Page 34 of A Curvy Carol

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WHIT

Iwoke up in the morning, a smile on my face as I remembered my first kiss with Carolynn.

When my parents told me I was going to be spending Christmas with a local, I thought I’d just be seeing the sights of Garland. Maybe a few behind-the-scenes spots while getting a little cash to see my friends back home.

Meeting Carolynn, and falling for her, had never been part of my plan; it was better.

I got my phone off the nightstand and sent her a text.

Whit: Merry Christmas, beautiful.

Part of me hoped she would reply right away, but I knew that was unrealistic. Even though Christmas was the busiest day for my parents at the lodge and we didn’t get much family time until dinner, I knew her parents really cared about making Christmas special for her. Surely she was busy with breakfast and opening presents. I hoped she got everything she wished for on the Christmas star.

After a couple minutes of waiting, I got dressed and then went to see what my parents were doing. They looked slammed, making sure the guests had everything they needed. I went to help Mom fold fresh towels from the dryer, but she shooed me with a hand towel.

“No work for you on Christmas,” she said with an exasperated smile. “Go have some fun, enjoy yourself.”

I raised my hands in surrender. “Fine.”

She gave me a gentle smile. “Starting tomorrow, the busy season will finally start dying down. We’ll have a small crowd either stick around or come in for New Year’s, but nothing crazy like the Christmas season, and I promise we’ll get more time together. But for now, I want you to have a nice holiday. Maybe take a spin on the snowmobile? See if Carolynn’s free?”

I nodded. “Thanks, Mom.” After finding my dad and wishing him a merry Christmas, I went outside and got the snowmobile from the shed. It felt strangely empty without Carolynn riding with me, her arms around my waist, her cheek warm against my back.

I checked my phone to see if she’d replied. Nothing.

Shoving down my disappointment, I fired up the engine and took off.

In the next few hours, I rode around the lodge grounds and out even farther into the forest, going past Mistletoe Hill and remembering my first kiss with Carolynn before swinging around and making it back to the lodge. It was fun to ride through the trees and see Garland from above, smoke puffing up from chimneys, homes and roads poking out from a blanket of snow.

But I was getting cold, so I rode back to the lodge, even though my parents were busy working.

After putting the snowmobile back in the shed, I warmed up inside and then made my way into town.

The first place I passed was the skating rink. Right away, I thought about Carolynn teaching me to ice skate and what it was like to watch her move gracefully across the ice. It seemed like everywhere I went I had a memory with her–I couldn’t wait to make more.

I walked around town for a while popping in and out of businesses that were open. There was a sizable crowd out shopping and spending time together. Garland didn’t seem to be one of those places that completely shut down on Christmas Day. In fact, it looked more like everyone came out to eat, shop, and be merry.

Which only made me wonder more about Carolynn. Was she out here with her family? Was she alright?

I checked my phone again. Why hadn’t she spoken to me at all today?

A new text came through my phone, and my hopes rose, until I saw it was a message from my mom.

Mom: We’re starting on dinner. Should be ready in an hour.

With a sigh, I changed direction to make it back home.

After dinner, I checked my phone again for what felt like the millionth time with no message from Carolynn.

Dad must have seen my features fall, because he asked, “Everything alright?”

I nodded. “Yeah.” But I didn’t elaborate. “It’s Christmas. Let’s celebrate.”

I was sure I’d hear from Carolynn tomorrow, even if a small but growing part of me felt like maybe something was off.

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