Page 35 of Snowed in with My Pucking Ex
I wince at how loud she is, knowing we’re drawing attention to ourselves. After the last debacle in here with my card declining in front of several people, I was trying to be low-key this trip. Lord knows how they like to wag their tongues, especially when my Gram is at the center of it all at times. I can’t help but beam as I take her in. She’s gorgeous, and I’ve missed her a ridiculous amount.
She’s in her usual holiday attire, a sweater dress, black tights, and knee-high boots, with accessories to match the occasion. Her bracelet jingles since it’s made out of bells; she’s wearing a necklace with a single bell, but it’s not cheesy. I’d bet it's platinum with real diamonds encrusted around the top, held by a long platinum chain. Her ears have matching diamond bell earrings that even I’d wear.
Did I mention her husband has a great job? Yep, my bestie gets spoiled, and her jewelry today is just one of the many that her husband likes to surprise her with. Although, after hearing about the shenanigans her kids put her through, I can see why he feels the need to spoil her with cute accessories. The man is lucky he has her.
“Gah, I’ve missed this. I’ve missedyou!” I comment as I continue to squeeze her in a long hug. Every time I get to see her, I’m reminded how much time has passed between visits, and it makes me wish she lived closer.
“Me too.” She tugs me with her to the counter, eager to order her favorite drink. “I’ll take a large Cinnamon Gingerbread Cream Latte with whipped cream, and a spoonful of holiday spirit on top. I want one of those sugar plum danishes, too. Oh, and one of those orange cranberry pistachio muffins, please.”
I just shake my head, watching as she oh’s and ah’s over everything in the case. This was me the first time I came back into town, too. I grab a sugar plum danish before we leave, since I already have my favorite cappuccino.
“Tell me about Sean.” She demands immediately, already shuffling me outside. She waves and says hello to various people to not seem rude, but I’m not fooled. My best friend has one thing on her mind. “The deets, Winter, I need them. It’s beenkillingme since you dropped that bomb of a text on me yesterday, and then didn’t follow up with the good parts.”
I can’t help but laugh; she’s always had a flair for the dramatics. Probably why Gram loves her so much, kindred spirits and all. “I’d say you had a pretty eventful day yourself, learning carpet design.”
“Uh, don’t remind me,” she shoots me a mock glare, sipping from her coffee. “We are so not talking about my kids right this minute, when you finally got the D. It was good, wasn’t it? I can tell already just from the way you’re sparkling or whatever. Sean has a banger, and he dicked you down good.”
“Samantha!” I whisper-yell, slashing my hand across my neck in the universal language of shut the heck up.
“What?” She glances around, claiming, “No one will hear us. That’s why I had us come outside.” She taps the side of her head, “Already thought of the coffee shop gossipers.”
I nod, feeling the fluttering sensation of nerves and excitement swirling around in my stomach as I think of my time with Sean. “Yes, it happened, and I can’t stop thinking about him no matter what I do. But, that’s not all.”
She squeals in delight, doing an excited shimmy, making me grin. “It’s not? What else have you not told me about?”
“He’s been coming around the farm ever since I first got into town. I drove off the side of the road at the bottom of the mountain on my way here. I must’ve hit ice somewhere, then Islid to the side, and my car was stuck. I was stranded on the shoulder when he offered me a ride.”
“No way, that sucks. Twenty-eighteen all over again.”
I nod, “Tell me about it. I was having flashbacks for sure. Anyhow, after that, he and his mom spent Thanksgiving with us, and he’s also been helping with festival stuff…There’s been a lot of buildup, so it wasn’t just a night at the cabin. He promised my dad he’d keep me safe, and he took itsoseriously. I don’t know what to say, aside from admitting that he’s stealing my heart.”
She gasps, “Yes! This makes me super happy for you. It’s about freaking time Sean Spruce pulls his head out of his skates and realizes he can’t live without you.”
Laughing, I try to downplay it, but her words do hit home. “He’s a good guy, and he’s been doing just fine living without me.” I finally take a bite of my danish. It’s heavenly, but they’re small. Three big bites and I have it finished, only the sugar left behind on my fingers as any evidence.
“You sell yourself short, Winter, but that’s not an issue anymore because now he knows how amazing you are. You two are going to spend forever together, I already know it.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because he used to look at you like you were his favorite thing besides hockey. I can only imagine how badly he’s fallen for you this time around.”
We’re interrupted by the Goldsteins, who own the local grocery store. “Hello, girls!” Mrs. Goldstein greets with a welcoming smile as she and her husband stroll by. They’ve gone for a daily walk together, usually holding hands through the village, for as long as I can remember.
“Hello,” We echo, watching the old couple amble by.
They’re tucked close together, slowly making their way down the sidewalk that’s been freshly scraped and salted by the various businesses lining the road. They point out andappreciate the various cheerful holiday decorations as they go. Gum Drop Lane is always a sight to see, with tons of lights adorning every storefront’s windows. A few shops set up actual holiday scenes in the windows as well. The small toy store at the end of the block does one of my favorites, with an electric train circling a Christmas tree that’s been decorated in small nostalgic toys as ornaments.
Thankfully, the roads are also seemingly much better today, so people can get where they need to be once again. We’ve had snowstorms my entire life, so it’s not something the people around here worry too much over. The roads always end up cleared, including the mountain coming in and out of town, so we just roll with it as much as we can. The resilience we show as a community is something everyone should be proud of, I think. Everyone always leans in and offers a helping hand whenever possible. Including opening up our homes if a neighbor needs it. Somehow, everything always ends up working out.
The chime from Tasty Sip’s glass door rings behind us. The bells momentarily mixed with a blast of warm air and Christmas music playing, from someone leaving the coffee shop. It’s enough to break our illusion of privacy and get us moving down the sidewalk.
“When are you going to see him again?” Samantha asks as we head in the direction of Sandies Boutique.
I still need to pick up a few gifts, and thanks to my money being returned to my bank account, I can finally finish checking everyone off my list. I shrug, “I don’t know. He said he’d get a hold of me. His agent showed up, and I managed to catch snippets of his conversation he’d had with him the day prior. I think something's going on with Sean’s contract.”
“Seriously?” She meets my gaze, hers filled with curiosity. I know she wants to probe for more, but I don’t have much to offer, unfortunately.
“Mmhm.” I open the door to Sandie’s Boutique, holding it for her to enter before me. “Which is another reason why I don’t want to get my hopes up too high.”
