My Secret Santa Clayton (Silver Ridge Christmas)

3. Clay

THREE

Clay

Christmas in Silver Ridge was a whole ordeal, and I normally stayed out of it.

Unfortunately, this year I had friends.

The year before, I had been stupid enough to help out some of the locals, and now they thought they were my nearest and dearest. I’d met Gabe Mitchell at a support group for vets, then his fiancée Kat through him. Kat’s niece, Livy, had latched onto me like I was her uncle.

It was a little annoying…but I suppose I liked it.

“Can't believe you dragged me to this, Gabe,” I grumbled, pushing around the last few fries on my plate with a fork. Millie’s Diner buzzed with holiday chatter, the air thick with the scent of coffee and fried comfort.

“Come on, Clay, it's Christmas.” Kat chuckled. “You can pretend to be a grinch, but we know you've got a soft spot for Secret Santa.”

“Soft spot?” I scoffed. “More like a bruise.”

Kat rolled her eyes. “What has your panties in a bunch?”

“I think I’ve got a pretty good idea,” Gabe said with a conspiratorial smile. “Did you ever figure out what had Grace so freaked out the other day?”

I tensed, the mention of her name enough to sour my mood. “It was nothing.”

“Nothing?” Kat asked. “She was your high school sweetheart, right?”

“Ooh…Clay had a girlfriend?” Livy said. “But he’s so mean?—”

“Cut it out,” I shot back.

“Sorry, Aunt Kat just always says that you’re?—”

“Hush, Livy,” Kat snapped, shaking her head. Distracting me from whatever slander was about to be thrown my way, Kat jerked her head toward the door. “Look who just walked in.”

I glanced up.

Shit…of course she was here.

Grace’s sister Mariah had just walked in, hand on her belly, grinning like a madwoman. Grace was with her, looking like her opposite—a scowl on her face, short hair where Mariah’s was long. Grace had a camera slung over her shoulder, just like she always had in high school.

She’d taken so many photos…and I’d thrown almost all of them out after she cheated.

“Easy there, mountain man,” Gabe said. “You’re starting to look more like a yeti than a lumberjack. Maybe you should go talk to her.”

I scowled, turning my attention back to the remnants of my meal. “Not here for a reunion tour.”

“Sure, sure,” Kat said. “Just ignore the elephant in the room.”

“Or I could just get out of here,” I started.

No luck.

As if on cue, Betty Thompson stepped up onto the makeshift stage at the back of the diner, holding a giant, upside down Santa hat. “Attention, attention!” Betty's voice cut through the noise as she tapped her spoon against her mug. “Let’s get this show on the road!”

“Let's not drag this out. Lord knows, we've got enough suspense in this town without adding more to it,” I said quietly to our table, but Kat shushed me.

“Shut it, Clay. You know you love this town,” Kat teased, poking my arm.

“Love is a strong word,” I replied.

“Alright, everyone,” Betty said. “It's time for the Secret Santa drawing!” She held up that oversized hat of hers. “Gregory Treeve, our esteemed mayor, will be our first participant.”

The diner erupted in a chorus of whoops and claps. Greg stood up, grinning as he walked over to Betty. He was wearing a ridiculous reindeer sweater, complete with bells and tinsel. He put his hand into the hat with a flourish that felt as overdone as his sweater, then pulled it out and looked at the slip of paper with a smile.

They were all acting like this was such a big deal.

I knew better…and I needed to get the hell out.

I drained the last of my coffee, setting the mug down with more force than necessary. Time to make a beeline for the door…before I could get roped into it too.

But Betty was already wending her way toward our table, Secret Santa bag in tow.

“Clay, I’m so thrilled to see you’re participating this year!” she said.

“Really, Betty, I—” I started to protest, but she wasn't having any of it.

“Come on, Clay, don't be a grump,” Livy chimed in.

“Fine,” I grumbled, reaching into the hat without looking. The slip of paper felt too light in my fingers, like it carried some kind of curse. And when I unfolded it, my gut twisted.

Grace Gibson.

Of course.

“Who'd you get?” Kat peered over, trying to catch a glimpse.

“Nobody,” I lied, trying to shove the paper in my pocket. “Just…nobody.”

Livy snatched the paper out of my hand before I could hide it, and her eyes went wide. Gabe looked over, eyebrows rising.

“Whoa,” he whistled low. “Look who's playing Santa this year.”

“Hey!” Kat chastised them. “It's supposed to be a secret! Don't spoil it.”

Gabe just grinned, not one bit chastened, as he nodded across the diner. “I think I know who drew your name.”

I lifted my head only to find Grace again—looking right at me.. She held a slip of paper in her hand as if it was going to bite her.

“Uh oh,” I muttered under my breath. The last thing I needed was this kind of drama.

But the universe, or at least Betty's Santa hat, seemed to have other plans.

“Still findin' this funny, huh?” I grunted.

“Absolutely,” Gabe chuckled, not even trying to hide his amusement. “Ten bucks says she gets you coal.”

“Ha,” I scoffed, glaring at him from across the table. My mood was about as festive as a winter storm in July. I pushed back my chair, the metal legs scraping against the diner's tiled floor. “You'll lose that bet.”

“Come on, Clay, it's Christmas!” Livy chimed in.

“Doesn't feel like it.”

“Ah, don't be such a Scrooge,” Kat cut in.

“Grace doesn't mean anything to you anymore, right? So just get her something nice and move on,” Gabe said.

“Nice? After what she did?” I rose from the table, ready to bolt. “She cheated, man.”

“Hey, now, it's been years,” Kat reasoned, her voice softening, maybe realizing they'd pushed too far.

“Doesn't change a damn thing.”

“Look, just buy her a candle or something,” Livy suggested.

“Or a book,” Kat added, hopeful. “Everyone likes books.”

“Fine.” The word was clipped, final. I grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair, eager to escape.

“Where are you off to?” Gabe called after me.

“Anywhere but here,” I muttered, pushing through the door, the bell above ringing a jarring goodbye as I stepped out into the cold night.