Page 1 of Pumpkin
Petra
Ablanket of white coats the city as far as the eye can see. A snap cold front bringing with it a snowstorm none of us were prepared for, closing the airports.
“I’m going to miss Thanksgiving,” I pout. “I tried and tried, but all the earlier flights are full.”
“I know you’re disappointed, pumpkin,” dad says over the phone from his position in sunny Florida. “But there’s always Christmas. The weather can’t get you twice in a year.”
“It’s just not the same. We never miss Thanksgiving as a family.” I’ve never been alone on Thanksgiving either. I guess this is what I get for going to college so far from home. Boston University was always my first choice, but when my best friend moved here partway through high school, it was even more important for me to get here. Being the big girl who didn’t fit in wasn’t any fun without my skinny wing woman. Claire had made school bearable. Plus, she had a really hot older brother.
“I’ll save you some pie,” dad says, his voice calm and understanding. He knows how much the holidays mean to me, but no one can control the weather.
“Thanks, dad,” I sigh. “I’ll call soon, OK? Say hi to everyone for me.”
“I will. Stay warm, pumpkin. We’ll miss you.”
“I miss you too.” Hitting the end call button, I drop my cell on my bed then twist my blonde hair into a knot while I watch my roommate, Claire zip up her overnight bag.
“Why don’t you just come and spend Thanksgiving with Fin and me? We don’t do much besides eat ourselves into a coma and watch trashy TV, but it’s our little tradition.”
Just the mention of her brother makes my skin heat. He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever known. Not that I know him well, I’ve barely said two words to him my entire life. He’s thirteen years older than us, which means he was a high school senior when I still had pigtails in grade school. But he was, and still is, the center of every one of my romantic dreams. It should be illegal for one man to possess so many alluring qualities. I get flustered and tongue-tied just thinking about him.
“Oh no. I couldn’t.” I shake my head. “Thanksgiving is for family. I can’t intrude.”
“Come on, Petra. Youarefamily. I’ve known you all my life, and I’m not letting my best friend stay on campus by herself for the holidays. It’s like a horror movie waiting to happen.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll study, get some reading in and binge some Netflix.”
“While eating a frozen turkey dinner? No. I know how much you love Thanksgiving. And I know you know how to make your mum’s pumpkin pie. So you’re coming home with me and giving us the gift of motherly love since Fin and I can’t get that ourselves.”
“That’s low,” I say as she bats her long dark lashes at me and holds her hands together like she’s praying. I’m powerless to say no. Especially since she just played the dead mom card. No one can say no to that.
“So you’ll come,” she states, pulling out her cell. “I’ll just text Fin and let him know. He always cooks too much for just us, so he’ll be stoked you’re coming.”
Another reason I’ve always admired Fin is because he gave up a promising football scholarship to raise Claire after their parents died in a car accident. He was rumored to have been offered a full ride at an Ivy League college, but he won’t even discuss it with Claire. He says he doesn’t like dwelling on what might have been when he’s perfectly happy with the life he’s built for himself. That’s another thing I respect him for. Finlay Ross is a self-made man. Beautiful, charismatic, hardworking and honorable. In my eyes, he’s absolutely perfect.
