14
It was Christmas Day, and Jeff was ready for the mountain to close. He wanted to call Megan just to hear her voice. He couldn’t believe he would see her in a week. It had been torture being away from her, and now his chance to see her was coming quickly. He contemplated what he would do when she went away again. While he loved Wintervale, he didn’t want to lose her, so he decided to tell her he would follow her. It would be rough not having a job and needing to search for something he could do remotely, but he couldn’t do the long distance anymore. It was pure torture.
He rode the gondola down to the resort with Noah after they did their final sweep of the mountain. They pulled up the rear as the last of the staff was scattered between several gondolas in front of theirs.
“You’re still coming to my parents’ for dinner, right?” Noah asked.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Jeff said.
“Thanks for helping today.”
“No problem, man.”
The gondola dropped them off next to the resort, and they parted ways. Jeff needed to head home and shower before heading to the Blake’s. He had grabbed a fruit tray the day prior so he could bring something despite knowing it was unnecessary. Miles always had food covered, but he didn’t want to show up empty-handed.
He got to his house and noticed his mailbox slightly ajar. Pulling it open, he found an envelope inside. His name was scrawled across the front, but there wasn’t any postage on it.
He carried it into his house, took off his boots and coat, and put them in their proper spots near the door before carrying the envelope into his bedroom. He tossed it onto the bed and stripped down before getting into the shower.
The hot water felt good, and he stood under the spray for far longer than he intended. By the time he got out of the shower, he realized dinner would start soon, so he rushed to get dressed. Just before leaving his room, he spotted the envelope still sitting on his bed. He picked it up and carried it to the kitchen, where he grabbed the fruit tray and a case of beer before heading out to his car.
Jeff started his car and drove the short distance to the Blake parents’ house and parked outside. He was about to go in when he saw the envelope sitting on his seat. He picked it up and ran his finger under the flap to tear it open. Then, he deposited the contents onto his lap. He stared at the crumpled ten-dollar bill he had been passing back and forth with Megan.
His eyebrows furrowed. How did that get there when there wasn’t any postage on the envelope? She could have mailed it to Jessa to put in the mailbox, but he immediately dismissed that idea. That would defeat the purpose of their game. Unspoken rules said they needed to do it themselves.
His head whipped toward the house.
Could she...?
He quickly grabbed the fruit tray and beer and kicked his car door shut, all but running toward the house.
Don’t slip. Don’t slip. Don’t slip, he chanted in his head.
Finally, he reached the front door and pulled it open in a hurry, forgetting all his manners and not bothering to knock.
Megan waited nervouslyin the kitchen of the Blake family home. Christmas dinner was being made, and she tried to help Miles and Karen, but they kept shooing her away. Miles was in his element making dinner for everyone, and Karen seemed to work around him, knowing what he needed without waiting for him to ask.
Jeff would be there any moment. She confirmed with Noah that he was coming to dinner. Part of her felt guilty for not telling Jeff she was coming, but once the plan was in motion, she had a hard time not following through. Jessa being ecstatic about Megan surprising Jeff also made it hard for her to spoil the surprise.
Except for the ten-dollar bill she had slipped into his mailbox. Chances were he wouldn’t even see it before coming by, but if he did, he might figure out she was in town.
It was a miracle he didn’t already know just from the locals likely seeing her and gossiping about it.
“Are you sure you don’t want help?” Megan asked.
“Yep,” Miles said.
Miles’s girlfriend Kelly came into the kitchen. “Need help?”
“No,” Miles said.
“I’ve asked several times,” Megan said.
Kelly smiled warmly and walked over to where Megan leaned against the far counter out of the way. “Nervous?”
Megan nodded. “I’m antsy. I’ve been itching to see him, but all because of this surprise, I can’t yet. He'd better show up soon or I might just drive to his place and jump him.”
Miles cleared his throat but continued what he was working on, while Karen snorted.
