Page 12 of Catch Yourself a Snowmance
“He pegged me with a snowball!” Mitch says, his voice booming through the kitchen.
“I had to, man. You’re out there half-naked with a snowstorm blowing in. We’re not vacationing in Florida.”
“I know that now that I’ve got icicles forming on my back,” Mitch laughs through his words.
“Assembly line,” Liam says. “Let’s get this stuff unloaded.”
We all take our places, unloading bags and handing things over to Liam if they go in the pantry and Carson if they go in the fridge. We’ve got the kitchen stocked in no time.
Carson turns to me as our friends walk toward the living room. “Now, how about that cocoa?”
“Sounds good.”
The snow starts to fall around lunchtime. The whole group of us had taken a midmorning walk down one of the paths that leads off the back of the property. After lunch, we took to different parts of the house, some of us reading or napping, others sitting in the main room around the unlit fireplace, chatting. The world grows increasingly white outside the windows while we hunker down in the cabin.
There’s this sense of being cut off from everything but what’s right within these four walls. It’s what vacation’s meant to be—a full departure from the day-to-day. I’m in sweats and a fleece that saysStill Freezing ~ Me 24/7.I’ve got fluffy socks on my feet and my hair is pulled up in a messy bun. If I were trying to impress someone, I’d definitely not choose this outfit.
Carson walks across the living room to the bay window where I’m sitting, staring out at the landscape, letting my mind drift like a falling snowflake blown around by a winter wind. The glass on the windows steams with my breath. Carson sits by my feet.
“It’s coming down hard.” His eyes roam across the property.
I nod.
“You look cozy.”
“I major in cozy,” I say. “It’s a skill of mine.”
Carson smiles and his face dips, showing two dimples around his mouth. They’re covered in stubble making them anything but boyish. Still, there’s a playfulness about him that softens out the rugged edges. He turns his head and watches the snow falling and I study his profile a little longer than I probably should. And then I force myself to return my focus to the scene outside.
We sit like that, my toes barely grazing his thigh, our heads turned in unison toward the winter wonderland outside our cabin. No words. No need for them. This strange new familiarity between us.
The snow doesn’t stop. It falls in soft, fluffy flakes like someone’s emptying a pillow over the cabin. By late afternoon, we can’t even see the driveway anymore.
“Let’s play charades before dinner!” Noelle suggests. “I put all our names in a bowl. We can draw for partners.”
“There are nine of us,” Stephanie reminds Noelle.
“Okay. Yeah. Let’s do three teams of three.”
Carson and I exchange friendly smiles and he stands, extending me his hand. “If we’re on a team, we’re winning.” His tone is so matter of fact. Then he leans in toward me and whispers, “And if you’re my opponent, all bets are off. You’re going down.”
The laugh that bursts out of me is loud and full. I clap my hand over my mouth.
He stands a few feet away from me, the picture of innocence.
I can still smell his musky, warm scent. Manly. Spicy. It’s been a long time since I’ve been that close to a man.
I take a breath and turn toward Noelle.
The game. I’ll focus on the game.
Noelle passes the bowl to me first. I pull out Tori’s name.
“Tori! You’re with me!” I shout, holding my arms out to her.
She runs into them and nearly knocks me off balance, sending a wave of laughter through the room. The bowl goes around. When Carson’s turn comes, he pulls my name.
He saunters over to me and Tori. “No welcoming hug?” he asks in far too flirty a tone meant for my ears only.
