Page 28 of Holiday Power Play

"Pretty damn sure," Mick says, grabbing some gloves off the kitchen counter. "Which means we're going to need more than just canned goods to get us through the next two days."

"We don't have the car," Lana says, turning to him.

"No, but we have the snowmobile. I can ride down, get some more supplies, and see if the owner will let us stay an extra night. Plus, there's no cell service up here. I need to see if maybe by getting closer to some wifi, I'll be able to reach mom and dad and let them know where we are."

"No cell service?" Lana falls onto the couch, looking defeated. "Awesome. There goes our Christmas."

"We'll make the most of it. I promise," Mick says. He grabs the goggles he used to ride on the snowmobile.

"You can't go out there alone," Lana says.

"Well, I'm not letting you go out there, and I'm not letting you stay here alone, so…"

"I'll go get the supplies," I offer.

Mick looks at me. "Do you even know what kind of supplies to get, Cali boy?"

"Really, Mick? We're not camping out in the woods. What kind of stuff would we need to wait out a snowstorm?"

"Yeah… I'm not leaving our survival up to you," Mick says.

"Thank God," Lana adds under her breath.

"You two get the fire going. If I'm not back in a few hours, just assume wolves ate me and move on with your lives."

"He's so dramatic," Lana says.

"Fuck dude," I say.

He laughs. "I'm kidding. I'll be back. Oh, and maybe throw up some of those decorations from the attic. Just because we're stuck here doesn't mean we have to give up on the holidays entirely."

Mick waves and disappears into the dark forest on the snowmobile. When the tail lights are at a far enough distance, I turn to Lana, who is stacking the firewood in the fireplace.

"Looks like it's just you and me, little grinch."

"Great, just so we get this out in the open… I'm not sleeping with you." She doesn't even bother looking my way.

"Great, just so we get it out in the open… I wasn'tplanningon sleeping with you."

"Good," she says. "Because neither was I."

"Even though you thought about it," I point out.

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you had to think about it in order to tell me that. So you did at least consider it."

"And I concluded that I won't."

"Right, but you admit you thought about it. Even though nobody asked."

"Why are you this insufferable?"

"Because Lana, like a rock trapped inside your shoe, I am impossible to ignore. Which is why the second your brother walked out the door, you thought about sleeping with me." I give her a smirk.

"Notsleeping with you," she corrects me.

"Case in point."

---