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“Yeah?” He said with a sist?”

“Christ but Christmas”

“You don’t like Christmas?” Ethan asked as alked back from the tree farm

“No, I like it just fine” I loved/hated it, actually, but eren’t going to get into that “But what do you guys do in August?”

“Get ready for Christain and I couldn’t help but smile back at him It was impossible not to like hi for so that a million people fell for? My mom used to say that when my father, who’d been a California state senator, looked at her she felt like the only person in the world I’d always rolledmind-tricked

“We used to have people co Mom would make the picnic lunches and Dad would draw maps to all the trails only the locals knew But I don’t know if they do that anymore”

‘You’re not involved in the day-to-day?” I asked, filing all these little tidbits away in case they ca at the front desk I’d had a job for a feeeks working concierge at the Sands and it was like having to be a historian, parking attendant, and tour guide all at once

“No,” he said “Not since last year, and if I’ honest, way before that Since Mom died, really”

“I’m sorry,” I said

“Thanks,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets “What about you and your family? And sorry if you already told me all this”

“I don’t think I did”

“You don’t re like the world’s worst person and you don’t remember either? I’m relieved”

“There was a lot of tequila,” I said

But I did remember I remembered every minute

He laughed He had a good laugh The kind that made a person smile Another politician mind trick Honestly, I should have paid more attention to this when Mom talked about my dad “But it’s just my mom and me”

“You’re close?”

“Very” Too close? An argument could beto know lanced away If he wasn’t going to talk about histo talk about mine

We stepped back into the house only to find the little boy and girl who had checked in earlier standing at the front desk