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A huge smile spread across Maggie’s face. “Good! It’s settled. You’re going to Brazil!”
“Alright… out with it. What’s going on? Why do you want me to do this so badly?” Ada narrowed her eyes on the woman who had become her first ever best friend.
“I just think trying something new like this could be a really cool experience.” Maggie averted her eyes to the floor. “And, maybe it will give you an opportunity to see if there is still a spark between you and Arlo.”
Ada chucked her pillow at Maggie. “Stop… That’s what this is? Your attempt at getting me to live out one of your cheesy romance movies?”
“No… well, maybe, but would that be so bad?” Maggie threw the pillow back at Ada. “When I met you, you were convinced that happily ever afters didn’t exist. But, you were the one who encouraged me to not give up on Chase. And, you were the one who helped Liza see that she and Miller could make it work even if it meant doing long distance.” Maggie scooted next to Ada and put her arm around her. “I don’t know if you see it, but you’ve changed. In a good way.”
“You mean I’ve gottensoft.” Ada nudged Maggie with her shoulder.
“No,” Maggie chuckled. “You definitely still have your Ada edge—don’t worry about that. But, I think you’ve grown. You’re starting to let people in, and I think so far you’ve seen that not all people are bad.”
Ada scrunched her nose. “You and Chase and Liza arenotnormal people. You’re all aliens that landed here from a freaky planet where people are genuinely nice and trustworthy.”
“Well, maybe a few more of us landed here on Earth. But, you won’t find the others of our kind unless you give people a chance. Remember how you were so skeptical of me at first? And look at how much you love me now?” Maggie squeezed Ada and they both fell back onto the pillows. Maggie proceeded to kiss Ada on the cheek repeatedly while Ada protested.
“Ewww!” Ada laughed. “Okay, okay… ugh, I will take what you said into consideration.”
“Good because Arlo needs an answer by tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah, he has to arrange flights as soon as possible if it's a go. I think he might be more excited than he wants to let on…”
“Crap.” Ada buried her face into a blanket.
“Chase and I made Christmas tree pancakes! Come down soon so you can decorate and eat one before they’re all gone!”
“Seriously? Please tell me he’s not wearing matching pajamas with you too?”
“Oh he definitely is! And we have a different pair for each night until Christmas!”
Ada groaned. “It’s like a holiday Pinterest board exploded in this Airbnb.”
“Isn't it awesome?” Maggie beamed. “The rest of the day involves Christmas Minute to Win It games. Get excited!”
Ada just shook her head. She’d never experienced a Christmas like this before, and although Maggie was making it completely over the top, there was something nice about getting in the Christmas spirit.
Chapter 5
Ada - 2 days until Christmas
Thenextday,thegroup was gathered at the kitchen table, finishing up breakfast.
“Chase and I are planning to head into town around noon. Anyone else want to come?” Maggie asked, chipper as always.
“I want to go!” Brooklyn replied. “Can we go?” She looked at Arlo.
“Yeah that's fine.” Arlo ran his fingers through his shiny brown hair.
Then Brooklyn eyed Ada. “You should come too.”
Ada tried to think of an excuse—still anxious about being around Arlo. On top of that, she needed to make a decision about whether or not to go to Brazil. But, shopping was one of her favorite pastimes. She wasn’t about to let him ruin the thing she was looking forward to most about Christmas vacation. “Yeah, I’ll go,” she finally said. “Liza, what are you and Miller going to do?”
“We’re gonna take Randall for a walk.” Liza pulled her five-pound Chihuahua up to her face and he licked her cheek. “Then we might try skiing!”
Miller stared at Liza adoringly.
