A Very Bossy Christmas - Kayley Loring Page 0,72

that I should have said to you yesterday, Maddie… I

That’s it. He just wrote “I.” Like that’s what he should have said to me yesterday. As if every single thing he said wasn’t about him.

DECLAN: Also, what you said about me and hands was right. I don’t want to be like that anymore. You deserve better.

I mean. I think he may have meant “me and Hannah,” but it’s the “You deserve better” part that concerns me, since that has historically been code for “I’ve met someone else, so let’s take a break and start seeing other people.” The time stamp for the next text is about half an hour later.

DECLAN: Cooper. I miss you all. I done know if I deserve forgive but please give me another change. I’ll do anyway.

I want to laugh because he’s obviously drunk, but I also wouldn’t put it past him to ask me to change for him. Or maybe he wants me to loan him some quarters.

Then I listen to the voice mails. The first one is just Declan singing the first half of “My Heart Will Go On” into the phone before getting cut off. I can hear a bunch of grown men yelling the words to a Beastie Boys song in the background. It’s an aural fustercluck.

The next message is probably a pocket dial. At least I hope it is. I can hear a bunch of guys singing the Meatloaf song “I’d Do Anything for Love,” and Declan is singing the girl’s part.

After listening to those messages again, I find another text notification.

DECLAN: Copppperrrrr. Please done be Maddie at me. I never fell like thish around anyone before. I ducked up. I wished yo were here. I ned young. Brb

Before I can even try to decipher what the hell he meant by this message, I receive another one.

DECLAN: Right. Howya, gorgeous. Time for Dec to put the phone away and join his family now. Happy New Year to ya.

So that’s that. Not that I would have responded. Because what am I supposed to say to any of that? I just hope that dumbass remembered to eat before he started drinking, because he sounded hungry to me.

I listen to the voice mails one more time before putting my phone in my purse and leaving for Sentinel with a storage box. At least I know I won’t run into Declan when I collect my things from my desk. I do, however, run into Mrs. Pavlovsky when I’m walking out to my car.

She looks exactly as heartbroken as I had feared she would when she sees me. It’s freezing out, but at least she’s wearing a brand-new wool coat while sweeping the very clean sidewalk in front of our building.

“Oh, you got a new coat!”

She tears up as she strokes the collar. “Yes. Beautiful kind man bring me yesterday.”

“Declan gave you a coat?”

She nods and sighs. “He seem very upset. But you also seem upset, so I did not let him in. But I vanted to, Magdalena. Ohhh, I vanted to. It was very hard.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” I rub her arm. “Thank you for respecting my wishes. And don’t forget to work on your w sounds.”

She pouts and then licks her lips and says, “I wish you will be happy with him.”

Cindy is singing “Don’t Stop Believin’” into her karaoke machine at the reception desk when I arrive at Sentinal. She pauses the music as soon as she sees me, but it’s not because she’s embarrassed to be caught singing. She’s staring at my storage box and looking very concerned.

“Hi,” she says. “Are you leaving us?”

“Yeah. Don’t stop singing, though. You sounded great.”

She completely disregards my compliment. “Oh no—Maddie. Why?”

“Oh, you know. This job just isn’t a good fit for me.”

“Did he fire you?”

“No. It was my idea.”

“Oh. Did things get…complicated?”

I look around to see if anyone is within earshot.

“No one else is here,” she assures me. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be singing… Did things get weird after McSorley’s?”

“No, not at all!” I did not mean to yell that. “It’s just time for me to move on.”

She twists her lips to one side. “After two months?”

I look away because there isn’t much else that I can say.

“Well, I won’t keep you, but I’ll miss you. Stay in touch, okay?”

“I will, definitely.”

As I’m walking away, she says, “You know, he went through seven other assistants here before he hired you.”

“I’m well aware of that, yeah. He’s pretty