Page 4 of Stuck With My Christmas Crush

Still, my roommate status is only until I get things figured out. But every time I raise the subject of moving on,Lou shakes her head and says, “Why? We love having you here.” She tells me my contribution in rent helps pay the mortgage. So, I’m still in their spare room. And happily so. For now.

I pull my faux fur jacket up around my shoulders as my mind reflects on that sunny August afternoon. As Lou and I drove away, I said, “Well done,” out loud. Like Phoebe in the episode ofFriendswith Brad Pitt, when she sends up a prayer to the heavens acknowledging the creation of a truly excellent male human. Yes. Well done on creating a gorgeous man, however out of reach.

So, from a safe distance, I hold the memory of the hot guy from the summer birthday party like a secret treasure I can take out and look at any time I want. Like a beautiful picture on a gallery wall - his handsome face; his broad shoulders; his dark, wavy hair; the light in his eyes when they met mine through the van window. Pow! The image is crystalized in a freeze-frame that I can replay over and over in my mind. No one else needs to know.

Standing beside my broken beetle, at the side of the road, the vivid realization slowly dawns like a fuzzy image through a viewfinder coming into sharp focus. My eyes widen, and I close my mouth because the hot guy from the summer party is the same hot guy standing in front of menow. The drumming in my chest is for a different reason than hopeless despair.

Although, the handsome man on the roadside in front of me could still be a savage serial killer, after weighing up the facts and evidence – the little girl and the kind offer of a jump start - the probability might be illustrated with a diagonal down-sliding graph, where the point of absolutely positive one-hundred-percent chance of death and mutilation is high up on the y axis, and descends to a point on the x axis, at an absolute zero chance of death and mutilation.

My hand covers my mouth and a wave of relief washes over me. I almost faint.

The little girl is concerned about leaving me at the side of the road, but I convince them that I’m fine and help is on the way.

“Merry Christmas,” I say as I wave goodbye.

Maddie gets back into the cab, but the hot guy stays. We stand facing each other, caught in a moment where neither of us moves along. He seems hesitant to leave. Then my phone rings, which breaks the moment. It’s the roadside recovery people.

“I’d better get this,” I say with my best bravest smile. The hot guy smiles, nods, then turns to leave.

Chapter 3

Jason

“Hey, Mom.” Maddie jumps down from the back of the Chevy in my sister’s driveway.

“Hey, sweetie. How was your morning at the mansion? Were you good and helpful?”

“Yes. Yes, I was. Wasn’t I, Jason?”

“So good and so helpful.” Meredith picks up Maddie and cuddles her.

“Thanks so much for taking her this morning. I’m all caught up now.”

“Noproblem. I love my time with Maddie. And I have to make the most of it now, before she becomes an obnoxious teenager in a couple of years.”

“I’m never going to be an obnoxious teenager, whatever that is,” says Maddie emphatically.

“Do you want to stay for dinner?”

“No. I’m going to get back and keep sorting stuff out. But it is endless. There are so many boxes and trunks. Every wardrobe seems to be full of junk. Really. I just want to torch the place.”

“I don’t think you are approaching this with the right frame of mind, soldier.” Meredith lowers Maddie to the ground. She runs off inside the house. “You have been left a sizable property by a distant relative we didn’t even know existed. Don’t you want to find out about her, and the people who owned the place? Their story? I mean, it was a hotel and quite expensive and fashionable in its day. There could be all sorts of treasures hidden in the walls and attic. I think it’s exciting.”

“It might be for you. You’re not there and dealing with it.” I grit my teeth and run my hand through my hair with exasperation. “I just want to get rid of the place so I can move along. At the moment, it’s actually costing me to be there. And the longer I hang on to it, the greater theexpense which means the less we’ll get when it does sell.” I pause then change my tone. “Don’t you want your share?”

“Yes. It would be a welcome bonus for sure. We’re probably going to set up a trust fund or something for Maddie. But Daniel and I have good jobs.” Meredith smiles kindly, her head drops slightly to one side. “I fully appreciate you taking responsibility for selling the property. And, selfishly, I kind of like my brother living within uncle-duty distance. For a while. It’s great having you nearby after all the time you’ve been away. I know Maddie likes it.”

“Yeah. I should focus on the upside. It is good to be living a short drive away from my favorite sister.”

“Your only sister.” Meredith play-punches my arm.

I laugh and pull my car keys out of my pocket. “And it’s ex-soldier, by the way.”

“I know, Jason. But part of you is always going to be in Afghanistan.” Meredith can see right through me. I’ve left the military, but the military hasn’t left me. “You can get a contract anytime.” She shrugs. “But inheriting the mansion is an unexpected gift. Have some grace about that.”

“You’re right, Meredith.” I laugh again. “I’ve contacted the real estate agent, to get things rolling.” I shake my head and sigh at the endless list of things that need to be done to get the house ready for sale. And I think about all thethings I’d rather be doing instead of packing up a big old empty house.

“I’ll come and give you a hand next week, alright.”

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