Page 34 of All I Want for Christmas Eve

Chapter Fourteen

When I get to the family home in Snowflake Creek, I am still wasted. I stumble out of my cab, pulling my suitcases behind me as I walk in a wobbly way toward the front door.

The door opens before I can even get there, and Mary pops out with her new boyfriend.

“Evie!” she shouts, rushing forward to hug me.

“Big sis,” I say, pulling her into a massive hug. I then nod in the direction of her man-friend. What’s his name again? “Hey, Rudolph!” I say, saluting.

“It’s Sven,” he corrects.

I walk over to him and pat his arm. “You’re such a good reindeer. For getting on a plane with my sister and coming all the way here. To support her. And be there for her. Because you love her. That’s what good reindeer do.”

“She’s drunk,” Mary whispers to him, thinking I can’t hear. “I told you she’s a writer.”

I have still been patting his arm this whole time, and I stare at it, blinking. “Holy shit, what is your arm made of? Steel?”

“Well, technically muscles are built from fibers made of protein filaments called myosin and actin…”

“I was being rhetorical! Jeez, he’s handsomeandsmart? Mary gets all the luck with men. First she has a steady boyfriend for years and years, and then he disappears, and you magically show up to take his place overnight. Everybody loves Mary. There’s something about Mary! Like the movie.”

“What’s going on, Eve?” Mary asks, wiping my mascara tears away from my cheeks. “What happened with Adam? Are you pregnant?”

“Probably, knowing my horrible luck,” I say, trudging toward the house. Sven has collected my suitcases and is carrying them inside like they weigh two pounds each. They don’t.

“Is she okay?” he whispers to Mary.

“Yeah, she’s fine. This is like that time you walked in on me with all the ice cream and popcorn and sugar,” she whispers back. “I think someone broke her heart.”

“You’re wrong,” I tell Mary. “Because I have no heart.”

My dad comes into the living room and throws his arms open wide. “Here’s my little Evie girl!” he exclaims.

“Daddy!” I rush forward to give him a hug. Then I hiccup. “I was so worried about you.” I hiccup again. “I had to sell your Jeep.” Then I pause. “I loved that Jeep. It was my favorite car. My only car. I shouldn’t have left it behind. Now I have nothing.” I wipe my nose as I begin to sniffle.

“Uhhh, honey,” my father says to my mom, who has entered the room behind him. “Our little girl reeks of vodka.”

“Oh, dear,” my mother says, stepping forward and putting her hand on my forehead. “Can I make you a hangover remedy, sweetie?”

“No thanks,” I say, throwing my arms around her and kissing her cheek. “Love you so much! Missed you like crazy.”

“You too, sweetie—oh, dear. You don’t look so good.”

“I just need some sssleep,” I tell them all, stumbling upstairs. I barely notice that Mary is behind me, supporting me as I walk up the stairs. “Bye Mom! Bye Dad! I love you guys!” I shout from the top of the stairs, blowing a kiss in what might be the wrong direction. I don’t know, and I don’t care.

Mary helps me to my bed, and she tucks me in. She even grabs a makeup wipe to properly remove the mascara streaking down my cheeks.

“So Adam was a dog?” she asks softly, sitting on the bed.

“He was so nice,” I say weakly. “And handsome. He was so nice and handsome. He said he was coming home with me, and he chickened out at the last second.”

“That’s terrible, Evie.” She takes my hand. “Did he have a good reason?”

“He was scared of the plane. Because of the plane crash.” I make a little airplane with my hand, and make avroomnoise as I fly it through the air, to demonstrate to Mary how the plane crashed on the night I met Adam.

“I see,” Mary responds slowly, after staring at the airplane with a raised eyebrow. “That sounds like PTSD, right? Maybe he needs some anti-anxiety drugs to fly? I heard some people are like that. Maybe he’ll call you later, when he’s gathered enough courage to fly?”

“He doesn’t even have my phone number,” I tell Mary softly.

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