. “But first, I have some bad news.”
“Oh, dear.” Mrs. Allen looked at me with concern in her eyes. “What is it? Should I call down Serenity?”
“That would be great, actually,” I said.
“Sebastian, can you go grab her?” Mrs. Allen asked, turning to him.
He grumbled, “I thought you said you were going to call her.”
“Then you can’t get her?” Mrs. Allen cocked her head to the side. “Really, Sebastian, you’re a grown man. Even if you are back home for a few weeks, you shouldn’t start acting like a child.”
“Fine, fine.” He put his hands up in surrender. “I’ll go grab Serenity.” He left, disappearing upstairs to fetch his sister. He came down with her in tow several minutes later.
She gazed at all of us with a foggy, sleepy look in her eyes. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Grayson has some bad news for us,” Mrs. Allen explained, patting the couch next to her. “Come sit, darling.”
Serenity obeyed, and I turned to all of them with a sad smile. “Something came up with my company and I need to go back to LA for the indefinite future to take care of it. I’ll be back for Christmas, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back before then.”
Serenity looked the most sad and taken aback, and I could understand why. Things between us had only just started, and she’d been expecting to have several more weeks with me before I left. But I wasn’t done with her just yet.
“I do, however, have a proposition,” I said. “I know that Serenity is without a job right now and has been having some trouble getting one. She can come back with me to LA and take a very short-term internship with my company as an assistant if she wants to. I could definitely use the extra help and it will look good on her resume. I can even give her a recommendation for when she’s applying to other jobs or internships.”
This made Serenity perk up considerably, and she looked to her mother who seemed to be considering it.
“I would say if she wants to, then go for it. She’s an adult, after all,” Mr. Allen said. He turned to Serenity. “Well, what do you think?”
“I think it’s a great idea,” she said, a bright smile on her face. I found myself wondering if she would have responded the same way if we hadn’t been engaged in a sexual relationship at the time. But, then again, I probably wouldn’t have thought of it then.
“It’s settled then,” I said, clapping my hands together. “I know that tomorrow’s Sunday, but I still have to