Page 42 of Not Your Average Vixen
“Scooter!” Tom exclaimed.
“And how’d you know they weren’t staying here?” Soren pressed, gesturing to the mountain house.
“There are only five guest rooms in this place. It’s justfamilystaying here,” Lori replied as Soren bristled at her explanation.
“Is there a problem, Scooter?” Tom asked.
Good! Tom was on Team Wedding and didn’t appear to be swayed by Soren’s antics. Still, counting today, there were four days until the Christmas Eve nuptials, and she had to stay vigilant. Anything could happen. And with this slippery best man, anything was possible.
Soren’s expression grew pensive. “Of course not. You’re my best friend. You’ve been my best friend for sixteen years. I’ll always want what’s best for you.”
She shared a quick glance with her sister and tossed her a little wink that said, don’t you worry. Birdie is on to this guy.
A slice of silence stretched between the men as they stood face-to-face. Were they having some silent BFF conversation? Was Soren a certified hypnotherapist on top of being a certified douche canoe? She was about to snap her fingers when a woman’s cheerful voice cut through the silence.
“They’re here!”
Bridget glanced up to see a line of adults, all dressed to hit the slopes, stream out of the mountain house.
“Birdie, it’s so nice to meet you in person after exchanging all those emails with you these past few weeks. I’m Grace, Tom’s mother. This is my husband, Scott, and my father-in-law.”
“Call me Judge,” the man said with a watchful nod.
“We adore Lori and are so happy to have you here, Birdie,” Scott said with a welcoming grin.
Relief washed over her as she embraced Tom’s parents and his grandfather. These were the people who mattered—and they loved her sister.
“Look what the cat dragged in!”
“More like the snowcat with all this fresh powder,” Soren answered, kicking up a little snow as a woman who looked like a younger version of Grace emerged from the mountain house along with another woman.
“Birdie, this is my daughter, Denise, and her wife, Nancy,” Grace said, introducing the pair.
“Scooter hasn’t given you any trouble, has he? You’ve got to watch this one,” Denise teased, clapping Soren on the shoulder.
Bridget caught the man’s eye. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
A sly smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth. Damn that sexy expression!
“Lori, you didn’t mention that your sister was as gorgeous as you are.”
Bridget looked past the wall of Abbotts to see a man in an electric green ski jacket. Sporting a comb-over, he and Mr. Smarmy Salsa were on the same page when it came to grooming and cringe-worthy pickup lines.
“Behave, Uncle Russell,” Tom said, shaking his head.
The man joined the group and gave her the once-over, not once, not twice, but three times before opening his arms for a hug.
Reluctantly, she indulged the man.
What would a wedding be without a creepy uncle?
“This place is wonderful. We rode the gondola up to the Kringle Chapel once the power came back,” Nancy remarked.
Bridget frowned, and not only because Uncle Russ brushed his hand a little low during their brief embrace.
“The power went out?” she questioned.
Grace nodded. “Dan says when they get big storms, it’s common for the mountain house to lose power temporarily, and that includes the gondola.”
