Page 13 of Blame It On The Reindeer

“Trust me, it’s anticlimactic. I mean, he did have his head between my legs for a few minutes, but neither of us got any pleasure out of that.”

I winced when I realized my wordsafterI said them. But that was the thing about Sam; he was like talking to your closest girlfriend and didn’t care how raunchy the conversation ended up being. He never crossed that line with our friendship or made it uncomfortable.

“Yup, this is definitely bar talk that we’ll need to save for Aiden. How long do you think you’ll be out there?”

I glanced out the window, noticing that the snow had started again.

“I have no idea. I can’t see my car at this point, and crotchety ass Mr. Caveman won’t let me go try to dig it out.”

“That’s because I don’t feel like having to save you again,Princess,” Brody said from behind me, scaring the shit out of me.

“Holy shit! Where did you come from?” I asked, covering the mouthpiece of my phone with my hand as Sam laughed on the other end.

“Thisismy house and I do live here.” He looked at me over his shoulder as he strolled past the table and refilled his cup of coffee.

I shook my head and gave him a dirty look before returning my attention to Sam.

“Thanks for checking on me, Sam. I appreciate it.” I made sure to say his name loud enough for Brody to hear—just in case it might make him worried that I was talking to another man. It wasn’t like Brody was attracted or interested in me, but still, it didn’t hurt to have him know that someone else cared enough to check on me, just in case he decided to kill me after all. And if I had to bet on it, Sam could whoop Brody’s ass. “I need to get going but I’ll let you know when I’m able to get back to Sugarplum Falls.”

“Sounds good, though I’m sure it’ll be obvious when you’re knocking people down in line to get your gingerbread latte.”

“That wasonetime,” I hissed. “And those tourists wouldn’t move to the side while they looked at the menu. It’s just common sense to move aside for those who actually know what they want.”

“Well, be sure to keep that in mind while you’re stuck there. It also doesn’t hurt to allow yourself to be open to other things you may not realize you want.”

“Sam,” I said with a heavy sigh. “It is way too early in the morning for your metaphorical riddles.”

“It’s not a riddle.” He laughed. “I’m just saying, you know what you think you want, but don’t be so close-minded that you don’t allow yourself to be open to things you didn’t know you wanted.”

“It’s all about the reindeer. Got it.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Well, I guess I’m choosing to hear what I want to hear.”

“Sounds about right. Take care and if you need anything, call. Aiden and I will figure out a way to come rescue you.”

“You make it sound like you’re both some knights in shining armor,” I teased playfully, only looking up when I felt Brody’s eyes on me from across the room.

“I guess that would makeyouthe princess who needs saving,” Sam offered.

I felt my skin prickle as I thought about how much I hated it when Brody called me that. It was going to be a long, trying day being stuck here with him.

Ten

Brody

Isat on the couch, watching the twelve o’clock news to see when this storm was supposed to pass. It wasn’t just the unexpected company that was getting to me; it was the wasted days not being able to get outside to do the work I needed to. I knew when I moved back to Sugarplum Falls that the winters would be brutal; I was just hopeful that I would still be able to work through them so it didn’t set me back too far.

Crazy boot lady had sat at the kitchen table for most of the day, taking phone calls and scribbling notes on the worn-out notepad in front of her. I tried not to eavesdrop too much on her calls, but I couldn’t help but laugh when I heard how many holly-jolly catastrophes she was dealing with. For it being the most wonderful time of the year, it sure seemed like a disaster from an outsider looking in.

I turned off the TV and went to the kitchen to make a sandwich for lunch. It seemed luck had been on my side yesterday with me getting into town and back before the storm hit. I had plenty of groceries, plus I had stocked up on meat and household essentials to last me for a few months.

“Hey, Princess, do you want a sandwich?” I asked once she removed her phone from her ear and set it on the table.

She looked up at me from under thick, dark eyelashes, her eyes a moody mixture of shades of brown.

“I told you not to call me that.”

---