Page 53 of Snowflakes and Sparks

As we left Miami Airport, I was able to relax a little. The sun was shining bright and there was not a patch of snow in sight, apart from the fake kind. It was hard to believe that I had woken up in a snowy small town, and now I was cruising along the highway to spend Christmas at a beach in Florida.

“You think I’m crazy for running off to someone else’s Christmas party, don’t you?” I asked, putting my feet up on the dashboard.

“I already knew you were crazy, honey,” Dean said. “That’s why I got you something.”

As soon as the traffic lights turned to red, he bent down and pulled a bag from under his seat.

“You’re quite the magician,” I said and took the package from him. Inside were a couple of shirts that saidI love Miami, a pair of tacky flip-flops with hotdogs on them and a blue summer dress.

“I figured you’d have nothing to wear except for winter gear,” he said.

“Thank you. I hadn’t even thought about the logistics of this,” I said and swapped my boots for the hotdog flip-flops. I rolled down the window, flexed my toes and closed my eyes.

“Much better,” I mumbled.

Dean threw me a sideways glance. “So… he broke your heart, huh?”

I winced. “It still doesn’t make any sense to me. One moment he was being all romantic and telling me he saw a future with me, and the next he’s shacking up with his ex again after she broke his heart. I don’t think I’ll ever understand men.”

Dean laughed. “So one guy screws you over and suddenly it’s the entire male race’s fault?”

I poked his arm with my finger. “As if men never say something like that about women.”

“There’s one thing I don’t understand though,” he said. “I told you earlier this month how boring and crazy my family is and yet you decided to join me and spend Christmas with them?”

I shrugged. “They can’t be that bad, Dean. I mean, come on.”

A mischievous grin traveled all the way up to his eyes. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

One hour later, we pulled into the driveway of a beach house. I’m sorry, beachmansion. The driveway was filled with expensive cars. As I peeked inside, I marveled at the leather interiors and big dashboard consoles they boasted.

“Your family is rich,” I said, stating the obvious.

Dean scrunched his nose. “And rich in judgements.”

“If they serve gold bars for dinner, they can judge me all they want,” I said with a laugh.

The front door was so tall that a family of giants could pass through. I was about to use the obnoxiously big lion-shaped copper knocker when Dean put a hand on my arm.

“That thing’s only there for decoration purposes.”

He put his key in the lock, and we walked in.

“You’ve brought a girl,” I heard a woman say. “You’ve brought a girl home for Christmas!”

A woman in navy slacks and a white blouse joined us in the hallway. She was wearing a pearl necklace and matching pearl earrings. Her hair was tied back so tight that it pulled on the skin of her face. Or maybe she’d had a facelift?

“Suzie, this is Jane, my mother.”

Jane didn’t reply, but instead called out into the empty space. “Charles! You have to get down here now. Dean brought a girl home for Christmas.”

Dean and I exchanged a look and he rolled his eyes at his mother. “You do realize I’m still gay, right? This doesn’t change anything,” he said, motioning at me with his hands.

“We’ll see. We’ll see,” she said. “Let’s get you two some drinks.”

***

Three hours, fifteen appetizers, and a handful of cocktails later, I was afraid to stand up. Even sitting down, the world seemed to be turning too fast for my fancy.

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