by Flint, Ember
I’ve been sitting here at Silver Peak nursing a cup of tea after the other for the last three hours now looking outside the large bay windows at the darkening sky and the snowstorm has yet to let up. My siblings, my friends and pretty much everyone that I know is up at the resort enjoying the Jones traditional annual party I busted my ass off to put together and here I am in this nearly empty diner.
I sigh, starting to feel a bit morose again, but then I shake my head and force a smile: this sucks balls big time and there’s not a single doubt about it, but as my mother is fond of saying, I’m not built for sadness.
There’s always a silver lining even in the worst of situations, it’s just gonna take me a while to find one this time.
My phone and my iPad have almost completely ran out of juice and I forgot my charger and power bank, so no rock music and no Kindle app can make this any better, and there’s no one I know around aside from the diner’s owner, old Mrs. Clovers, since everyone is either home with their families or up at the resort enjoying our Thanksgiving bash.
But it could be worse: Mrs. Clovers could have decided to close up and go home to get some much-deserved rest rather than put up with me and a bunch of lost tourists trapped in the blizzard.
Nothing else is open in our little town on Thanksgiving’s evening and as of right now I could be freezing my fluffy ass off sitting in the truck rather than being all cozy in here, so there’s that.
Also, I should definitely be thankful that nothing happened to me as I attempted to climb that slippery slope —after a while the crushed snow was almost like soap under the tires— and I got a scare or two even on my way back to town.
Thank God, I took Ford’s sturdy truck rather than my little Jeep.
Still, I can’t help but feel bummed, and it’s not even just for the party itself: I can’t explain it, I feel like I should be there right now, like I’m missing out on something or maybe all the theine in my body is simply making me too jumpy and slowly driving me insane and I’m imagining things.
My phone buzzes with a text from my twin.
When I called my siblings to let them know I was stuck here for the duration but otherwise I was fine, Sadie Mae rightly pointed out it would be best for us to stick to texting so I could save up on battery.
I swipe my finger over the screen and read Sue’s text.
Sue: “Hey babes, how’s it going?”
Me: “I’m drowning my sorrow in tea…”
Sue: “Maybe a beer would B more helpful with that, sis :)”
Me: ”LOL. NT happening. How’s D party going?”
Sue: ”Want me 2 tell U it sucks? Cuz it wouldn’t B a lie: it sucks without U here…”
Me: “<3”
Me: “But D guests R enjoying themselves @ least?”
Sue: “They’R having a blast, hon, don’t worry about it. Every1’s raving about D decor & PJ’s gonna pretty much put everyone in D hospital B4 D party’s over if they keep stuffing their faces like this.”
Me: “LMAO. I’m NT surprised.”
Sue: “We just miss you, mom & daddy & then everything would B perfect.”
Me: “Luv U, save me some cookies, K?”
Sue: “Sure thing, MK, happy tnxgiving. Don’t U stick a toe outside, alright? Fuckin snow! B safe.”
Me: “K. Happy tnxgiving, hon.”
My phone goes off once more as soon as I put it down and I see it’s Ford again.
Ford: “I don’t like the look of this storm, lil’ tyke, please stay absolutely put until I can come get you, alright?”
Me: “I’m NT going anywhere, don’t worry & for D last time: don’t even think about coming 2 pick me up. If it’s dangerous 4 me 2 climb then it’d B even more dangerous 4 U 2 descend. Bsides, I have D truck.”
Ford: “Stupid fuckin snow.”
I grin, thinking how similar he and Sue are sometimes despite his being so buttoned up and serious all the time and her being the total opposite.
Me: “I’m fine, Ford, there’s no reason 2 get frustrated. I’ll B up ASAP.”
Ford: “Not until it completely stops snowing, MK.”
Me: “Alright, bro. Happy tnxgiving.”
Ford: “You too, sis. I’ll guard some of your favorites, make sure you get to taste them.”
My smile gets bigger.
Me: “Thanx!”
Ford: “YW :)”
I put the phone back down and pick my now lukewarm tea to finish it, maybe if I’m lucky Mrs. Clovers will have some of her delicious hazelnut, caramel and cream cheesecake left.
—*—
By the time the blizzard finally dwindles down, it’s two a.m. and I’ve been sitting in the truck for an hour already.
Mrs. Clovers offered to keep her diner open just for me when the few tourists left, each going to their own accommodations, but I felt bad about keeping her up this late –she’s freaking seventy-five, poor thing– so I told her a little white lie and assured her I had managed to find a B&B right in town in which to spend the night.
In truth, there were absolutely no vacancies anywhere, and no small wonder in such inclement weather conditions.
Now that it’s finally over, I can head back up to our resort. I know I promised my siblings I would stay put, but the dark sky is completely clear right now, and carefully venturing up the mountain beats spending the night in the car anyway, particularly if I run out of gas soon and end up sitting here with no heating.
Time to salvage what’s left of this holiday.
I can’t wait to curl up on my sofa in my lovely little cabin with a nice leftover turkey sandwich and one of PJ’s signature pumpkin spice and cinnamon cookies.
I pick up my phone and quickly tap a text to my brother.
Me: “Ford, heading back right now. Couldn’t find a place 2 stay & I don’t wanna end up sleeping in D truck.”
Ford: “Of course not! It’s like 14 °F. Too damn cold. Just drive carefully. I’ll be up waiting.”
Me: “Is D party over yet?”
Ford: “Yeah, sorry, sis :(“
Me: “It’s OK, we still have Xmas coming :P”
Ford: “Don’t you start with Xmas already, MK!”
I chuckle.
Me: “Fat chance, bro.”
Ford: “ -__-“
Me: “Like D entire world doesn’t know all this Scrooge attitude U got going on it’s a cover!”
Ford. “Brat. Get a move on things before it starts snowing again, and don’t even try to drive back home. Just stop at the hotel. The snow is too deep around the cabins.”
Me: “Alright. I’ll see U in a bit.”
Having to stay at the hotel means I’ll get to that hot shower and cookie even faster so it’s all good. I always keep some of my stuff there anyway — we all do— just for this type of situation, so I even have comfy fuzzy PJs there.
I peel off from the curb just as “Free Bird’ by the Lynyrd Skynyrd starts to play, ready to leave the memory of my worst Thanksgiving to date behind.
Chapter 4
LOGAN
I turn onto my back with a sigh, eyes trained on the ceiling. I’ve been trying to fall asleep for about an hour now, but it’s no use.
Since we started celebrating the holidays with Nolan’s family, after Thanksgiving dinner I’m so full I can barely move and I usually fall asleep pretty quickly, but tonight I feel restless, like I’m missing something.
I enjoyed myself at the party despite my allergy to crowds, the place looked incredibly cozy, the perfect blend between fall and winter in décor, and the food was absolutely out of this world, but I just nibbled on things here and there, I wasn’t quite feeling like diving in and then something odd happened, all my friends seemed to click with one or another of the Jones sisters and I was left in charge of play the human buffer between them and Ford Jones, the manager and, more to the point, those girls’ evidently very protective older brother.
It was a fun e
vening all in all, but I felt a bit off during the entire dinner party, especially when the Jones started to talk about the stuff each of them was thankful for and so did a lot of the other guests.
It’s not like I have nothing to be thankful for: I’m healthy, I’m successful and I have an amazing family of friends that has been with me through thick and thin and sure, I don’t have everything I want, but who really does in this world anyway?
Listening to the wind howling outside the large floor-to-ceiling window in my bedroom, I fluff my pillow up and turn onto my side, forcing my eyes to close as I talk myself into forgetting about all the things that are keeping me awake tonight, this is not the time to start brooding.
It looks like it definitely stopped snowing.
I smile to myself, thinking about my friends, too bad there wasn’t an extra sister for me too, maybe that’s what’s missing in my life: someone to share it with, but do I really want that, or is this just a little bout of early holiday blues?
As my brain struggles to makes sense of my own thoughts and to find answers to questions I’m not even sure I should be asking myself, my stomach makes itself known.
Maybe I could sneak down, try to find the kitchen, and get myself a nice cup of herbal tea, something that could help me fall asleep and I could also snag a cookie or two.
That Pixie Jo has quite a mouth on her and a good set of lungs too, but damn if she can’t cook!
My sweet tooth was much obliged to her talents and it wouldn’t really mind another bite of one of her sweets since I was so distracted during dinner I barely remembered to eat.
I get out of bed and throw a pair of gray sweats, and long-sleeved white T-shirt over my boxer briefs and then I try to get out of my room as quietly as possible.
We took a gigantic suite with connecting bedrooms and I don’t want to disturb my friends.
I walk up to the bank of elevators and call for one.
I step through the sliding doors and I shiver when the cold floor of the car hits the soles of my bare feet.
Two minutes later I’m trying to find my way through the almost completely dark and sleepy main floor.
Despite being a little bit possessive of his little sisters, Ford is a stand-up guy and since amongst other things he deals with maintenance here and my friends and I are all in construction we hit it off, he was nice enough to give us a tour of the main facilities himself and I’m pretty sure I can remember exactly where he said the kitchen was.
Less than ten minutes later I’m sitting on a high stool in front of a sleek breakfast bar with a shiny granite countertop, I have a warm cup of Earl Grey in front of me and I’m munching on a tasty and very crunchy cinnamon, almond and apple cookie, the combination of sweet and spicy flavors blending deliciously in my mouth.
Once I’m done with my tea and cookie, I wash the cup and the little plate I took in the sink, trying to think if at this point I should once more try to fall asleep or just say fuck it and hit the gym.
I leave the kitchen behind and by the time I realize I left the keycard of the suite on the breakfast bar I’m already at my door.
“Damn,” I huff and jog back to the lifts.
It only takes me a minute to navigate the halls this time around, but when I get into the kitchen again there isn’t a single keycard on the countertop but two of them and there are cookie crumbs on the granite where I’m pretty sure I left nothing.
I barely have time to pick up the cards and frown to myself when I hear a little gasp from the entrance and I turn around.
My eyes immediately alight onto the little curvy brunette that uttered the sound and before my brain has time to start computing whatever the fuck is going on with me, my heart has already jumped up to my throat and back down to my stomach a couple of times and it’s now beating madly in my chest.
It only takes me a look to know I just stepped into my very own future and something in my soul finally settles within me as we stare at each other.
I take her beauty in, the long flowing dark hair, the large doll-like blue eyes, the killer but tiny body wrapped in a fuzzy blue PJ covered in sparkly prints of snowflakes.
For a second we just say nothing and it feels like everything is rushing around me and at the same time like the entire world slowed down to a stop into her very eyes and is telling me to take notice, to never let this go and something tells me I will be grateful for this moment forever.
I take a step toward her and smile down at her.
“Yours?” I ask, but I already know the answer.
She nods. “I came down to steal a cookie and was ready to get back to bed.”
I chuckle. “Me too.”
“But then you forgot…”
“But then you forgot…”
We say it together.
“Your key,” she finishes.
“And you too.”
She giggles and the sound does something wonderful to my very soul, I can feel it on my skin, like the kiss of the sun on a warm day.
I erase the distance between us and after showing her one of the keycards I drop it onto her extended palm.
She stares up at me, her plump, kissable lips opening and closing in hesitation like she is struggling to find something to say, something that could keep this, whatever this is that just happened, going.
She doesn’t need to worry about it, though.
I’ll give her plenty of reasons to stay.
She gives me a little smile and slowly turns around.
“What’s your name babygirl?” I ask, the term of endearment easily slipping past lips that have never uttered a word of this kind before, not even as a joke, but the nickname just fits her so perfectly, my heart got it out of me before my brain could have anything to say about it.
I have an unstoppable truth rustling through my blood: something special brought us here this night, my sweet tooth, hers, and our absentmindedness for sure, but also something else, something bigger than us maybe.
For once in my life I feel like I’ve had perfect timing, especially when I think that we almost missed each other and instead for such a small thing as a key we’re both back here, living this moment together.
I’ve never seen something as beautiful as this curvy bombshell in all of my life, and something tells me she’s gonna be my babygirl for a very long time.
This is absolutely unparalleled for me.
I didn’t think a man could fall this fast for a woman, but my pounding heart and throbbing cock have a different opinion apparently.
I didn’t know that when you meet your one and only, every fiber of your being just knows it and begins to scream it at you as loud as you can stand, until there’s not a shadow of a doubt in your mind and your very soul starts to shake.
Ridiculous?
Crazy?
Yes, to both, but it’s still happening.
This heavenly soft creature wrapped in blue fuzzy flannel just stepped into my heart and took it for herself.
Chapter 5
MILLIE KAY
God, I’m gawking at him like a silly little girl.
But dang, this guy has a ‘strike you stupid and mute’ quality about him that I just can’t escape.
Two minutes in his presence, and I feel like I’ve stepped into a different world.
A time warp where everything stands still and moves fast at once.
I don’t understand the effect this guy has on me.
When I walked back into the kitchen just now and our eyes met I felt this… connection or something, I don’t know what to call it.
One moment, one long stare, and I was awash in sensations as we looked at each other; some of them I recognized, others I still don’t have a name for.
There was definitely a part of me that felt relief as soon as I saw him, the kind you get when you’ve been trying to remember something vital for hours and then finally you succeed.
I spent the entirety of Thanksgi
ving feeling like I should have been somewhere else, like I was missing out on something and I figured it was the party and PJ’s great cooking I was bemoaning, but something tells me it was him I was waiting to meet, him I felt like I was missing.
Which is crazy, I’m well aware of this.
I mean, I don’t even know the guy, I’ve never seen him in my life, so why would I feel this way?
Like I know him?
Like this is… something?
But I don’t even know his name.
I tremble a little under his intense gaze.
Dang, he’s so handsome, I can barely catch my breath.
He is even bigger than my brother, broad-shouldered and muscular, he has deep dark eyes that seem to look into my soul, soft lips that makes me long for things I’ve never felt, brown hair and a short sexy beard cropped close to his squared jaw.
I didn’t even know I liked guys with a beard and now I can’t seem to stop picturing my fingers sinking into it. I feel a rush of desire clench my core and I blush even more at my own thoughts as they slowly, but decidedly descend into the gutter.
My face is probably neon pink by now and I can’t even hide it; I just can’t seem to know how to look away from him.
Yet the fact that he’s a total dreamboat has little to do with the way I’m feeling. I’m suddenly dizzy, like you get when you’re running a temperature, my hands are shaking, and my entire body is screaming out for me to erase the little bit of distance still standing between us.
Again, crazy.
I have zero experience with men and here I am lusting after this stranger, totally positive that climbing him like a very tall, very hunky tree would be the best thing I could ever do.
Let’s upgrade the ‘crazy’ to ‘raving lunatic’ then.
I stare up into his eyes, feeling myself flush to the tips of my ears under this man’s penetrating scrutiny.