Christmas was a particularly happy time for me. It was the first holiday I'd spent with my family in a long time. Kris and Ginger were getting along beautifully with everyone else, which made everything easier. It'd been a week out here and I have yet to crack on the bet Kris and I made, which is good, but she hasn't cracked either, and that is bad. I didn't think it'd be as unbearable as it's been. I've been noticeably suffering from it but Kris looks her usual beautiful self; she doesn't seem like she's suffering at all. That isn't such a good sign.
This was Jenny's second Christmas and she enjoyed this one much more than her first, but that was just because now she was old enough to enjoy her presents. She definitely got a lot of presents; most of them being toys. Ginger got her some clothes, but that was because she was growing like nobody's business and needed new clothes anyway.
After we opened the presents Kris and I were settled on the couch while Zac was helping our parents clean up. Ginger was amusing Jenny with Jenny's new stuffed animal on the floor, Jenny giggling. Kris watched, taking my hand and putting her head on my shoulder.
"I love you, baby," she said.
"I love you too." I kissed her temple and she smiled. The both of us have been acting weird around each other since we made our bet, slightly afraid any gesture might be mistaken as a sexual offer, but right now neither of us seemed to be thinking about the bet. "So, do you like the bracelet?" I asked. She looked at her wrist and jingled the bracelet, smiling.
"Yes, I do, baby. I love it. You even knew to make it small because I have such tiny wrists," she said.
"I almost didn't, but when I showed it to Ginger she told me to get it fixed because it would slide right off you." She moved her arm and the bracelet slid up her arm, and then slid back down to her hand.
"Well it doesn't, so thank you."
We went upstairs to put away our gifts. We'd be leaving the next day and over the past week we've generated quite a mess. "I can't believe we're going home tomorrow already," Kris said. "You know, the wedding seems so much closer from this side of Christmas."
"Yeah, it does."
"Are you scared?" she asked. I smiled.
"No."
"Really?" I nodded. "Good." I sat down. She gave me a smile and put something else in her suitcase. It wasn't long before her hand discreetly slid to the back of my neck and she started to scratch me with her long nails. My eyes closed immediately and I bit my lip. We were going home tomorrow and she wanted to leave with a hundred dollars. So far it looked like it was working. She did that for a few minutes before she suddenly stopped. My eyes opened. "I'll be right back." She walked out of the room and I got up and followed.
"Wait, Kris," I said. I pulled her into the bathroom and shut the door.
"What, baby�" I kissed her, pushing her against the door. "Taylor�"
"I cave," I told her.
"Oh thank God!" She threw her arms around me and kissed me again. We did it right there, standing up against the bathroom door with everybody roaming around outside, probably able to hear. It didn't bother me; all I knew was that it'd been a week and I couldn't take it anymore.
Afterward Kris and I were sitting on the floor, our backs against the door. Kris was still catching her breath and smoothing out her hair. "Oh my God," she said. "Wow."
"I know, I'm just that good," I said, lightly laughing. "But I guess I owe you a hundred dollars, then?"
"I don't want your money, babe," she said. "Honestly, if you didn't do it I would have. That had to be the longest week of my life."
"Seriously?" I asked. "You didn't look like you were�"
"Oh, I was," she said, laughing. "I really was."
"So what are we going to tell Zac and Ginger?" I asked.
"Why do we have to tell them anything?"
"Oh come on, Kris, you're beaming to high heaven. They'll be able to tell we did it." She shrugged. "But if we say I caved, I owe them money. If we say you caved, they owe me money, and half of that will be yours."
"Baby, there's more than money here. There's pride! I'm not saying I caved for a measly half," she said. "I need at least seventy-five percent."
"Ugh, fine. You're going to end up taking it all in one way or another anyway," I said, getting up. I helped her up off the floor and opened the door. It didn't look like anybody was around. We carefully left the bathroom but as soon as we turned the corner Zac and Ginger were standing there, waiting. "Hi," I said.
"All right," Ginger said. "Who caved?"
"What makes you think anybody caved?" I asked.
"Well, considering we had to usher all the kids downstairs because you two were going at it against the bathroom door, I think somebody caved," Zac said. "So who was it? Taylor?"
"It was me," Kris said, lowering her head.
"Kris?" Ginger asked. "No!"
"So, from the looks of it, all three of you owe me a hundred dollars!" I said. "Pay up, we're not getting any younger here�" Ginger groaned.
"I'll get my purse." She walked to her room as Zac got out his wallet.
"Don't spend it all in one place," he said, handing me his bet. I looked at it (just to make sure he wasn't cheating me) and smiled.
"I'll try not to." Ginger came out of the bedroom and stuffed some money into my hand. She huffed and left, Zac following behind her. I turned to Kris. "Thank you, baby." She held out her hand. "Fine�" I gave her the money and walked into the bedroom. She smiled.
"Thank you, baby."
We had been home back in New York for about an hour when Ginger and Zac had to leave again. They were both going to come back every now and then for fittings and such for the wedding, but we wouldn't see the both of them at the same time until the wedding. The day after they left, Ginger was appearing on Jay Leno to promote her new book and Kris and I settled in our living room to watch. It was peaceful around here now that Jenny wasn't wreaking havoc everywhere she went, but it was slightly boring.
"Is she the first guest?" Kris asked, sitting down next to me."
"No," I said. "She's the second guest."
"That's not cool. She should be the first guest."
"She's not that popular here yet, honey," I said. "She's always the first guest overseas." Kris sighed.
"So who's the first guest?"
"Kate Hudson."
"Oh. Never mind, then."
We sat through the monologue, opening sketch, and the Kate Hudson interview before Ginger came on at about 12:15. "Oh my God, I didn't realize how good she looks!" Kris said when Ginger was announced and walked onstage. "She really got her body back."
"Well it's been a year, Kris."
"But of course she's still got her boobs 'cause she's still nursing. I wish my boobs were like that."
"Your boobs are just fine, baby." Kris rolled her eyes. "I like 'em."
"Shut up, they're starting!"
"Ginger Stevens, welcome to the show," Jay Leno said.
"Thank you so much for having me," Ginger said, smiling.
"So much has happened since the last time I've seen you," Jay said. "First off, you got married?" Ginger nodded.
"Yes, yes I did. I got married to the most wonderful person in the world, Zac Hanson," Ginger said.
"Now how's he doing? We haven't seen him here in a few years and a lot has happened since then."
"He's good. We live in New York, he's got this awesome producing job. He just finished working with an album and he's actually here with me tonight," she said, the smile on her face brightening as she talked about Zac.
"And the two of you have a child?"
"Yes. Jenny just had her first birthday about a week ago," Ginger said. "She's so amazing."
"I met her backstage before the show; she's so adorable. She looks exactly like you�same hair, same eyes�"
"Yeah, she looks just like me. She looks nothing like Zac and it pisses him off." She laughed. "But she's absolutely amazing."
"How has motherhood affected your career?" Jay asked. "I mean, you're a very well known romance novelist, your writing is basically porno for women, how has having a daughter affected that?"
"Well she can't read yet, Jay."
"I know that," Jay said, rolling his eyes. "But can you be as openly sexual as you were before?"
"I don't really know," Ginger said. "I never saw myself as that openly sexual before. But I guess I have to tone down my sexiness just a little bit. I am a mother and I am married�I don't think my husband would really like me coming out here and talking about our sex life."
"How is your sex life?"
"It's quite nice, thank you for asking," she said, laughing. "Very pleasurable." Jay laughed.
"So how was your Christmas?"
"It was great," Ginger said. "I spent it in Tulsa with Zac and his family. I came almost directly out here from there to start this book tour."
"Let's talk about your book. I've read it�"
"You read it?" Ginger asked, slightly surprised.
"Yes! I've read all of your books."
"Oh�thank you.
"Anyway, I read it and it's phenomenal. All of your books are amazing but there was something about this book, something different from your last one."
"Well this one is more personal," Ginger said. "You know, Purity Among the Hills, my last book, I was still a little bit innocent. I hadn't done much of anything in my life but this book is a little more real. The characters go through things I've gone through; I know what it's like to be in a relationship where people betray trust and end up breaking up. I know what it's like to f�k up." She put her hand over her mouth. "Sorry. In this book these people have to deal with each other and what they put each other through, and a lot of that is what I've had to deal with since my last book."
"I think this book is amazing. Thank you so much for coming on the show, come back anytime," Jay said.
"Thank you."
"Ginger Stevens, the new book is Front Desk, in stores tomorrow. Go out and buy it! Stay turned for a performance from the Counting Crows." The camera panned out and the show cut to a commercial.
"Kris?" I asked. "How personal is Ginger's new book, exactly?"
"Oh, it's nothing too obvious, Taylor," Kris said. "I mean you and Zac would be able to notice certain similarities, but the common person wouldn't. It doesn't say 'I'm dating this guy, but then I slept with his brother, so we broke up, and then I had a kid�' It's nothing like that."
"Is Zac going to get mad?" I asked.
"Zac already read it, Taylor, and he hasn't gotten mad yet."
"How come Zac got to read it already?" I asked, my voice slightly rising. Kris rolled her eyes.
"I thought Ginger was a frivolous romance novelist who writes trashy stories for chicks, nothing you would touch with a ten foot pole."
"I never said that! I read her last book and I liked her." Kris rolled her eyes.
"Well I have a couple of copies lying around here somewhere," Kris said. "I'll find one and give it to you."
"Thank you." She got up.
"Baby, did you get us plane tickets to Tampa?" she asked as she rummaged around for Ginger's book in the massive bookcase in the other room.
"Yes, dear."
"And did you get us tickets to Sydney yet?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I haven't done it yet."
"Well you better do it tomorrow. The wedding's a month and a half away and I want a good flight at a good time. We've still got a lot to do." She walked back into the room with Ginger's book. It seemed much bigger than her last one, but that was probably just because this was a hardback and the last one I read was a paperback.
"I know we've still got a lot to do. We'll take care of it. We're almost there." Kris nodded.
"I know," she said. "We never got a RSVP back from Leo. I was kind of hoping he would go."
"We never got an RSVP because we never sent him an invitation."
"Taylor, you didn't send him his invitation?"
"No! I told you I didn't want to invite him to begin with but you went ahead and did it anyway! I never mailed it."
"Taylor�he's your best friend."
"Correction, he was my best friend. He's not anymore."
"You're just as stubborn as Zac!" she yelled. "You want him there and you know you want him there. Take your stupid book. I'm going to bed." She threw the book at me and I managed to dodge it before it gave me a concussion. She stormed off into the bedroom. I groaned and went after her.
"Baby, Leo and I are not friends anymore."
"How can you just all of a sudden not be friends with someone you've been friends with nearly your entire life?" she asked.
"It happens! We were drifting apart to begin with, and then it turned out he was lying to me, so instead of an eventual deterioration it just happened. I don't want him there at our wedding because he and I are just going to get into a big fight and I don't want that to happen on what's supposed to be the happiest day of our life! He'll just ruin it!" She sighed.
"Whatever, Taylor." She went into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. I sighed and sat down on the bed. She was right; I did want him there, and I was just as stubborn as Zac.