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“I’ll let you know if there are any cancellations,” Aiden says as I slide out of the booth. “And our home is always open to you.”
I grunt in response. I’ve already resigned myself to roughing it in my unfinished cabin, battling the elements as best I can because living at my parents’ house is a non-starter. If I’m going to live without heat, I’d rather it be in the mountains.
“Merry—” Juliet says before stopping herself. “Happy holidays,” she sighs.
“Happy holidays,” I grit out even though it pains me.
I’m not usually this miserable to be around but I have a checkered history with Christmas. And seeing all the decorations, hearing all the classic songs, and smelling the same smells brings back some painful memories.
Juliet lights up but I turn, heading for the door, bracing myself for the explosion of Christmas on Main Street.
As I open the door, I pause because it’s even worse than I remember.
“Bah… Humbug…” I mutter under my breath before clutching the collar of my coat and marching down the sidewalk.
I need to get out of this holiday hellhole.
* * *
A few weeks later…
Aiden:The cabin is yours.
Nick:What?
Aiden:The guy can’t make it. He got sick or something. Juliet just found out.
Nick:They canceled?
Aiden:Not yet, but I doubt she’d want to spend Christmas alone.
Nick:Alright.
I may not believe in Christmas miracles, but I can’t deny something like one has been handed to me. And now there’s only one way to celebrate: A roaring fire, a bowl full of stew, and the only Christmas movie I can stomach:Die Hard.
Maybe this Christmas won’t be so bad after all.
Chapter2
Eva
“This has to be a joke.”
It’s so unthinkable that Ihaveto say it out loud. There’s no way this could happen, right? Riiiiiiight?
I groan as I stare at the message on my phone. A part of me thinks I might be hallucinating them. Maybe I had one too many of my mother’s famous Christmas cookies. Or maybe the marshmallows I added to my hot chocolate were laced with something other than sugar. Maybe, just maybe, this is all some elaborate ploy my mother concocted to keep me with her for Christmas.
There’s nowaythe man I paid a matchmaker to find for me… the man I’m supposed to spend Christmas with… the man who loves this holiday as much as me… used unpasteurized eggs to make his eggnog.
I let out a monstrous groan as I sit down in the trunk of my car. I glance back at all the decorations I’ve just finished loading and then at the others in the middle of my parents’ driveway, waiting for me to load.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. I was supposed to swing by my parents, pick up extra decorations, wish everyone a merry Christmas, and begin the long drive to Whispering Winds—the quaint town I’ll be spending Christmas in. Not anymore…
Evan:I can’t make it. Eva, I’m so sorry. I’m sick… It’s really bad.
Evan:Eggnog… it was the eggnog. I had a friend who raises chickens give me some fresh eggs. They’re as organic and natural as eggs can be
Evan:Everything hurts and everything leaks.
