“There was a mistletoe kiss on that card. No way.”
The grin on his face immediately set my heart pounding. “I promise I’ll make it good.”
My cheeks flushed annoyingly while I tamped down some runaway butterflies.
“We’ve already kissed,” I said, attempting to gain back an ounce of control. “We can just count that one.”
He looked at me like I was crazy. “My grandma could have kissed me better than that. And besides, there wasn’t any mistletoe.”
I guess my grandparent thoughts while my lips were pressed against his weren’t that far off.
“A tiny, harmless mistletoe kiss seems like a much better option than sharing a bed with a puking three-year-old,” he said, dangling his bait carefully.
My heart thudded to a stop. He was right. I didn’t have much of a choice, but the blackout thing was really throwing me. That changed the entire tune of the quiet, hide-away-in-a-cabin vibe I was going for. This would require time. And dates. With him.
When I looked up at him, grappling, he only smiled. “What will it be, Oliviana? Five days of luxury cabin living with your sexy new boyfriend, or more puking on a hide-a-bed with the family?”
Curse the day he came into my classroom and found a piece of mail on my desk with my full name. I think I preferred his vegetable tray references. I folded my arms and raised my chin. “You know, I could just blow the whistle on this whole thing and be all the happier for it.”
“And resist these fine hams?” He motioned to his back end. “I’m sure Glenn would be excited about that plan.”
I wanted to punch him. In the face. Cue visions of his nose bleeding all over that blue coat. My eyes glazed over as I allowed the fantasy to play out in my mind. But the choice was already made for me. I wouldn’t be making Chloe sleep on the pull-out couch. And I definitely wouldn’t be sleeping anywhere near my mom and Russ. I didn’t want to spend any time with Glenn alone. Looked like my Christmas vacation just got worse. And better. But mostly worse.
“Fine.”
A slow, Cheshire-cat grin crawled across his face just then, and my heart rate immediately sped up.
He reached out a hand toward me. My first instinct was to jerk away. He gave me an impatient look, and I realized he was holding out a hand to shake. I slowly brought my hand to his. His hand covered mine, giving it a shake. It felt warm, and rough, and manly. And way too excited.
“Why do I feel like I just made a deal with the devil?”
“You started this whole thing. I’m just giving it a better ending.” He gave my hand a quick squeeze before releasing it. “I’ll pick you up in an hour to take you to your cabin, Celery Stick.”
ELEVEN
“Of all matches never was the like.”
William Shakespeare - The Taming of the Shrew
MILLIE: Have you forgiven me yet?
ME: That’s a strong no.
MILLIE: Well, have you two at least kissed? It’s been almost twenty-four hours.
ME: I have a Christmas present that I forgot to give to you before I left. I will now be gifting it to myself. I’m planning to watch it with some gummy worms, Ghirardelli brownies, and a carton of Ben and Jerry’s ALONE. And I’ll be perfectly happy.
MILLIE: Changing the subject?
ME: …
MILLIE: WHAT is happening there? Did you two KISS?!
A knock at the cabin door had me jumping up from the couch and flipping my screen to black, as though Miles could suddenly see everything. I slid the phone into my back pocket and pulled on my coat and gloves. Ben and Chloe had taken their kids to the lodge for some coloring and crafts, which left me with some time to make the bed, do the dishes, and tidy up the cabin for Chloe so she wouldn’t have to worry about the house when she got back.
I tried not to look nervous opening the door for Miles, but I was thankful that my pounding heart was hidden beneath several layers of fabric.
“Planning to stay for a couple of months?” he asked, eyeing my luggage as he held the door open for me to step outside. Once I stepped out into the sunshine （which was misleading because the temperature hovered around eleven degrees）， he reached over and took the suitcase and duffel bag out of my hands, pushing the extendable handle down so he could lift the suitcase.
“You should be grateful I left my library at home.”
He looked at me in surprise. “You didn’t bring any books?”
“Just my Kindle.” I decided to leave the two hardback classics I had brought out of this discussion.
“Oh, the famous Kindle. I’d love to take a peek to see what the prim-and-proper lit teacher reads in secret.” He gave me a pointed look. “I mean, I already know one special book on your Kindle that you took the time to read.”
I made a mental note to make sure my Kindle was nowhere in sight for the next five days in my new cabin.
We hemmed and hawed up the sidewalk, the snow making a crunching sound at our feet with each step.
“Whose house is that?”
Miles lifted his head and followed my point off in the distance toward a large, two-story, red farmhouse with a wraparound porch.
“That’s my parents’ house.”
I slowed my steps, suddenly feeling unsure about my stay in this cabin. It seemed odd to be so far from everybody else and so close to the owners’ home.
“Is this a joke or something? Do you really have a cabin for me to stay in?”
“Well, cabin is a loose term. It’s actually more of an underground lair I use for experiments.”
When I gave him a dark look, he chuckled. “Yeah, where do you think I’m taking you?”
“I’m not sure. This looks like a lovely place for murder. Why is this cabin so far away from the others?”
“My parents lived here for a few years before they built their big house. Then, they decided to add some more cabins but wanted them closer to the lodge to give them more privacy.”
“And this cabin still rents out?”
“People stay here all the time.”
“When the fireplace works?”
“Yup.”
We walked a bit longer on the sidewalk in silence. After we passed the lodge, I followed Miles to a road leading toward his parents’ house. Halfway up the road, he motioned me toward the left and onto a snow-covered driveway I hadn’t noticed. A small, wooden cabin sat in the distance, surrounded by trees, a trail of smoke puffing out of the chimney.
The cabin was medium-sized, woodsy, and just gothic enough that it would look at home in a spooky Halloween book for kids. The wraparound porch had rails sticking out in all directions and broken steps leading up to the door.
“Did this house ever guest star in The Addams Family?”
He laughed. “I was born in this house.”
I placed my hands on my hips. “I’m not staying here by myself.”
His eyebrows raised with decided interest, but before he could speak, I cut in. “And I’m not staying here with you either.” I pointed toward the cabin, which honestly looked less scary the second time, but still. “I can’t be here alone at night. I’d never get any sleep.”
He set my suitcase down on the snow, staving off his laughter. “You’ve got to stop talking. There are so many things I could—”