Page 12 of That Time We Kissed Under the Mistletoe
“Okey dokey.” I rub my forehead, realizing I’m fresh out of arguments. “Sounds like a plan, Ssstan,” I slur. And now I kind of want to crawl under this wheelchair and hide for the rest of my life.
Not only did I bring up my underwear, but I’ve apparently become a man who says things likereal swell, okey dokey,andsounds like a plan, Stan.
“I’ll just swing by your place to get your things,” Ford says, “then I’ll meet you and Sara over at the lake house.” Ford looks at Sara. “Work for you?”
She swallows hard and chirps, “Totally works!” But then she glances at me, with her teeth clenched like this isn’t working for her even a little bit. As she pushes the wheelchair toward the exit, my head starts swimming and spinning and aching. This is so not good. Sara is definitely wishing she wasn’tstuck taking care of me.
Yeah. You and me both, kid.
Too bad we don’t really have any other choice.
But it’s just for a few days, right? Then this can all be over.For both of us.
I open my mouth to say this to Sara and puke all over myself.
Terrible plan, Stan.
Chapter Five
Sara
Thirteen Years Ago: June
As I write this, I’m on the porch with Abie Lake behind me, and my dad’s just gone back to the city for the week. My mom’s always a little sad when he leaves us on Sundays, so she’s taking a nap. Which means now is probably as good a time as any to confess something. But not out loud. Only in my journal:
They were right.
If I told them, they’d just say I told you so, which I would kind of deserve. As you know, I fought them both tooth and nail about wasting my precious summer staying at some lame house in a town this small, butI’m willing to admit I was wrong. After spending an entire year stuck at a boring all-girls school—where good old Principal Manheim was literally the only guy—this place is actually kind of amazing.
Last night, I went to a beach bonfire and met a group of kids who live here year-round. One of them is named Three, which is totally weird. But also, he’s totally cute and insanely nice.
Stupid me, I didn’t realize it might get cold on the lake after the sun went down, so I showed up wearing only a sundress and sandals. And sure, I could’ve wrapped up in the blanket I brought, but I was using it to sit on the sand. So Three offered me his sweatshirt.
Don’t quote me, butI think I might like it here at this lake house after all …I might even want to come back next summer.
Chapter Six
Sara
As Three and I hobble through the front door, I have one arm wrapped around his washboard abs, and he’s got his body slung over my shoulder. I can tell he’s trying not to put his full weight on me, but the guy’s pretty heavy anyway. Luckily, Nurse Mary gave him a spare pair of clean scrubs, so we managed a little vomit triage back at the hospital. But the rest of his clothes are either smoky or they smell like antiseptic soap. Nevertheless, I’m determined to handle whatever he throws at me.
Unless it’s a fire extinguisher.
Speaking of which.
I glance across the dining room through the archway into the newly remodeled kitchen, and my stomach twists at how close I came to torching this place. It’s a one-hundred-year-old farmhouse, sitting on two acres of lakefront property. There are three bedrooms, two baths, and a den-slash-office-slash library. The original hardwood floors have been refinished. All the moldings, bead board, and chair rails sport fresh coats of paint or stain. The covered porch is quaint and cozy with cushioned Adirondackchairs and hurricane lamps. Everything’s perfect, just waiting for Platinum Home’s stamp of approval.
And I almost burned it all down.
I give the still-smoky air a good long sniff as Three and I lurch together past the coffee table. “Sorry this place stinks like burnt reindeer napkins,” I say, gently extricating myself from him.
Three lowers himself onto the couch. “I like barbecues.”
His statement doesn’t make total sense to me, but then again, neither did mine. At least he isn’t slurring nearly as much as he was earlier. Maybe the pain meds are starting to wear off. Still, neither one of us needs a reminder of what got us into this mess in the first place.
I nod toward the kitchen. “I’ll get everything cleaned up and back to normal while you’re in a bath.”
“Bath?” He pulls a face. “I’m really more of a shower guy.”
