Page 19 of A Roommate for Christmas
Paige loved all holidays, and while Christmas took the top spot, Thanksgiving was close behind it.In the first couple of years after she and Nadia moved to Chicago, they traveled back to San Diego for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, which was fun, but very expensive for their entry-level salaries.
So, eventually, Paige and Nadia decided to stay put for Thanksgiving and create a week full of traditions for themselves to ease the sting of not going home.The first years were tough, but now they both looked forward to their week of festivities.
Wednesday was always their food prep day—getting dishes ready for Thanksgiving Day so they could spend Thursday focusing solely on the turkey.
Thursday was their Friendsgiving party for any and all of the Chicago transplants they knew who couldn’t make it back to their hometowns for the holiday.And on Thursday night, the girls would put an air mattress out in the living room with tons of blankets and pillows and have a Hallmark Christmas movie marathon sleepover.
Friday was Paige’s favorite day.She and Nadia would wake up at the crack of dawn to go Black Friday shopping at the big department stores on Michigan Ave to take advantage of the deals.Sure, most companies were starting their sales early and online, but there was something about the rush and atmosphere of the stores that gave the friends a holiday high.
After their shopping spree, they’d spend the entire afternoon decorating their apartment.Paige and Nadia had spent years—and admittedly too much money—collecting holiday decor to make the condo feel like you stepped onto a Christmas movie set.
For Paige, Christmas was the most magical time of the year, and she was mesmerized by the snow, pine trees, and cozy knitwear.Growing up in southern California, she’d only ever experienced sunny sixty-degree weather, palm trees, and hardly ever needed more than a light jacket.
She’d watch the classic Christmas movies likeHome Alone,Elf, andThe Santa Clausand wish that she could experience a white Christmas—just once.She remembered writing “Santa” multiple letters a year with updates on her good behavior, each time only asking for one thing: snow on Christmas morning.
Despite the California climate, her family would decorate the house as if they lived at the North Pole, and it was a tradition Paige was determined to keep once she was in her own place.
When she moved to Chicago, she finally got to experience snow for the first time, and it was just as magical as she’d hoped it would be.Now her decked-out Christmas interior matched the snowy exterior outside her window.
After Chance’s affair the year before, her Christmas had been ruined.So, this year she and Nadia were determined to bring her Christmas cheer back.This meant they were going to go extra hard with their decorating.
Paige was getting the kitchen ready for Nadia’s arrival with all their Thanksgiving groceries when Carter walked out of his room with a suitcase.
“Oh, hi.Leaving today?”Paige asked, not expecting a response.
“Hey.Yeah, heading to my mom’s house for Thanksgiving,” Carter replied.
Holy crap.I actually got a full sentence this time.
“Nice.Where does your mom live?”
“Just outside Philly.”
“Nice,” said Paige.
“Do you know any words other than ‘nice’?”Carter’s eyes narrowed in on her with a playful stare.
Paige felt her cheeks start to fire up.
“Why do you have to ruin every conversation we have?”
“I don’t see how I’m ruining anything.”Carter’s tone was borderline sarcastic, his mouth curling up into a smile that could get anyone out of jail.
Damn, she really hated how good-looking he was.Almost as much as she hated how much she loved him looking at her.
“Well,” Paige started, “enjoy your trip and tell your parents to have aniceThanksgiving.”She winked as she said it, waiting for any sort of reaction from Carter.
A wink??What is this power hot men have over women, she wondered.
When he finally reacted, it wasn’t what she was expecting.
Instead of making that smile even bigger, it fell flat, and his expression shifted into a pained look she had never seen on his face before.
But as quickly as the emotion appeared, it passed, and he was back to looking bored at being in the kitchen with her.
“So, yeah, I’m gonna go,” Carter said, breaking the silence.
“Nice, I mean, cool.Yeah, sounds good.See you later,” Paige replied awkwardly.
