Page 12 of Stuck in Christmas

“Hey, Eli.” I grabbed the entire peach pie off the counter, grabbed a fork, andheaded back into the dining room, where I plopped down onto a chair and began digging into the pie, which was even more delicious than I remembered.

“Hey.” Eli rushed from the kitchen behind me and stopped at the table's edge. “Not sure I’ve ever seen a grown woman eat an entire pie by herself outside of a competitive eating situation.”

“Stick around. This could be a first for both of us,” I shot back as I shoved a giant forkful of pie into my mouth. Maybe this was the upside of being stuck in a loop. I could eat whatever the heck I wanted and wouldn’t have to worry about gaining weight or cholesterol.

Of course, if I’m stuck in a time loop, I’m stuck, which is a bigger problem. But that’s a problem for later. Or today.

Ugh. My head hurt.

Bonnie eased into a seat at the table next to me. “You look troubled, dear. What is it?”

“I think she hit her head when she fell in the snowbank outside.” Joe’s voice was steady, yet I could see the concern lingering in his gaze.

“Eli! I told you to—” Bonnie began, her tone sharp.

“He planned to get around to it but was working on your pies. This is neither the first nor the second time you’ve told me this story,” I interjected, my voice growing more animated as memories rushed back. “I keep reliving the same day over and over.”

“Wow.” Bonnie blinked a few times.

“That’s incredible,” Joe added, a spark of intrigue lighting his eyes.

“Like Déjà vu?” Eli chimed in. His brow lifted in genuine curiosity.

“Déjà vu from hell, maybe,” I exclaimed with a tinge of exasperation.

“Eli—go make some hot chocolate. I think we’re going to need it,” Bonnie instructed firmly. Eli hurried off. His footsteps light against the tile floor.

“Now, Miss—” Bonnie turned back to me, her expression softening.

“Renee,” I mumbled.

“Miss Renee. Start from the beginning,” Bonnie prompted.

I inhaled deeply, preparing to unravel my bizarre tale. “I was headed to Magnolia Meadows Spa, but when I put the address into the maps app on my phone, it directed me here, miles away from where I’m supposed to be. I think. Every time I tried to leave town, I kept getting turned around and driving right back here—” My voice wavered as the weight of my reality sank in. “And when I am here, no matter what I do, I end up falling face-first into that snowbank out front, and we start this conversation all over again.”

“Those phones,” Joe chuckled softly.

“Smartphones are just making us dumber,” I lamented, my frustration bubbling.

“You sound just like him.” Bonnie’s eyes sparkled.

“He’s said it to me often enough,” I retorted, a shy smile curling my lips.

Bonnie’s laughter filled the room, a bright note amid the winter cold. “Now do me.”

With a playful roll of my eyes, I replied, “Thatpin—let me guess—four calling birds. Joe gave it to you on your fourth Christmas as a married couple?”

“That’s amazing. We’ve had this conversation before?” Bonnie asked, her shock a blend of delight and disbelief.

“Well, not that part. Every day is a different pin. But you always say: ‘Probably ain’t worth a quarter, but it has sentimental value.’”

“Uncanny,” Joe declared, his eyebrows raised in astonishment.

“I don’t know what to do,” my voice dropped to a whisper. The sense of being trapped in this surreal cycle weighed heavily on my heart. “If this was a dream or a nightmare, you think I would’ve woken up by now.”

“Is it that bad to be stuck in Christmas, Mississippi?” Bonnie asked, her brow furrowed.

I sighed. Wasn’t that the same thing Eli wanted to know? Was being stuck here a bad thing? “No, but I have a life to return to.”

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