Page 40 of Stuck in Christmas

“I need his help.” I stamped my foot.

“No, you don’t.” Kris/Santa sighed. “You have everything you need to figure this out and learn your lesson. After all, it’s your lesson to learn, not his.”

I took a deep breath through my nose and blewit out slowly. “Why don’t you just tell me what I must do to fix this?”

“Then you wouldn’tlearnanything.”

“This is nuts.”

“Only because you refuse to accept the truth,” Kris/Santa said.

The song faded out, not that we had been dancing. I had enough of fake Santa and his vague-booking nonsense. I searched the crowd for Eli, but when I turned back to my dancing partner, he was gone. Again.

“Special lady,” Eli greeted me as he stepped through the crowd. “Getting to dance with Santa.”

“Is it hot in here?” I fanned my sweater to get some air flowing underneath.

“We’re outside.”

“I need some non-crowd air,” I announced, walking toward Bonnie’s. Eli didn’t say a word but followed me.

The crowd seemed contained to the town square, with a few stragglers walking arm-in-arm along the sidewalk. Eli wrapped my hand around his impressive bicep, which is stating a fact, by the way, not making a judgment on his hotness.

“Renee, I know we’ve only known each other a short time, but it feels like I’ve known you forever. It feels like - coming home,” Eli said as he paused on the sidewalk outside Bonnie’s.

“Listen, about that. I need to tell you something,” I started. And I never got to freaking finish my thought because a giant wall of snow fell off the awning, knocking me down…

…into a snowbank.

“COME ON!” I pounded the sidewalk beside me.

Part Twelve

Twenty

This is how I die.

Stuck in the holiday movie from hell.

No recourse.

No help.

And I was fresh out ofducksto give about the situation.

You know I don’t mean ducks, but it’s the best I can do right now.

What’s a gal to do when she’s about to die and out of ducks to give? She throws in the towel and gets in her comfy bathrobe. But the problem with this plan, while you’re staying at an inn, is that you get hungry, which means you get to treat everyone to your hot messery.

I waited until the morning breakfast rush was over at the diner before pushing through the door in my gray bathrobe glory. Don’t even get me started on my hair. That was a rat’s nest that gave up the ghost hours ago.

“Oh, my,” Bonnie said, taking in my appearance. “I thought theweatheroutside was frightful.”

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of theworld pressing down on me. “Tell me about it,” I whispered, barely holding back the tears.

Bonnie gestured for me to sit, her eyes filled with concern. “Sit, sit. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Before I could respond, the floodgates opened. I burst into tears.

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