Page 32 of Rebel Without a Claus
“No need.” Aunt May waves me off. “I already called Max and he’s coming tomorrow to fix it.”
She claps her hands together and spins to face Eve. “You two must be starving! I have some stew warming on the stove for you!”
“You know I was promised some of that famous Aunt May hot chocolate, too!” Eve says, heading to the counter and grabbing a bowl that Aunt May left out.
“Oh, I can do that!” Aunt May says. “With marshmallows?”
“And peppermint!” Eve exclaims. “Like you made for me last night.”
“Last night?” Aunt May asks.
Uh-oh. “I’ll make the hot chocolate, Aunt May. You’ve done enough for us.”
I grab the canister of chocolate nibs and dark chocolate squares Aunt May uses and start unwrapping a candy cane. Any more prying on Eve’s part and she’ll quickly learn Aunt May didn’t exactly make that hot chocolate for her at last night’s gingerbread house contest.
“Why don’t you two wait and make the hot chocolate over at your cabin for dessert?” Aunt May says. “And Lucas, you can take these on over too so you have enough bedding for both of you!” She drops a big pile of blankets and a couple pillows, all wrapped up in a laundry basket by the door… like she’s been planning this for hours.
Eve tilts her head. “Wait, the cabin? As in Luke’s cabin?”
Aunt May beams. “Well, you can’t stay here! There’s no room!”
Again, I narrow my eyes at my aunt as I ladle stew into my bowl. “I can always sleep on the couch here and give Eve my bedroom in the cabin.”
“And leave Evealonein your cabin? What if the power goes out! What if she doesn’t know how to light a fire in the fireplace!”
“What ifyourpower goes out, Aunt May?”
“I’ve been living here for years. I know what to do in that scenario.” Well, she has me there. Aunt May is nothing if not self-sufficient. “Besides, my couch is covered with laundry I’ve yet to put away.”
“That’s very unlike you, Aunt May,” I say pointedly.
I stare at her. She stares right back.
This woman is setting me up.
She arches an eyebrow at me before slowly turning to look at Eve. “Well,doyou know how to start a fire in a fireplace?”
“Ummmm…” Eve starts, eyes darting between us. “Well. I assume it starts with a lighter. And some, uh…flint?”
I groan. Well, I guess that settles that. Aunt May was right. This girl wouldn’t know the first thing to do if the power went out. “Fine. You win. We’ll eat dinner, then brave the storm again to head to my cabin.”
Aunt May’s smile is positively wicked.
Twenty minutes later, we’re walking back through the snow in silence, the storm whipping at our backs. Only this time I have a hamper of blankets, covered in a plastic garbage bag and Eve is clutching the ingredients for our hot chocolate against her chest.
I unlock the cabin door and hold it open for Eve as snow swirls in across my entryway. “Welcome to my humble, snow-trapped abode.”
Eve grins, stomping inside. “Ooooh.Cozy.”
“Code for small?”
She shakes her head and peels her coat and hat from her body. “I mean cozy. Truly. It’s so cute in here.” She says it like she’s never seen wood paneling and a stone fireplace before. But I have to admit, the place does look pretty good—warm light, antique fishing rods and snow shoes adorning the walls, soft throws cover the couch.
I set the hamper down near my bedroom door and take our coats, hanging them over the heater to dry. “You can take the bed. I’ll crash out here.”
Eve raises a brow. “Oh come on. You don’t have to do the whole chivalrous act. I can take the couch.”
“Nope,” I say, pulling off my boots. “It’s not an act. It’s just called not being a jackass.”
