Page 8 of All I Want for Christmas Eve

Chapter Three

I stand in my room for a few minutes, staring at Adam with a confused look on my face. I feel like offering him hospitality may not have been the best idea ever, and I’m going to eventually regret this. Various worst case scenarios spiral through my head. When I made that wish on the shooting star, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.

I sigh as I shut the door and move into my living room. I change into a different nightgown so that I’m clean and dry, before grabbing some blankets from a closet. I place the blankets in the green armchair before removing the dishes Adam used, and placing them in the sink. I also retrieve my phone from my office, before nestling down into the chair. I guess I’m sleeping here for the night, by default. I toss and turn trying to get comfortable, muttering softly in annoyance while trying to figure out my next steps.

One thing is for certain—I’m going to wake up with a major headache.

Leaning against the side of the chair, I frown. I am not quite sure how to deal with the whole situation. I can’t help wondering about Adam. Is he a good person? It’s hard to figure out what his deal is. Have I just gotten myself into some kind of mess? I arrange the blankets around me in an effort to stay warm, and gaze at the fire burning in the center of my house.

Really doubting I’ll be able to fall asleep anytime soon, I decide to call my mom. It’s a few hours earlier in Minnesota, and she should be awake. To be honest, I’m a little surprised and worried that I haven’t heard from her lately—especially with the storm. My mom is usually always glued to The Weather Network to make sure there are no natural disasters affecting me or any of my siblings.

Once I press her name on my cell, the phone rings only twice before she picks up.

“Hello, darling?”

“Hi, Mom. Is everything okay with you and Dad?”

“Yes, honey, we’re fine,” she says, but her voice sounds strained.

“Are you sure?” I ask her. “It’s me, Eve. You don’t have to hide anything from me. I promise I won’t worry too much.”

“Well, to be honest sweetie, we’re having some difficulties.”

I sit up a little straighter. “What kind of difficulties, Mom?” I know my parents are getting older, and their health is a major concern. It’s part of the reason I was thinking of moving back to Minnesota permanently after when I go home for Christmas. There isn’t much up here in the frozen wilderness for me, anyway.

“Oh, it’s just your dad, baby. You know how I told you he keeps wandering out in the snow at night? Well, we went to the city because he needed to grab something at the mall. I stayed in the car to wait for him, but he couldn’t remember where he’d parked. He was wandering around for over an hour, before I had to get out and look for him.”

“Mom, how many times has this happened now?”

“Well, I don’t think it’s ever been this concerning. But there have been about half a dozen similar episodes. He always makes up some kind of excuse and acts like it’s intentional, or he was just distracted. But I can see that he’s genuinely confused. He’s just not as sharp as he used to be, baby. The man I married was quick as a whip, and your dad just seems so sluggish and absentminded lately. Sometimes I catch him standing in front of the sink with his razor and he looks like he’s forgotten what he was doing.”

“Have you taken him to the doctor?”

“He refuses to admit that anything’s wrong. He thinks he’s invincible and that a tiny thing like aging could never slow him down.”

I smile a little, thinking of Adam. Isn’t that exactly what he just said about the plane crash? Men can be so silly and stubborn.

“Maybe when you come home, you can convince him to go to the doctor?” my mom suggests.

“I will insist that he goes, and trick him into it if he doesn’t agree,” I assure her.

I can hear her sigh of relief over the phone. “Thank you, Evie. That makes me feel a lot better. He still remembers every single thing about you kids, you know? He insists on buying every single new book you write. He looks at YouTube videos of Clara dancing all the time. He gets annoyed that Jack went all the way to Africa, but I know he’s proud of him. And he is so excited that Mary is going to be engaged to Sebastian. He always asks ‘When is my little girl getting married?’ You kids are his world.”

“That is so sweet, Mom,” I say honestly.

“Oh, honey!” she exclaims. “I’ve been so worried about your father that I didn’t call you about the storm headed your way. I feel terrible. I hope you didn’t get caught in it!”

“Not… exactly,” I respond. “But I wasn’t totally prepared.”

“I really wish I had remembered to call you yesterday,” she says. “Maybe you could have been on your way and headed home already.”

It is then I realize that maybe Ididsave Adam’s life. If I hadn’t been here, he might have been too disoriented and injured to make it to shelter. Whether he’s a good or a bad person, I am glad that he’s alive. I smile to myself then, feeling proud of the good deed, even if it’s a little inconvenient and scary to be sharing my home with a complete stranger.

“It’s for the best, Mom,” I tell her gently. “As soon as the storm passes, I’ll be on the first flight home. I promise.”

“I don’t think this storm is going to blow over so quickly, Evie. It looks like a big one on the satellite imaging. And even after it passes, it might take some time to clear the roads if you’ve really got heaps of snow piled up.”

Damn. Just how long is Adam going to be stuck here?

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