“And a total hottie!” Nichole added.
Katie grinned at her sister. He sure is. She still couldn’t believe she spent two days with a guy who could be modeling underwear on a billboard.
Tom appeared with a dish towel over his shoulder and a serving platter in his hands. “I can’t wait for you to try the quail. I shot them last fall, and they’ve been waiting in the freezer for a special occasion like tonight.” He gazed at her mom with a loving expression that should have been delivered by Katie’s father.
Katie examined the small, headless birds and swallowed her distaste. “Mom, where’s the ham?” she asked under her breath. Her mom always served honeyed ham and mashed potatoes at Christmas.
“Did Alex put the moves on you?” Nichole asked.
“Nichole!” her mother scolded, glancing at Tom to see if he heard.
“What?” Nichole complained. “They were snowed in for two days. There would be something wrong with the guy if he didn’t.”
Katie glared at Nichole to get her to shut her trap, but Nichole misunderstood and read more into it.
“Oh my god! He totally hit on you, didn’t he?” Nichole dropped her fork on her plate, creating a clatter.
Katie thought of Alex kissing her in front of the fire. She’d never experienced anything more romantic in her life. Alex’s hands had roamed as he kissed her. She hadn’t stop him.
“Your face is turning red! I can’t believe it. Spill it!” Nichole pounded on the table.
Tom frowned. Her mom shook her head in embarrassment.
Katie kicked her sister. “Nichole, shut up. There’s nothing to tell.”
“Yeah, I bet,” she said with a satisfied grin.
Tom returned with another dish. “And, for the piece de la resistance!” he said in a fake French accent and set down a platter filled with the most disgusting fish Katie had ever seen.
The entire fish. Heads and tails intact, their beady little eyes staring.
Are you kidding me? She shot a look of disbelief at her mom. Mom didn’t really expect them to eat barely dead fish. They weren’t cavemen. She liked her fish boneless, breaded and baked.
Her mother, wearing way too much make-up, nodded with a forced smile. “Isn’t it wonderful how hard Tom worked to give us this woodsy Christmas dinner?”
“It’s nothing. I love to cook. And it’s called a wild dinner, not woodsy. Everything we’re enjoying tonight was growing or living in the wild when it was gathered or caught.”
You mean slaughtered. Katie stared at the tiny bird carcasses. She’d never look at a robin in the same light again. She’d eaten more delicious food with Alex at the cabin.
Tom sat at the head of the table. “Don’t be shy, dig in.” He stabbed a quail with his fork and dropped it on his plate.
Katie and Nichole looked expectantly at their mother. “Mom?” When she didn’t respond, Katie said under her breath, “It’s Christmas. Aren’t we going to say grace?”
Her mother glanced at Nichole and then back at Katie. Her mom seemed uncomfortable. “It’s okay honey. We don’t need to when we’re at someone else’s home,” she whispered.
“But it’s Christmas,” Katie persisted. They always said grace before dinner and it seemed more important this Christmas than ever before.
“What am I missing?” Tom asked.
“It’s nothing. The girls are used to saying grace before Christmas dinner. But it’s good to do things differently too,” she said with a light tone.
“It’s tradition!” Nichole blurted.
“You can pray. How does it go?” Tom set his utensils down.
“Would you like to say grace, Katie?” her mom asked.
No, she didn’t want to say grace. Her dad always started grace, but he wasn’t here and never would be again. Nichole sat with her shoulders sagging and stared at her glass of milk. Tom commanded the head of the table, ignorant of how painful he’d made Christmas for Katie and her sister. Her mom adorned the other end of the table, wearing a clingy top designed for a much younger woman. She seemed far more interested in keeping Tom’s eye than helping her daughters get through their first Christmas without their dad.
“No. Never mind. I’m fine.” She needed this night to end.
“I don’t mind. Please, go ahead,” Tom urged.
Let it rest. Didn’t he see it was all wrong? She should have kept her mouth shut.
“Katie, if you want to say grace, this is the time to do it. Tom worked very hard on this meal and the food is getting cold,” her mother snapped.
Katie knew how much her mom wanted to impress Not the Boyfriend. The doorbell rang, giving her a reprieve.
“I’ll get that.” Tom set his napkin on the table and answered the door, while the dead fish stared at the girls.
“What’s gotten in to you, Katie?” her mom asked.
“Me? What about you? Dad always said grace on Christmas. It was a tradition! And what’s with this meal? Who eats this stuff?”
“There’s someone to see you, Katie,” Tom said from the hallway.
Katie rose, confused. Who could possibly be at the door for her? And then she realized it could only be Alex. Her pulse took off. Alex would understand why she was so upset. Maybe he could get her out of this freak show.
She rounded the corner, unable to hide her excitement, and came up short.
Alex’s brother stood in the front hall.
“Oh, hi, Jason.”
He sensed her disappointment and offered her a half smile. “Hi. Alex asked me to drop your stuff off.”
She noticed her duffle bag of dirty laundry and tattered shopping bag at his feet. Alex didn’t want to deliver it himself?
“Oh. Thanks. Now I won’t have to keep borrowing my sister’s clothes.” Where was Alex? He must not want to see her again.
“How’s his truck?” she asked, but really wanted to ask why Alex didn’t come himself. She supposed Trina put the kibosh on it.
“Amazingly good. He was even able to drive it home once we got it pulled out. There was a lot of ice on it.”
“I bet.”
“Hello, Jason.” Her mom appeared around the corner with Nichole and Tom.
“Hi, Mrs. Brandt. My dad asked me to let you know that he has contacted the owner and taken care of fixing the cabin’s broken window.”
“Thank you. That’s generous of him. Have him be sure to let me know if there is anything I can do,” her mom said.
“Where’s Alex?” Nichole asked.
Jason shot a quick glance Katie’s direction. “He’s at Trina’s house.”
Katie sensed everyone’s eyes on her.
“Thanks for bringing my stuff back. I really appreciate it,” she said, with false cheer.
“No problem. I’ve gotta get back. We’re celebrating Christmas tonight.”
Katie returned to the table where the others began eating. She fought her emotions. Alex was with Trina now, and they all knew it. She hoped he was breaking off the engagement, but what if he wasn’t?
Had she been used by a guy who had no intention of leaving his girlfriend? Her throat tightened. She kept her eyes focused on her plate where she added what she assumed was a rutabaga and a whole-wheat roll. Tom rattled on about the type of gunshot used to bring down a deer. She fought the urge to run to her room and bury herself under the covers.
She just wanted to go home.
Chapter 15
By the next day, Katie was ready to tear her hair out. This monstrous cabin was too big, and everything here felt foreign. Tom offered to take everyone ice fishing. Did he not realize they were city girls? Nichole took pity on the guy and finally agreed to give it a try. Her mom stayed back with Katie and, after a long morning of avoiding each other, mom sat down on the opposite end of the couch. Apparently it was time to have a talk.
“Katie, what’s going on? You’ve been out of sorts. It’s not like you to act rude.” Her mom clutched her coffee mug.
“Mom, I’ve been out
of sorts ever since you and dad split. How could I be anything else?” And how could her mom not see that?
Her mother stiffened, gripped her mug tighter, and stared blankly out the window.
“See! Anytime I even mention that our lives have taken a one-eighty, you clam up and pretend nothing’s wrong.”
“Sometimes things change. It’s not your fault,” she said in a patronizing tone.
“I know it’s not my fault, but don’t I at least deserve an explanation of why one day you and dad are laughing at my grad party and two weeks later he’s peeling out of the driveway with his suits in the back of his car? I’ve heard this ‘things change’ bullshit for six months!”
Her mom sighed and shook her head.
“Why did you separate? Are you getting a divorce? I assume you are since you’re shacking up with… with Tom.”
“Katie, that’s uncalled for. And I told you—”
“Tom is just a friend,” Katie mimicked. “Mom, I’m not stupid. Stop treating me like I’m three. You drag Nichole and me up here for the most horrible Christmas of our lives. Why would you punish us like this? Don’t we deserve something normal?”
Her mom set her mug on the coffee table. “The situation between your father and me doesn’t concern you or your sister, and quite honestly, the details are none of your business.”
Her mother might as well have slapped her across the face. “It’s my family too,” Katie said quietly.
“Katie, after twenty years, my world fell apart around me. It’s all I can do to get through each day. You have no idea what I’ve been through.”
“But what about what I’ve been through, and Nichole?”
“It couldn’t be helped. You’re collateral damage.”
“You sound like Tom.”
“I’m sorry you’re hurting, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I spent a lifetime raising you girls and busting my back trying to please your father. After all this time, I deserve to have my life back. Why can’t you see that I deserve to be happy?”
“I’m not saying you can’t be happy, but I do want some answers about things that affect my life. One minute you’re with dad and the next you’re with Tom and insisting he’s not your boyfriend. Come on. I have eyes. Look at how you’re dressed.” Her mother wore skin tight, low-rise designer jeans and a cleavage-exposing, tight top.
Her mother bristled. “What I do is none of your business. I am a grown woman and don’t have to explain my actions.”
“Well, I don’t like what you’re doing. It’s not right. You’re not even divorced yet. You’re sleeping with a guy, and you’re still married.”
“Separated. There’s a huge difference. And the divorce will be final next month.”
Katie’s jaw dropped. “And when were you going to tell me? Or were you? Don’t my feelings count for anything?” She fought the tears that welled.
“You don’t understand, Katie. This is not about you. This is about your father and me. We’re both happier this way.”
“I’m glad someone is, because I’m sure not. How much longer do I have to stay here?”
“Until the day after tomorrow.” Her mother stood and picked up her mug. “I see it was a mistake to bring you here. You’re clearly not ready.” She walked away.
Katie called after her. “Ya think?” Oh my god!
How could her mom possibly think Katie was ready to share in her new world? She hadn’t come to terms with saying goodbye to the old world yet.
The front door opened. Tom and Nichole entered.
“Look what we caught!” Nichole pointed to the string of fish Tom held.
“Lunch!” Tom bragged.
Nichole smiled, clearly accepting this new change better than Katie.
“That’s great.” Katie grabbed her coat from the closet and phone from the entry table.
“Where are you going?” her mother asked in an irritated tone.
“For some air. I can’t breathe in here.”
Katie slipped into her coat and out of the cabin. The cool, crisp air was a nice switch from the stifled, conflicted air inside. The scent of the woods reminded her of the cabin she’d shared with Alex.
Was that only yesterday? She missed it and him, kind of like the year she went to summer camp and had to say goodbye to her new best friend, Jessica. It took her a long time to stop missing her. And now, Katie couldn’t imagine ever getting over her feelings of those two days snowed over with the sweetest guy she’d ever met.
She wandered the long driveway to the main road. Her phone rang, disturbing the pristine silence. She pulled it from her pocket, half expecting the caller to be her mom scolding her or telling her to come back.
Instead, it was Alex. Her heart swelled. “Hello.”
“Hi, how’s your Christmas?” His voice sounded like smooth velvet.
“Sucks. You?” she said.
“Ditto. What are you doing?”
She glanced at the bend in the driveway. “Right now? Running away.”
Alex laughed. “Really?”
“No, but I would if I could.” God, she loved hearing his voice.
“Listen, I’m heading back to Madison in the morning to escape the landslide of hell I’ve created. Any chance you want a ride?”
She stopped in her tracks. “Please tell me you’re not teasing, because if you are, I’m going to take you down.”
“I would never do that,” he said.
“I swear, if you’re kidding, I’ll drive your truck into the river.”
“Too late. It’s already been done. I’ll pick you up at nine.”
“Don’t be late!”
“I never am.”
Chapter 16
He was late! Katie checked her watch again: 9:15 am. She shivered. If she was smart, she would go back inside Tom’s cabin to wait, but then she’d have to deal with her mom again. It was clear that they would not see eye to eye on anything for a very long time.
Her mom didn’t understand how much her actions impacted her kids. During a second argument last night, her mom said that because Katie was eighteen and an adult, her mom was more or less done raising her.
Whatever had gone down between Katie’s parents it had changed her mom into someone Katie didn’t recognize, or even especially like right now. At least her mom’s attitude made it easier for Katie to leave. In fact, her mom seemed relieved that she wouldn’t have to deal with Katie for another two days.
The cool air penetrated her coat. At least this time she wore her boots and not athletic shoes. She peered down the road and saw a vehicle come into view. A second later, she recognized Alex’s blue pickup. Her heart rate took off.
The truck slowed and stopped next to her. She opened the door.
“Hey, Katie.” He smiled, and she fell in love with his face all over again.
“Hi.” She grinned back. Was there any chance that he was as happy to see her as she was to see him?
Alex hopped out and walked around the truck. “Here, let me help you.” He took her large duffle and tossed it in the back. He reached for her backpack, but she pulled it away.
“Thanks, but I’ll keep it with me, my laptop is in there.”
“Okay.” He reached for the shopping bag.
“I’ll keep these up front, too. They’re presents from my mom and sister. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to them.” She watched him, hoping for some sign that he was glad to see her.
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Suit yourself.”
He paused and stared at her. She wished she could read his thoughts. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out her red scarf. She’d forgotten all about it.
With gentle hands, Alex wrapped the scarf around her neck and tucked it in. She smiled. The scarf smelled like Alex. His fingers grazed her cheek.
He peered into her eyes, then learned forward and captured her mouth. The familiar touch of his lips on hers sent warm shivers through her. He kissed her long and slow. She savored his sweetness.
His lips pulled away. Katie sighed. Alex gave a satisfied nod, walked around, and hopped back in the truck.
Katie glowed all over. Wasting no time, she maneuvered her remaining bags into the cab and climbed in. It was a tight fit. She squeezed her bags to the floor and noticed the cup holder.
There were two cups of steaming coffee side by side.
New Year’s Eve
“Come on, give me a hint. Where are we going?” Katie begged Alex to tell.
He grinned. “You’ll know soon enough.”
They walked hand in hand, their fingers threaded together. He and Katie had hung out a couple times since returning to Madison a few days ago, but this was their first official date, and he planned to make it a date she’d never forget.
Ever since Alex had broken it off with Trina on Christmas Day, he’d never felt happier. Sitting at Trina’s kitchen table with both her parents, he had pointed out Trina’s lies about the pregnancy and the fact that they were different people now than they were in high school. Trina took it better than he thought. She didn’t have a tantrum or call him names. Her dad didn’t hit him, but her mother did cry.
Trina managed to get a jab in when she handed back the ring. She said she’d always wanted a bigger diamond anyway. He heard that the next day she was out with another guy.
Alex squeezed Katie’s hand as they turned the corner. They joined a huge stream of people walking toward the Kohl Center, the university’s athletic complex where all the big events took place.
“Are we going to a hockey game?” she asked.
Alex laughed. “No, this will be much better than a hockey game. I thought we should start a new tradition of our own.”
“Like getting snowed in at a cabin every Christmas?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
They crossed the street with a crowd of others. Katie spotted tour buses up ahead. “Is that what I think? Oh, Alex!” She pulled him along until she could get a closer view.
A row of tour buses and semi-trailers lined the street. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra logo was painted across them.
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