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I looked out the window where he pointed, and I had to admit, the panoramic view of the lake was stunning. The sunlight was gleaming off the surface of the water, sparkling like a million little diamonds. A few people a way down the shore were fishing, and off in the distance, I could see a small boat.
“It’s beautiful,” I said honestly. The cabin might have left more than a little to be desired, but the lake and the view of it were incredible.
“We’ll probably want to cut some firewood,” he said, pointing at a small, almost depleted stack beside a stump. “You can take care of that, right?” He elbowed me, then went to the kitchen. He opened all the cabinets and a cooler bag on the counter, which he looked inside.
“Well, I was expecting to see evidence of Jenna in here, but clearly Lexi packed the food because it’s all healthy snacks. And they only brought one box of cocoa mix? We’ll have to do a grocery run.”
I fought the urge to groan. It was such a small thing, but the small things were starting to add up.
“Let’s go unpack, too. You and I will be doing this holiday Boy Scout style.” I wasn’t quite sure what he meant, but then he turned and waved me to come with him, grabbing his suitcase.
I followed Dean down the hall to where the bedrooms were, passing the girls’ rooms. Dean’s sister shot me a look and closed the door as I walked past.
Great. Guess you really only do get one chance to make a first impression, and I screwed mine up. Now, not only was I stuck in this little cabin for Christmas with a group of people I barely knew, Dean notwithstanding, but at least one of them had already made some kind of decision about me based on a single comment. Just what everyone wanted. To spend the holidays in close quarters with unfriendly strangers.
I’d spent the last five Christmases alone since my fiancée left me. My parents died before that, and I’d done my best to make the most of every holiday. But I couldn’t bear the thought of one more “O Holy Night” and rum-spiked eggnog with no one to share it with.
So when Dean came into work last month and said there would be an extra bed at the Airbnb his sister booked for Christmas, I was excited, but nervous. It took him a bit of convincing, since he knew it was either that or he’d have to hear me moan about the loneliness of a solo holiday again, but I eventually caved.
And I’d been dreading the weekend ever since. With good reason, it seemed.
Past the living room was the kitchen and a dining room, then a hall. There were two doors at the end of it, but when I went to one and Dean went to the other, I found myself looking at a bathroom. It was a nice bathroom, don’t get me wrong—clawfoot tub and standing shower—but I’d been expecting a bedroom.
“Uh, Dean?” I said, stepping to the side to show him what I’d found. “Guess we won’t be duking it out over who gets what room.”
“I know. I just wanted to see your reaction,” he replied, doing the same and showing me into the room he’d opened, which had a pair of bunkbeds.
“Perfect,” I said, following him into the room and putting my suitcase on a chair. “Not exactly what I pictured. So how do we decide who gets top or bottom?”
Dean looked at me and shrugged. “I can take the top,” he said, then elbowed me in the ribs with a laugh. “Don’t want the old man to break a hip.”
I chuckled despite my sour mood. “Oh, yeah?” I teased back with a soft punch at his arm. “Do we need to test who’s less likely to break something? At this point, I’m pretty sure you only brought me to chop the firewood.”
“You figured me out,” Dean said, putting his hands in the air like he’d been busted, so I threw a pillow at him, and he laughed.
I started pulling clothes out of my bag, stacking them neatly in drawers or hanging them in the tall wardrobe. After a few moments of silence where Dean did the same thing, I finally said, “You really like this place that much?”
“Yeah,” he said, giving me a look like I was crazy. “It’s nice. Cozy. You don’t think so?”
“I don’t know,” I said, tugging at the flannel sheets on the bed and grimacing. “I don’t want to sound like a snob but it just seems kind of… cheap.”
Someone scoffed behind me, and I turned to see Dean’s sister standing there, looking at me in disbelief.
“Cheap?” she echoed in a high-pitched voice. “I’m sorry, did I actually hear you say you thought this place ischeap?”
“Jenna,” Dean said, stepping halfway between us as though to protect one or both of us from the other, “I’m sure Gabe didn’t mean it like that.”
“Oh, I think he meant it exactly like that,” she said, crossing her arms and scowling at me. “It’s too tiny and cheap for his highness.”
“Highness?” I said back, frustration at her attitude creeping in. “Hardly. I just know what I like, and this isn’t it.”
She threw her hands out to the side in a mock bow. “Then by all means, yourmajesty, you are more than welcome to front the cost of somewhere else.”
“Not sure why that wasn’t an option in the first place,” I said, regretting the words immediately. I knew why it wasn’t an option, but I was annoyed, and my temper was getting the better of me.
“Because some of us don’t have never ending wallets. Some of us have to work service jobs to get by and save up for six months to book a place this ‘cheap.’ Becausesomeof us have to cling to whatever we can of our childhoods just so that we can have a nice Christmas with all that’s left of our family.”
She was breathing heavily, and I felt a bit bad at knowing how long she’d saved for this place, but her aggression toward me dampened the pity I felt.
