Holiday Escort: A Christmas Novella by Shanora Williams Read Free Book Online

you’re a dentist?” Mom inquires, clearly pleased to hear it.
    “I am. I’ve been one for five years. I enjoy every minute of it.”
    “So you called and then what?” Dad asks, cocking a brow.
    “Well, sir, I called and surprisingly, she answered. I assume she was getting fed up with the back-to-back phone calls, but it turns out she was working on this large assignment from her job. It was a three-month project and she had a deadline. She sounded so frustrated, so you know what I told her?”
    “What?” everyone at the table but the twins asks. Good grief.
    “I told her, ‘Hey, just take a break and come on in. Maybe a good, old fashioned teeth cleaning will help clear your mind.’”
    Everyone at the table laughs.
    “Oh, that’s horrible,” Stanley sputters over his drink.
    “I know. So horrible,” Matthew admits, showing off one of those beautiful dimples. There it is. The charm. “But I wanted to make her laugh, no matter how corny I seemed. Piper had no problem at all telling me how corny I sounded, but guess what? She obviously liked it because she came in. We talked, laughed, and then I gave her some free toothbrushes and some floss.”
    “I was very happy about the toothbrushes, by the way,” I butt in, going along with it.
    “So—how did the date happen afterwards? Who called who first?” Bailey asks, waving an impatient hand for more details.
    “I called her,” Matthew responds. “She was so sweet and funny and seemed to need some fun. I wanted to give her that, so I jotted down her number and called her to ask.”
    “Aww,” Mom and Lena say together.
    “How sweet is that?” Mom chimes.
    I nod my head, one of my cheeks quirking. “It was a great first date. Simple and fun. Dinner, movies, pretzels and ice cream. The best date I’ve ever had.”
    Matthew smiles at me from across the table, giving me a look of adoration. I return the look, realizing this is necessary to complete our act.
    “Well, that sounds just lovely,” Bailey drones. “It’s about time Piper found someone worth something. For a while I thought she was going to bring home a girl. I wouldn’t have been very surprised if she did.”
    “Oh, stop it, Bailey,” Mom says, but she titters at the statement.
    Matthew looks around the table but doesn’t respond to that, and neither does anyone else besides Mom. Instead, Stanley changes the subject.
    “So, does anyone know if Monty will be coming in?”
    The table is silent for a few seconds.
    “No one heard from him?” Stanley inquires, his head tilting.
    Dad and Mom look at each other.
    Lena and Bailey lower their gazes.
    “Monty won’t be with us this year, Stan. Didn’t you hear the news?” Dad asks.
    “What news?”
    “Oh yeah, I forgot. Big shot lawyer never has time to check his damn voicemails.”
    “It is the occupation you wanted me to take up, Dad,” Stanley says, an edge to his voice.
    I butt in, hoping to avoid an argument between the two of them. “Why won’t Monty be with us this year? I haven’t heard the news either.”
    “Monty is in rehab again. Heroin this time,” Dad informs us.
    Oh.
    “But, don’t worry!” Mom’s voice is cheerful as she speaks. “We are going to spend tomorrow morning making Christmas cards for him. I’ll send them all out the same day, that way he can enjoy his Christmas, too.”
    “He can’t check out to visit on Christmas day?” Stanley asks, suddenly irritated.
    “Afraid not,” Dad mumbles. “He really did it this time. He’s lucky he made it out alive. They want to keep a watchful eye on him. Any break from the routine might ruin his recovery.”
    “Are you sure it’s not you guys that want to keep a watchful eye on him and not them?” Stanley grits out.
    “We are concerned,” Mom says. “But even if Monty could visit, we wouldn’t allow it. He is unstable right now and I do not want him to ruin this Christmas for us.”
    My eyes swing over to Matthew. He’s already looking at me.
    See. I