Page 1 of Second Chances with St. Nick

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HOMECOMING AND HEADACHES

Ionce read that coming home for Christmas was like getting a warm hug. I only hopedmywarm hug didn’t turn into a chokehold.

Were my thoughts a little dramatic? Well, yes. But returning to Pine Springs for the holidays wasn’t my plan. I’d barely visited my hometown in years. That fact alone spoke volumes.

My fingertip whitened as I pressed the familiar doorbell. A muffled call of, “Coming!” came from somewhere within the house. I pictured Mom putting down whatever decoration she was fixing on the tree and rolling her eyes at the interruption. She always decorated the tree five days out from Christmas. You could set your calendar by her, and the results were usually spectacular. As Mom would say, the Cooper family did nothing by halves.

I exhaled, my breath curling up and around the evergreen garland hung high above. The lock clunked, and the door swung open.

My mom’s perfectly made-up face greeted me, and she wore a smile as wide as Main Street. “Abigail! You made it! And only a day late.”

My gut tugged as she wrapped her arms around me, her embrace threatening to crush the wind from my body. Her grin almost blinded me despite the mention of my lateness. Mom never let a dig go unsaid. She was lucky I came at all. I sat at the airport this morning, sipping my third coffee, wrestling with my decision to spend the holidays with my family.

But then, the real reason I came home appeared from behind Mom and my heart warmed.

Cissy.

“Abbie!” my cousin squealed, doing a little happy dance in the doorway. “Now I canreallyget married.”

“What do you mean?” I giggled, extracting myself from Mom’s arms.

“I mean, me getting hitched wouldn’t be the same without you here.” She reached out to hug me and I breathed in the apple scent of her hair. I smiled. There weresomegood things in Pine Springs.

She let me go, holding me at arm’s length as if examining a new puppy or a fancy hat. “We dreamed-up my wedding years ago, remember? And, I know, I’m not marrying Justin Bieber like I planned, but who else is going to wear turquoise taffeta and keep me sane? I need you.”

I widened my eyes. “Turquoise?”

Cissy chuckled and took my arm. “I’m only kidding. Come on inside. The whole family’s here.”

Oh, joy! I picked up my bag and plastered a grin on my face. Mom closed the door behind me, giving me a tight smile. The second I pulled up in the narrow hallway, she overtook me and ran her eyes over my face. Next, she gave me a head-to-toe-and-back-again inspection. “I’m glad to see you’re eating well.”

My face burned. What… the… actual? So I’d put on a few pounds since the split from my ex. I liked my new curves. A sour taste pooled in my throat. Cody would have had somethingto say about them, too. Not having to listen to his criticism any more suited me just fine. I’d declared myself a “Cody free zone,” physically and emotionally. I’d forgotten how similar he and my mother could be.

I ran a hand along my thick braid, pulling off my winter hat.

A line appeared between Mom’s brows. “You look good, but have you been getting enough sleep? You know, eye bags run in the family, right?”

I let out a sigh. Never a back-handed compliment free moment in the Cooper house. I spent most of my life being subjected to Mom’s opinions and judgements. After years of criticism, I developed armor plating. Maybe it was time to shine it up.

With a sigh, I put my bag down on the floral rug. Cissy’s fingers curled around mine. She turned to Mom. “Aunt Meg! That’s just plain mean.” My cousin turned to face me, a glow in her eyes. “You don’t have eye bags. But if you did, I’d hope you had fun earning them. Now that you’re single again, I can only imagine the hell you must be raising in California.”

I smiled and pulled in the aroma of freshly baked something emanating from the kitchen. “Let’s go say hi to everyone.”

After countless hugs from my gorgeous dad and a quick chat with Cissy’s parents about Christmas sweaters, she and I snuck into the kitchen. She busied herself with plating cookies, and I busied myself eating the M&M’s Mom had baked into their tops.

Cissy sighed. “Don’t look so sad. Your mom has always been a tough crowd. I guess it’s her way of showing she cares?”

I gave a wry chuckle, tipping three blue-colored candies into my mouth. “You think?”

Maybe I was being harsh, but based on experience, I had a feeling that eye bags and extra curves were only the start of her onslaught.

Cissy grimaced, and I pushed up to sit on the shiny countertop with a smirk. Mom always hated when I did that. “I know she means well, but I won’t lie. Living away from her has been blissful.”

“Is that why you never visit? I haven’t seen you in person for ages. Not since I stayed with you. What was it? Two years ago?”

My gut pulled. Sure, my mom was one reason I rarely came to Pine Springs, but how could I tell Cissy the other? All the feelings that’d kept me away for so long.

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