Chapter 16
Asher sat in the old armchair resting his feet on the coffee table, an empty beer bottle off to the side. An old holiday classic played on the television, one he knew by heart despite the years since he saw it last. Every once in a while his gaze would stray to the tree in the corner, its ornaments old yet cherished, and the strand of lights only half-working. Somehow he still found it perfect. How had he gone so long without letting the cheeriness of the season into the old house? What exactly was he hiding from?
The storm raged on outside. A fire danced hypnotically in the old stone fireplace.
Loneliness, of course, was the answer. The holidays were all about families and spending time with loved ones. Most of his relatives were in the ground, and the few that weren’t had m
