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“Jenna, please. The man had nowhere else to go—”
“I can see why,” I hissed, trying not to be too loud despite the irritation I was feeling. “He’s practically the Grinch.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. Gabe is just used to a different standard of living.”
A different standard of living, meaning this wasn’t good enough for him. My childhood, my memories, not good enough for him to keep his mouth shut.
“Yuck. His name isGabe? Is there a bigger douchebag name? Did you think to yourself, ‘Hmmm. Who is the biggest meathead I know?’ Honestly.” Dean crossed his arms and frowned at me. I did the same, putting us at an impasse. “At least I brought Lexi, who’s nice to look at,” I said, still trying to prove my point.
Dean opened his mouth to say something, and I punched him in the ribs. He wheezed for a minute then flicked me in the forehead. It was like being kids all over again.
“I picked Gabe. He’s my choice. You get no say. Just stay away from him if you dislike him that much. Go paint your nails, or braid hair and talk about boys, or whatever you two do together.”
“This isn’t over, butthead. I’ll make him so miserable he leaves on his own.”
“We will see,” Dean replied, reaching for the door. “I’m planning to give him the best Christmas of his life so… good luck.”
Dean pushed past me and burst into the hallway like he’d won the fight. But I was on my guard, ready for whatever this ‘Gabe’ had to throw at me. I was also determined to have the best Christmas ofmylife, and I’d be damned if I let some suit with a frat boy name ruin it.
Chapter Two
Gabe
Ihonestlyfeltalittle bad about my comment, since the cabinwasnice, even if it was tiny. I could tell it had hit Dean’s sister hard for some reason, but I didn’t really get why. All I knew was that she and Dean, who looked at me with a half-apologetic grimace, disappeared into a bedroom to speak in hushed tones while the blonde woman and I were left standing alone awkwardly, waiting for the other two to return.
She sat on the couch, twirling her hair, then pulled out her phone for a minute before shaking her head in frustration and making a noise halfway between a sigh and a groan. “I’m sorry,” she said, standing and reaching for my hand. “I’m Lexi, Jenna’s friend.”
Even though introductions had been neglected, I knew their names because Dean had been talking about them on the way here.
“Gabe,” I said, returning the gesture as politely as I could, which I was sure came across as very businesslike, given my background. I supposed it was better than coming across as a snob, which I was sure I already had. “Dean’s friend.”
“You’re… not what I expected,” she said, eying me with an expression I thought I recognized.
“Why?” I asked, already knowing the answer and wishing I didn’t. Despite the fact I was a numbers guy, I was in pretty good shape thanks to a strict diet and workout routine. I didn’t do it for the attention, and often did all I could to ignore it, but I’d be lying if I said I never noticed when women gave methatlook. The “you’re really hot for a finance guy” look of surprise that usually was followed by some kind of flirtatious advance, which I always promptly shut down. I spent far too much of my life working and maintaining my health to worry about things like dating.
Exactly why, however, I didn’t get to find out, because at that moment, Dean and Jenna came back down the hall. We all stood there, unsure what to say. Dean tried to give me a look I assumed was supposed to say everything was fine, but Jenna’s face told me a different story. She was glaring at me with these piercing green eyes that looked even brighter beneath her dark brown hair. Her lips were pulled back like whatever words she was about to say were poison from a snake’s teeth.
“We’re going to go unpack,” Lexi said quickly before Jenna could say whatever it was she was brewing. She grabbed Jenna, smiling at both Dean and me, though there was definitive tension in her expression as she tried to remain neutral without abandoning her friend. Both girls left the living room, and Dean and I were left alone.
“Come on, man,” he said quietly. “Look, I know I encouraged you to come, but you didn’t have to. Christmas at this cabin is really important to Jenna and me, so just try to have a good time, okay? I guarantee it’ll be fun if you give it a chance.”
I sighed but nodded. I could understand the desire to keep traditions going even when the people who started them were gone.
“Okay,” I said, relenting. “I’ll try. I’m sorry if I said something out of line. I didn’t realize that this place was a tradition for you guys. I’ll try to look on the bright side.”
“It’s all good,” Dean said, walking around and taking in the surroundings. He stopped by the fireplace and ran his hand across the garland on the mantle. The pine bristles sprung back as his fingers left them. He leaned forward and smelled, but then turned his head to the side to look at the Christmas tree. “God, I love a real tree. Not like you see in the city. You can’t replicate that smell, no matter how many candles or scent sticks you put around.”
For the first time in at least an hour, I smiled and joined him beside the tree. I cupped one of the baubles in my hand and looked at my distorted reflection in it.
“Yeah,” I said. “There is something nostalgic about it.” Then, a less than happy memory worked its way into my thoughts. Well, it had been happy at one point, but now it wasn’t. “You know, my ex and I used to cut our own trees. I actually proposed to her by hiding a ring in the tree we were going to cut down. I pulled it out and got down on one knee.” Even I could hear the bitterness creeping into my voice the longer I talked.
“Listen,” Dean said, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “Hannah doesn’t know what she’s missing, besides a curmudgeonly, cantankerous old man.” I shrugged his hand off, and he laughed. “Come on, man. You haven’t dated anyone in five years. It’s time to move on. My Christmas gift to you this year is permission to go be a person, since you don’t seem to want to give it to yourself. Go out and find someone. Quit being a recluse. You’re in shape, you’re rich, you’re kind of not too old…”
I whacked him gently upside the back of the head and he laughed.
“Not too old to put you in your place,” I said, shoving him away. He ended up in front of a large window overlooking the lake.
“Wow, look at that view,” he said, stopping in his tracks. “It never fails to get me. Every single time since I was a kid.”
