Page 24 of Meet Me on Christmas Eve

“I don’t think you understand what you’re asking me to do, Haz,” I said, running a hand over my face.

She peered at me closely. “Maybe I don’t.” After a long pause, she asked softly, “Do you still have feelings for him?”

Panic coursed through me. I felt my palms get sweaty as my heart rate soared. I’m certain my face looked like a tomato. “No, that’s crazy,” I said emphatically. I sat up straighter, willing my body to cooperate with my authoritative tone. “I’m not a romantic sap, like you.” And she was too, despite her usually casual attitude toward relationships. “In fact, I might even be aromantic.”

“I had a friend in college who was aro. They were nothing like you. And they certainly hadn’t had a love story that haunted them for years. That seems kinda like the opposite of aro.”

“I’m nothauntedby this … not even a love story. A fling. You’ve got it all wrong,” I insisted, looking away.

“Maybe. But you said I’m a romantic sap, and I say, well, it takes one to know one.” Her foot nudged me then. When I looked up, she smiled. “Oh, Mari. Lighten up.”

I stared at my lap for a while. “So, what should I do?”

She grinned, tucking her legs under her as she turned more fully toward me. “You have to win over Jane, right? So if Terry’s the obstacle, you need to win him over.” When I balked at this, she gave me a sympathetic smile. “I’m not saying you have to date him, or even befriend him. Just … try a gentler approach. Maybe let down your guard a little.”

I tried not to react as I looked away again. She had me until “let down your guard”—I never did that anymore, and I certainly wouldn’t do it with him. Not again.

When my eyes swung back to her face, she had a knowing smile but didn’t say anything for a long moment. “So, let’s see, we’ll need to find a way for you to spend some time together a little more casually, where he can be a little more relaxed, not around his work. Maybe even something fun, to get some endorphins on our side.”

As her face took on a thoughtful expression, mine was balking. “That sounds … hard. He’ll see right through it. It’s not at all something I’d do—especially with the way our interactions have been.”

She seemed not to hear me, staring into space for a long moment. Then her eyes lit up. “I know! The annual Winter Wonderland event this weekend. It’s perfect. Fresh air, lots of fun things to do, a different environment where you can talk or even just shoot the shit—”

I winced. “Hazel, do I look like someone who shoots the shit?”

She laughed, almost to the point of tears. “Point taken. But hear me out. This is happening on the lake, just outside the Christmas village and, of course, adjacent to the resort. It would offer a really natural way for you to bring up some of your ideas for what to do with the village if you can buy it.”

She looked so damn excited that I tried to think about what she was saying. “I guess that is a good point. But isn’t Jane the one I need to convince of that? Not Terry.”

“You need to convince them both, obviously. But we already talked about this—you need to deal with the Terry obstacle first, if he’s really that much of an influence over her. And that’s a big ‘if,’ but it’s all we have to go on at this point.” She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and paused. “I guess you could always invite them both, if you want.”

“Hmm. What if I end up being this awkward third wheel though? I mean, it seems like they’re close, and neither of them like me. They’ll probably just ditch me and go enjoy themselves.”

Hazel nodded. “It’s possible. I don’t want to agree that they dislike you … who could dislike you? You’re a wonderful person, Mar. But still …”

“You could come,” I offered.Please come, I thought. “In fact, I don’t think I can do it without you.” Oh shit, did I really just admit that aloud? Where is my dignity these days? I haven’t even had a drop of alcohol today. I lowered my head in shame.

“I can’t …” she trailed off. “I can’t wait. This will be so fun! Well, if they say yes.”

My eyes swung up to hers, gratitude pouring out of me. I knew she’d been about to say no. She was simply the best. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“Oh, sure you can.” She laughed. “We’ll be watchingLove in the Time of Yogatonight. That’s how you’ll repay me, even if you loathe every moment, mu-hahaha.”

“Ah, joke’s on you then. I already watched it over the holiday last week. I don’t mind seeing it again. But I thought you weresotired?” I grinned.

“Wait,what? You watched a rom-com without me? Without coercion?” Her eyes were as huge as I’d ever seen them. “What’s gotten into you?” Then a massive smile overtook her face. “OK, you’re officially a romantic sap too. I declare it.”

I tried not to laugh but failed. “And you’re officially annoying.” When we stopped laughing, I leaned back onto the couch cushions. “Back to this weekend though, Haz, how the heck are we going to invite them to the Winter Wonderland event without being super awkward?”

“Oh, it’ll be awkward. There’s no way around that. But that’s OK.” She bit her lip, picking up her phone. “Let’s find out all the details first and then figure out how to ask them.”

“You said this is annual? How do you know?”

“Oh, I went with Ryan last year. That guy with the … never mind. I think the year before, Caitlyn and I went.” She looked up from her phone. “You’ve never gone?”

I shook my head.

I didn’t even know it existed. I suppose I knew that some festivals or events happened in the winter around here, but I hadn’t paid much attention to it. My life has been so isolated to the resort happenings, so focused on work and nothing else. I not only worked butlivedhere too, despite Hazel’s frequent nagging to find a place of my own.

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