Over the Hills and Far Away (NOLA's Own #1) by Kelli Jean Page B

explained to him on Christmas Eve.
    “It’s bluidy Christmas!” he howled in my ear over the phone.
    “And you skipped out on Thanksgiving,” I snapped. “Just let this one go, all right? I’ll come over with Alys and Lili during the day, and we’ll exchange gifts.”
    “It’s no’ the bluidy same thing, Kenna. We’re still a family—”
    “Which is why I’m coming over during the day and spending the evening with her! Get over it!” I hung up, finding my own temper was on a pretty short fuse.
    When Alys, Lili, and I made our way over there late in the morning on Christmas Day, Grandma retreated to her cave without saying good-bye and locked the door.
    “Why is she so upset that we’re going?” Lili whispered. “He might’ve been a bit of an ass, but he’s still your Da.”
    “She thinks I’m siding with him against her,” I replied as we walked out the front door. “I really don’t understand it. I didn’t realize that there’s some sort of war going on between them. I know she’s pissy about him not being around a lot at the end, but it was my mother who did that, not him. And I think Grandma was offended over Thanksgiving, and she’s mad at me for not being upset about that. I just hope this shit blows over soon because it’s hard enough not having Mom around. I don’t need to deal with this garbage on top of it.”
    “It will,” consoled Alys as we climbed into the gold Honda Accord. She turned on the engine. “She just needs to take it out on someone, and your father is the best target.”
    “Yeah, it’s hard to miss a man that ginger and soulless,” piped Lili from the backseat.

    Gloria looked tired, but she had put together a beautiful brunch for us to enjoy. Connor was particularly quiet and subdued. Da was a horrible grump of a bear, but we plowed through it like soldiers making a mad dash for the trenches.
    “Can I come with you guys after?” Connor asked as I brought the dirty dishes into the kitchen.
    “No, you bluidy well can’t leave yer family on Christmas!” barked Da from behind us.
    “She’s my sister!”
    “Yer no’ leavin’!”
    Connor glared at him and slunk off to his room to brood.
    “Da, quit being an ass,” I said hotly.
    We left not long after that.

    New Year’s found all of us, even Da and Gloria, at Grandma’s.
    Grandma did her best to hold on to her apathy, snipping viciousness at Da at every turn, but he’d finally had enough. He restrained her in his patented Papa Bear Hug in front of everyone and squeezed her tight. He started crying, and she started crying and actually hugged him back.
    “Ye auld bitch. How can ye hate me so much? I loved her, too!” he wailed.
    I was afraid he might be trying to kill her with his love, squeezing her like that. I couldn’t say I blamed him though, if that was what he was going for.
    But she returned his embrace. “Because you’re an asshole, Sigmund!”
    Happy fucking New Year.

    Time was relentless in its drive to move forward. Back into the swing of things after the holidays, I was busier than ever.
    I kept myself very much unavailable between school, study, yoga, and meditation.
    Lili would come over just to be around, and I was cool with that. We didn’t need to actually hang out when we were together. After class, she would stay with me in the house, no matter what I was doing, and she’d most definitely stick around for dinner, too. Sometimes, she would just crash over without bothering to notify anyone.
    I thought she was worried about me, but she never really said anything. Perhaps she was also trying to stay away from her own home life. Her father’s deep-seated need to control her was only growing stronger the older she got.
    Spring break came as a welcome respite.
    For the therapist program, there was only a month until graduation. I’d be taking the boards soon, and I would hopefully be certified and ready to find some work before I continued with my education in the fall.
    With the