Holiday Kisses

“Yes.” Alethea sat in the rocking chair in the corner, her feet propped up on the bed, his tablet computer on her lap. “Before we go, we need to talk.”

“Okay.” He sat on the bed, anxious to get going. The sun was already setting. “But we need to hurry up if we want to make the holiday market.”

“I know. But this is important. I’ve decided what I’m going to do. And before I tell you, I need you to understand that I’ve made up my mind.”

“Okay.”

“I’m not going back to school.”

“Okay.” Xander took a long, deep breath and let it out slowly. Didn’t do much to unravel the knot in his stomach. “Okay. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect something like this. We’ll look into transferring you to another university. One that doesn’t have quite so many...memories.”

“This isn’t about Talia.” She stopped, closed her eyes for a moment. “This isn’t all about Talia. This is about me. How I need to find what works best for me. School doesn’t. Butterfly Harbor does. It works really well. Which is why I’m coming back here after the holidays. I have to do what feels right. I want to be happy again, Xander. This place makes me happy.”

His pulse quickened. “I know it seems that way now—”

“What do you mean now?” Alethea interrupted. “You seem to have been happy. For now.”

“Happiness doesn’t come with a paycheck. Look, I get it. This place, it makes you see possibilities, but those possibilities have a practical side to them, Alethea. A practical side like an education. Like a college degree. How do you expect to become a lawyer—”

“I don’t.”

“You don’t what?”

“Expect to be a lawyer. I don’t want to be one. I never did. I just did it because it seemed to make everyone happy.”

“You...all right.” Xander took a deep breath, banked his frustration. “Okay, so no law school. We’ll figure something else out. Once we’re home, you can sit down with Mom and the rest of the family and we’ll—”

“I know what I want to do and what I want to do is stay here.”

“How will you manage? California isn’t exactly cheap.”

“Have you ever noticed how everything comes down to money with you? Not all of us are ruled by the almighty checkbook.”

“Said the girl who’s been overdrawn three times in the last year. If you don’t want law school, fine. But—”

“I have a plan, Xander. And I’ve made up my mind.”

“Sounds to me like you’ve been spending too much time with Calliope.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Alethea frowned. “But yes, I did talk to her about this because I knew you wouldn’t understand. I don’t want to live my life based on what all of you think I should be doing. I’m not like you or Dyna or Ophelia or Antony. I don’t do corporate. I don’t like business, not business that stifles all of you the way it does. I want to live on my terms. Do what I want.”

Yes, she definitely sounded like Calliope. And for the first time, he didn’t find it enchanting at all. “And what is that exactly? What are you going to do for money? Or are you planning on setting up camp down at the beach?”

“I told Calliope you’d react this way. She didn’t believe me.”

Xander looked away.

“What happened to being supportive?” she asked, disappointment shining in her eyes. “What happened to being the brother I can always count on to listen to me and have my back?”

“He’s just been told you’re throwing three years of college down the toilet because Calliope’s thinking and all that magic has gotten into your head.”

“That’s not fair. And you didn’t seem all that offended by that magic when you were kissing her at the bonfire the other night.”

Well, she had him there.

“I’m not stupid, Xander. I’ve thought this through. And for your information, I’ve been offered a job. A really good job.”

“Doing what? You aren’t exactly qualified for...” The light dawned. “Jason. Did Jason offer you a job?”