Beautiful Mistakes

Why hadn't she ever thought of that? Leigh did seem to be the one person besides Aaron who always worked, she opened every Sunday morning—the most profitable shift of the week—and she was the only person with keys besides Aaron. Aaron answered Leigh's cell phone for her, and Leigh kicked his ex-girlfriend out of his restaurant without even questioning her authority to do so.

And there was no denying that Leigh was obviously fiercely protective of Aaron—why had Julie always categorized that as a sisterly kind of attitude?

As she thought over all of the information she had somehow missed—from the simple fact that Leigh could make him laugh to the less simple fact that Aaron absolutely did not want Leigh knowing what little had happened the night before—she found one question standing out prominently in her mind above all the others: were Aaron and Leigh a couple?

She had no right to care, of course. Honestly, she wasn't even sure why she did.

Apparently she was just a very curious person by nature.

However, while it was something she really wanted to know, she also knew there was no way she was going to be able to ask Leigh about it.

Shrugging it off, Julie told herself it was really none of her business. After all, she was nothing but a means to an end to Aaron—a way to settle some stupid debt that she didn’t even fully understand.

With that thought firmly in mind, she pulled herself up off the couch and went to get ready for the day, determined not to think of it anymore.

---

Somehow Julie managed to forget that there was a reason for winter break—Christmas. She had easily forgotten, because Aaron's house had all the holiday spirit of Scrooge's before the spirits paid him a visit.

She realized it when she walked into Barnes and Noble to purchase a book to entertain herself, and she found the place swimming with Christmas shoppers. (Luckily that reminded her to buy Anna a present while she was there.)

That was when she realized she still had not returned her mother's many phone calls or e-mails.

She was the world's worst daughter, hands down.

When she finally managed to get online and read her e-mail, it was her mother scolding her because she never answered whether or not she was going to come home for Christmas.

Honestly, Julie considered it. She was sure the café could hold up without her paltry contribution, and maybe some time away from the city would do her good, allow her to refocus herself and her energy so she could yank herself out of the slump she had fallen into.

However, her funds were very limited, so she needed to work, and if she went home she was going to end up having to give her mother a more complete explanation of the "I'm pregnant! Merry Christmas!" that she intended on delivering over the phone.

Matt remembered that it was Christmas, so he called Julie to ask when she wanted to see him so he could give her the Christmas gift from him "and Anna."

Since she couldn't really refuse a gift when he added Anna on the end (something he had figured out, no doubt) she tried to think of when she knew Aaron would be at work to invite him over.

Aaron did come home to catch Julie wrapping Anna's present in Winnie the Pooh paper, but he didn't ask any questions—he probably figured since it was a very child-oriented book there was no cause for concern.

Matt brought Anna over for Christmas, which made Julie immensely happy—her favorite present, even though the soft suede Juicy Couture slippers were a close second. On the other hand, he seemed to think—inaccurately— that she was a Juicy Couture kind of girl, because the rest of her present was a pink Juicy Couture handbag with charms hanging off the chain, and it looked like something that Elle Woods should be carrying around—not Julie. Inside, however, he had tucked $50 cash and a $100 gift card to Kohl’s, and that would be helpful when she no longer fit in her clothes.

Anna was enjoying the book Julie b

ought her while Julie opened her presents, and Julie kind of felt bad that she didn't have anything for Matt since he had bought her designer slippers and a handbag—she hadn't even thought of it, and all the presents were not something she was used to. Jack's idea of a present would entail something like, "Well, I bought the beer."

She especially felt bad because while she had been out buying herself and Anna a book, she had also stopped and picked up a box of Rice Crispy Treats, and she put a bow on the box and put it in the cupboard for Aaron. It was goofy, but she wanted to do something for him, and she knew nothing about his hobbies, so she was very limited in what she could get him.

Matt, on the other hand, got nothing.

But she didn't feel too bad about it, considering she was sure Emma would get him something far better than she could anyway.

Honestly, what was with the Juicy Couture? Sure, she knew a couple girls who toted around their Coach, Prada, Juicy Couture and Chloe handbags like they were prizes, but all Julie could think about was how many books she could have bought if he would have just skipped the purse and spent the same amount of money on a Barnes and Noble gift card.

Of course, Emma certainly liked her designer handbags, so that was probably what he was used to, Julie reasoned.

Her biggest Christmas surprise of the season came not from Matt, but from Aaron.

One night as she sat on the couch flipping through the channels with her Juicy slippers keeping her feet warm, Aaron popped in unexpectedly and handed her a little bag with what looked like books in it.

"What…?" she asked, peering inside the bag.