Page 40 of Snowed In With the PUCK

I scroll down the page, staring at the staff directory. There she is—Linda Davids, Counselor.Either she is working under her maiden name or a fake name… or she and my dad never married, another lie my grandparents told me. I sigh. It all feels so unfair.

Linda’s face is older than I expected, her hair graying around the edges, but there’s no mistaking it. It’s her. My mom. I can see myself in her face—the eyes, the smile, even the shape of her nose.

Can this even be real?The question loops in my mind over and over, like a bad dream I can’t wake up from. Why did my grandparents lie to me? Why did they tell me she was dead when she’s been out there, alive, working at this place all this time?

I feel like my whole life has been built on lies. The people who raised me—who I thought were my rock, my foundation—hid the most important truth from me. They lied to me. They let me believe that I was an orphan, that I was alone. And now they’re both gone, taking their secrets with them.

My hand clenches into a fist around the phone, the urge to throw it across the room almost overwhelming. But I force myself to stay still. Losing it here, in this airport lounge, isn’t going to help anything. I need to stay calm. I need to figure this out.

But how? How do I confront the woman who abandoned me? How do I face the truth after a lifetime of believing a carefully protected string of lies?

I lean back in my chair, running a hand through my hair, trying to breathe through the anger building inside me.

And I realize, sitting here, staring at the clock counting down to my flight, that I can’t do this alone. As much as I hate to admit it, as much as I’ve tried to push her away, I need Jessica.

I need her steady presence. Her calm logic. I need the way she looks at things so clearly, without all the emotional baggage clouding her vision. I need her.

The thought settles deep in my chest, surprising me. How did it come to this? How did I, Eric Warren, the guy who never needed anyone, come to rely on someone so completely? I didn’t even realize it was happening, but now that I’ve acknowledged it, I can’t deny it.

I’ve come to depend on Jessica.

My phone buzzes in my hand, pulling me out of my thoughts. It’s Jake, my old teammate from Nashville. I stare at the screen for a second, considering answering. But I don’t. Not because I don’t care about him, but because even Jake—who’s been my closest friend for years—can’t help me with this. Not the way Jessica can.

I turn my phone face down on the table, letting it buzz quietly against the wood. I can’t go through with this trip. Not alone. I know that now.

Before I can overthink it, I stand up, grab my bag, and leave the lounge. The decision feels sudden, impulsive, but in my gut, I know it’s the right one. I can’t go to Vegas alone. I need to talk to Jessica. I need to make this right.

The drive back to the Stanton house feels like it takes forever, even though it’s really only forty-five minutes. As I pull into the driveway, I notice a new car parked out front. Kathy and Laura must be here in town for Christmas. I’d all but forgotten about their visit.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves tightening my chest. I don’t even know what I’m going to say to Jessica. I just know I need to see her.

The front door opens before I even have a chance to knock, and Kathy Stanton stands there, her face lighting up when she sees me.

“Eric—I know your face! Come in, come in. Congrats on winning last week. I’m sure Bill is happy,” she exclaims, stepping forward to pull me into a quick hug. “I feel like I know you, young man. I feel that way about all of Bill’s guys, though. I was just asking Jessica about her roommate. Sorry about the mixup with the house! Jess said you were heading to Vegas?”

I force a smile, feeling a little awkward about the torrent of words coming out of Mrs. Stanton’s mouth. “Yeah, change of plans.”

She looks at me curiously but doesn’t push for details. Instead, she steps aside to let me in. The house smells like pine and gingerbread, warm and festive, and for a moment, I feel a pang of guilt for even thinking about leaving. This place has become more of a home to me than I ever expected.

Laura appears from the living room, smiling politely when she sees me. “Hi Eric, right?” she says, coming over to shake my hand. “We were just finishing up the tree. You’re just in time to help.”

I glance past her into the living room, where the Christmas tree stands tall and proud, half-covered in lights and ornaments. Jessica is there, too, carefully hanging a glass ornament on one of the higher branches. She’s quiet, focused, her expression unreadable. But she looks over when I walk in, and for a brief second, our eyes meet.

She gives me a small smile—polite, distant—but it doesn’t reach her eyes. And it hits me, harder than I expected, how much I’ve messed this up. She’s treating me like a roommate, nothing more. It’s exactly what I wanted, isn’t it? To keep things simple. To keep her at arm’s length instead of facing the issues at hand.

But now that I have it, now that she’s pulled away, I hate it.

“Come on,” Laura says, leading me into the room. “We need some muscle to hang this star.”

I force a grin, trying to act normal, but my mind is spinning. As we decorate the tree, I make small talk with Kathy and Laura, getting to know them both. They’re the nicest people, but my attention keeps drifting to Jessica. She’s here, but she feels a million miles away.

I don’t know how to fix this. I don’t even know if I can.

After the tree is finally done, we all stand back to admire it. It’s beautiful, glowing with soft white lights and sparkling ornaments, a picture-perfect holiday scene. But all I can think about is how hollow it feels without Jessica next to me.

Kathy and Laura start talking about their plans for the next few days, and I nod along, but my mind is somewhere else. I’m thinking about Vegas. About my mom. About the confrontation waiting for me.

But more than that, I’m thinking about Jess.

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