Santa (Maybe): A Rom Com Novella by Alice Bex Read Free Book Online Page A

snorting of her own.
    “Don’t worry—“ Ami continued, “—I discouraged her from eating previously-snorted gummies.”
    “You still haven’t gotten to why you’re in the Emergency Room.”
    “Urgent care. Big dif.” Ami spoke slowly, like she was speaking to a dimwitted child.
    “Alright. Why are you in Urgent Care?”
    “Emily may have snorted in instead of out, at one point.”
    “May have?”
    “Well, they haven’t found gummy Santa yet. They haven’t actually started looking. There are two bad backs and an asthma attack ahead of us.”
    “ Ami!”
    “I know. I know. I’m sorry.” She did sound sorry. “I probably should have led with the ‘I’m sorry’.”
 
    Mark couldn’t figure out exactly what was going on, but Urgent Care didn’t sound good. Madeleine got off the phone with Ami. She turned to Mark.
    “Do you mind? I don’t want to take the time to go home and get my own car.”
    “Sure. No problem,” Mark said. “What happened?”
    “Gummy Santa snorting contest gone bad.” Madeleine looked less panicky, but Mark knew better than to laugh.
    It only took 10 minutes to get to the clinic. Emily was in high spirits. She sounded like she had a bad cold when she talked, but otherwise she seemed to regard the trip to Urgent Care as a treat. She showed off the stickers the intake nurse had given her.
    Emily seemed mildly curious about who Mark was and why he was there, but that was it. Emily certainly hadn’t made the connection between Mall Santa and Mark. That was a relief.
    “You don’t have to stay,” Madeleine told Mark.
    He couldn’t tell whether she wanted him to leave or stay. Maybe, she hadn’t yet made up her mind herself.
    “ I don’t mind.”
    “Really. It’s going to be ages . After we’re done here, I think it’s best if I just take Emily home.”
    “OK.” Madeleine didn’t want him to stay. He’d go.
    “Emily and I haven ’t eaten anything yet—well, if you don’t count Santa gummies,” Ami piped up. “Did you guys eat? You must be hungry. I sure am hungry.”
    Emily said she was hungry. Madeleine didn’t say a thing.
    “No, we didn’t get that far,” Mark said. Madeleine must want him to go, Mark decided. But he was wavering on his resolution to leave. “I could go get food for everybody and bring it back here,” he offered.
    “That’s a great idea!” Ami winked at Mark.
    Madeleine didn’t notice the wink. She appeared fascinated by an article in a women’s magazine dated from July of the previous year. Or she would have appeared fascinated if Mark hadn’t observed that she’d been reading the same page over and over since she’d picked it up.
    Mark was back in 20 minutes with burgers for everyone. His date with Madeleine might not have turned out as he’d planned , but at least they would still end up the evening eating burgers together.
    On the way back from the burger place, Mark had started to worry that Ami might blow his cover while he was away.  Why hadn’t he spoken up immediately when Madeleine had wrongly guessed his identity? He was going to have to set the record straight as soon as possible. He hoped Ami hadn’t inadvertently already done it for him.
    He walked back into the waiting room with burgers and fries for everyone. He tried to gauge Madeleine’s expression, but she looked the same as when he’d left. Ami grabbed a burger and bit into it as if she hadn’t eaten in days. Emily took hers apart and ate each ingredient separately. Madeleine thanked Mark for the burger, but she left it in the wrapper. Ami inhaled her burger and scarfed down her own fries and half of Emily’s. Then she got chatty.
    “So, Madeleine—“ Ami asked, “—did Mark tell you he—“
    Mark didn’t let Ami finish.
    “Yeah. She was pretty shocked to hear that I was Joe’s old friend Marcus Silvin .” Mark said Marcus Silvin way too loud, but he couldn’t risk his point passing over Ami’s head. Rarely did anything go over Ami’s