Page 25 of My Ex for Christmas
I lean down to meet her gaze. “It seems like you’re having a bit oftrouble,” I say.
Her hands tighten on the steering wheel. “I’m fine. Just give me a minute.”
I chuckle. “I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but even if you manage to make it out of the parking lot, you won’t get far. The road up to the resort will be closed. So are most of the ones in town.”
She eyes me warily. “How long will it be before they’re open?”
I shrug. “Don’t know. Depends how quick the plows make it out. Could be hours.”
Her eyes grow wide. “Hours? I have to get to work!”
“Maybe this is your sign to take a break,” I reply. “Come back inside, Hads. You can shower while I make you breakfast. Then I can apologize for what I said before.”
She shakes her head. “I’m fine right here.”
I sigh. “Hadley, please. There’s no point in wasting all your gas. Come inside.”
I can practically see her brain calculating all of her options, working through them like a complex math problem. I wait. After a few moments, she sighs and shuts the car off.
The door slams behind her when she gets out, and then she takes off across the parking lot, stomping all the way. I open my mouth to suggest she use my footprints to avoid sinking into the snow, but I think better if it.
Though I can’t help smiling as I follow after her.
“Food’s ready!”
I set the plate of pancakes in the middle of the kitchen table, along with a bottle of maple syrup and a bowl of fruit.
Soft footsteps pad across the wooden floor, and I look up just in time to catch Hadley walk into the living room. Her long red hair is hanging over her shoulders, still wet from her shower, and her makeup-free face gives way for her freckles to shine.
I used to trace those freckles like constellations in the night sky.
I laid out some of my clothes for her to wear, but I’m surprised she took me up on the offer. I figured she would put her sweater dress back on from last night. But she didn’t. No, she’s wearing the hell out of one of my t-shirts, and a pair of sweatpants with the waistband and ankles rolled.
Hadley crosses her arms. “What did you make?” she asks.
“Pancakes,” I reply as I take a seat. “I took a stab in the dark and assumed they were still your favourite.”
She closes the distance and sits across from me. I watch with rapt attention as she picks up her fork and puts a pancake on her plate before cutting into it. Then she lifts it to her mouth.
“Shit,” she says with a groan that has my mind running elsewhere. “I really missed those.”
Her vibrant eyes pop open, meeting mine.Missed those. Missed those.
Missed you.
I clear my throat. “Mom misses making them for you. Her children don’t compliment her cooking the way you did.”
She shrugs as she swallows. “It was easy when hers were the only home-cooked meals I got.”
Hadley was used to her parents’ indifference when we were together, but it still threw me for a loop every time she brought it up. It didn’t sit right with me. Still doesn’t.
My dad skipped out on our family, but at least he had the decency to be honest about not wanting us. Her parents were there, but they weren’tthere.
We eat in silence. After so long apart, I wouldn’t have been surprised to find it feeling weird between us. But it doesn’t. It feels like we’ve slipped back into our old routines.
Once we’ve both finished our food, I meet her eyes.
“I shouldn’t have brought up the past earlier,” I say. “I wasn’t trying to attack you. That was unfair, and I’m sorry.”
