Too Close

Chapter 23

Olivia's P.O.V

Haylie stood in front of Reed's house in a long black trench coat, tugging at the sleeves nervously. Her breath formed misty clouds in the cold night air. Reed's mom was throwing a Christmas party and Haylie asked me to come because she didn't want to be alone. Reed was the kind of guy who bounced around at parties and given this was his family, he'd probably be occupied with catching up with the ones he didn't see as often.

Without even a hello, Haylie grabbed my arm and pulled me up the steps that led into the Victorian mansion where soft holiday music wafted through the front door. "Brace yourself, she really outdoes herself with everything." Her voice drowned out as we got closer to the door.

Inside, people dressed in hideous holiday sweaters and formal attire stood or sat with wine in their jeweled hands. Elderly women littered the couches and small children ran past us chasing after a cat. A Christmas tree that seemed larger than life was positioned near a fireplace in the living room and its lights seemed to dance and change colors every few seconds. Large nutcracker statues sat in every corner and an abundance of red and green stockings lined the tops of couches and were pinned to walls. A collection of electronic elves that seemed to silently carol lined the mantle of the fireplace along with glass angels and snow globes. From where we stood we could see into the kitchen where a small group was gathered around fruit and cheese trays on a kitchen island. Even the kitchen was cluttered and lit up with Christmas decor. I decorated our house up a bit with the few decorations we used every year, but this put my efforts to shame.

"Haylie, darling," A very thin, very elegant woman walked toward us with her arms outstretched. She wore a long velvet dress with sleeves that widened and flared at her forearms. "What do you think of what I've done with the place?"

"It's...very bright," Haylie said, also stretching her arms out to hug her. I watched the lady's red lipsticked lips tighten but she still smiled while they embraced. Haylie pulled away and stepped backward until she was back at my side. "But, I love it, Mrs. Hollenbeck."

"Don't give me all the credit," Mrs. Hollenbeck, Reed's mom, gave an exaggerated swipe of her hand across her forehead as if she had been overworked. "Poor Reed had to do it all himself with only my guidance to help him. My daughter was no help at all." Haylie gave a nervous laugh then suddenly grabbed my arm.

"This is my friend, Olivia," she said. Mrs. Hollenbeck's blue eyes landed on me for the first time. "I hope it's okay I invited her."

"Well, she's already here without my OK, isn't she?" Mrs. Hollenbeck's cool tone never faltered. She turned back to Haylie and pushed her cheeks up into a close-lipped smile. "Kidding, darling. Come and I'll introduce you to the extended family since Reed is too busy with God knows what." She led Haylie into the living room. Haylie turned back to me and made a face, pouting her lips. She had brought me here to help keep her cool around Reed's mom because she 'makes her nervous'. I could see why. I never met her before but she worked with Mira and Jack for some time back when she was under the same company.

I was surprised to see Gia Hudson's familiar face in a corner, watching some kids play a board game near an electric train turning in circles on the floor.

"Olivia!" Gia squealed, coming over to throw her arms around me like we were friends. We never spoke before and she graduated from CHS two years ago, so I was equally shocked when she said my name.

"Ooomf, hey Gia," I squeezed her back. As if we were old friends, Gia dove into conversation about college life. She was talking about her plan to study abroad in Indonesia when I spotted Kyle standing in the kitchen with Reed who had his arm around Haylie's waist.

"I'll be right back," I blurted to Gia, interrupting her mid-sentence. I felt guilty for having completely forgotten about Kyle asking me to hang out with him and hadn't responded to any of his calls the day of. I didn't know anyone else from our circle of friends had been invited. I ducked behind a group of women near the fireplace, its position obscured me from the view of the kitchen, and I pretended to occupy myself by checking out the decorations on the mantle. I glanced over my shoulder every few seconds to see if Kyle had entered the room.