Page 39 of A Roommate for Christmas
“The airline already cancelled tomorrow’s flight too.Seems like this storm isn’t letting up tonight.I’m rebooked for the 17th, assuming things start to clear up.”
As much fun as she was having with Carter, her heart sank when she saw the notification.She missed her parents and had been looking forward to their Christmas traditions.
“That sucks, I’m sorry.I bet you want to get back to your family.And I believe you once said that you couldn’t stand to be around me, so I’m sure these past couple of days have been utter torture for you.”He winked at her, effectively bringing her mood back up.
“Seriously.I should be awarded a medal or something at the end of all this,” she quipped.
“But really,” he continued, “I hope the weather chills out soon.What does your family usually do around the holidays?”
Paige told him all about her family traditions—gingerbread house competitions with her cousins, Christmas Eve walks on the beach making snowmen out of sand, driving around and looking at the lights on the palm trees.
They had had these traditions for as long as she could remember, and with the exception of the one Christmas-time cruise they took when she was twelve, they had never missed a year.She really hoped she wouldn’t miss out on all the fun.
“Well, it sounds like you guys always have a good time together,” Carter said with a bit of sadness in his eyes.“After my dad passed, I started traveling during Christmas break so I wouldn’t need to be around all the reminders.Most trips on my own, one with my mom and Gram, one with—shit, Gram!”
He leapt off the couch and patted his shorts pockets for his phone, finding it nestled in the crack between the arm of the couch and the cushion.
“Sorry,” he said in panic.“I was supposed to call my grandmother for her birthday today.I had it in my calendar and everything ...I’m gonna go call her before it gets too late on the East Coast.”
“Yeah, no worries,” she assured him as he walked away from the couch.As cute as it was that he needed to call hisGram, she couldn’t help but feel bummed that their heart-to-heart was cut short.
He was almost at his door when he turned around.
“I guess forgetting to check your calendar is a sign of a day you didn’t want distractions from,” Carter said, offering another genuine smile before turning back to his room and closing the door.
Paige didn’t stop blushing for the rest of the night.
Chapter 14
WhenPaigewokeupthe next morning, she could have sworn she had been dreaming of Carter.
The night before had felt like a big shift in their dynamic.Carter continued to open up to her, and she to him.Plus, his last comment to her felt intentional.Why say that if he wasn’t starting to feel something for her too?It seemed like a good sign that maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t imagining the shift between them.
The snow had finally stopped falling outside, and when she checked the news, she saw that plows were starting to go out and clear the roads.If the weather kept going in this direction, she might be able to fly out tomorrow after all.
Not ready to leave the warmth of her bed, and not sure what to say when she saw Carter, Paige decided to call Nadia.
“Your flight was delayed again?”Nadia asked.
“Yeah, it’s looking much better for tomorrow, though,” said Paige.“And plus, I don’t mind having one more day here.”
“Well, it sounds like someone has changed their tune!”Nadia sounded entirely too smug.“This wouldn’t have to do with a certainroommate, would it?”
“I’m not taking any questions at this time,” Paige said, hiding her face behind her pillow.
“Paige!You finally have the hots for Carter, don’t you?”
“I mean ...”
“Spill!Tell me what happened,” Nadia demanded.
“Well, you know we had a nice day making cookies, but then he totally ignored me that night,” Paige started.“Well, right after I texted you yesterday morning, I went out to the kitchen and he was making me pancakes.Oh, and he even had a fresh coffee ready for me.”
“Shut the front door,” Nadia said.
“That’s not all.I asked him about his attitude the night before and he apologized right away, saying he was in the zone of a workout ...which I guess I could have deduced from the headphones.
“Of course, you dork,” Nadia teased.
