A Curvy Carol (A Curvy Girl Christmas #2)

4. Whit

4

WHIT

T here was a knock at my bedroom door so I set my comic book aside. “Come in.”

Dad popped his head in. “Whit, we have great news, buddy,” he said. Then Mom came in behind him.

Uh oh. Whenever Dad used the word “buddy,” it was his way of trying to soften me up before sharing some bad news. And both of them being here? It must be pretty bad.

I still remembered being ten and him using that word before letting me know that I had to go to band camp, even though I had no musical talents whatsoever. And any time I was going to get a no to hanging out with my friends, he used the word then too.

Exhibit C? When Mom and Dad had told me that we were going to be leaving everything behind to move to Garland because they’d bought the lodge. “Buddy, you know we’ve been needing a change...”

So of course, it made sense that now my stomach turned with familiar dread.

I sat up. “What great news?” I asked cautiously.

He came in and took a seat on my bed. The nice house we’d moved into wasn’t far from the lodge, but I was sure he had to be getting back soon. The holidays were a busy season in Garland, and it was a lot to manage. “I know it’s been hard on you, moving here and leaving behind all your friends.”

I gave a shrug. It had been, but I wasn’t sure there was anything I could do about it now.

His mouth turned up into a grin. “Well, we’ve been able to find a new friend for you here in Garland. There’s so much to do here in town, especially this time of year, and we hate for you to miss out because we’re busy running the lodge. So your mother and I thought it would be a great idea to have someone your age who can show you around. Not to mention having at least one friendly face when you start at the new school in January.”

“So this person appeared out of thin air?”

“We found you a new friend,” Mom said happily.

My mouth fell open. They had done what?

Dad waited expectantly for me to start jumping up and down or something. “So, what do you think?”

I sighed. “Dad… what do you mean you guys ‘found’ me a new friend? Like a play date? That’s so lame.”

I never said anything like that to them, but they’d also never set me up on a playdate since I was five years old. So what if I’d struggled to find new friends to hang out with here in Garland? That didn’t mean they needed to go out and find me a friend like I was some kind of charity case.

Dad patted my shoulder. “Just give it a try. They’ll be able to show you around town, do all the fun stuff the kids are doing these days. Besides, I hear this kid could use a friend too, and we’ll cover the cost of whatever activities you guys want to do.”

I groaned. I could already picture an awkward sleigh ride with another guy my age who also didn’t want to be there.

“The dad is even offering some extra cash for you to go back and visit your friends over spring break or this summer if you want. We just want you to give this a shot. You never know.”

The thought of seeing my friends again had my heart twisting in my chest. I missed them like crazy. “Fine. Alright. When will I meet this ‘new friend’?”

I was expecting them to say next week or something. Instead, Dad grinned. “They’re waiting for you at Cocoa Corner now.”

“What?” I demanded. “Now? Dad!”

He patted my shoulder one more time, then started walking out. “You don’t want to keep your new friend waiting too long.”

I began pulling on my shoes. “You two owe me for this one.”

But part of me was a little curious about who this friend was. Were they in my grade at school? Maybe they’d be into the same stuff as me.

When I got downstairs, Dad was grabbing his keys. “I’ll drop you off near Cider Center before I head back to the lodge.”

Wow, they really weren’t giving me a chance to back out of this. I pulled on my jacket, gloves, and hat and followed him out to the truck. “How will I know who it is? What’s his name?”

“Carolynn,” he said.

I did a double take. I almost turned back around then and there. “She’s a girl?”

Dad smirked. “Aren’t you a little old to believe in cooties?”

I fought an embarrassed smile. “Whatever. I just thought it would be a guy.” Now it was even more embarrassing that my parents were setting me up. How lame she must think I was.

We rode a few minutes to the town center, tourists milling up and down the sidewalks, in and out of shops. And then Dad parked in front of Cocoa Corner, a coffee shop with a wall of windows catty-corner to the giant Christmas tree in town.

After a quick goodbye, Dad was heading back to the lodge and I was left on my own, watching his truck head drive away.

Then I turned around and made my way to Cocoa Corner.

I hadn’t been there before, but I’d walked past it a few times. It seemed like your standard café sort of place. Mom and Dad said it was supposed to have the best hot chocolate and pastries in town.

I walked in, a little bell ringing as I let the door shut behind me. There were several people sitting at the booths, but only one girl who looked like she was on her own and waiting for someone.

Her eyes met mine, and right away, I noticed how pretty she was. From the blonde, curly hair spilling from her ruby-colored stocking hat to her pink cheeks and green eyes… I was pretty sure I froze for a second before realizing I needed to go over to her.

“Carolynn?” I asked, taking off my hat and gloves and stuffing them in my pockets.

She stood up and stuck her hand out. “Yeah. Whittaker?”

“I go by Whit,” I said, taking her hand. I couldn’t help but notice how soft it was. It matched the rest of her features. Her face was round, and her hips and chest curved generously under her long black sweater and leggings.

We sat down, and I wondered if her parents had made her come here too. Probably, although suddenly, I couldn’t help but feel that I had gotten the better end of the deal.

Christmas season seemed to be looking up for me, especially if I was going to get to spend time with her.

A guy in a bright green apron delivered a couple of hot chocolates to our table.

“I thought you might want one,” she explained, then thanked the barista.

“Thanks,” I said, reaching for my mug.

“You’re welcome,” she said with a tentative smile. I made her eyes crinkle slightly, and my chest squeezed a little. Man, I must really be lonely that a simple smile had me reacting like this.

But at least I wasn’t the only awkward one. Her eyes darted away from me like she wasn’t sure what to make of this either. We did a few minutes of small talk before she seemed to relax a little. Enough to say something I thought I would never hear in the town of Garland, Maine.

“I’m not really a fan of all this Christmas stuff,” she admitted.

“What do you mean you don’t like Christmas?” I asked incredulously. I set down my cup.

She shrugged looking down at her mug, the marshmallows a melted white goo on top of the drink. “It’s just so overdone at this point. It probably doesn’t help that I’ve lived in Garland my whole life,” she explained.

“I thought that was the one big upside of moving here,” I said, glancing around. “How big of a deal Christmas is here. It’s like I’m in a storybook or something. I have to admit it’s always been my favorite holiday, but my parents are so busy this year. They don’t have time to do all the fun stuff in town.”

“Well, then, this should be an interesting arrangement,” she said, “seeing as how I hate doing all the endless Christmas activities.”

I made an exaggerated gasp. “So I’m basically stuck with Scrooge for the holidays?” I quipped.

That made her smile, which made me grin like an idiot. I liked being the one to make her smile.

“Basically,” she said. “Can’t say I’m sorry. If you want to back out, now’s the time.”

Something about the way she said it made me think that she was like me and didn’t have much of a choice about being here. At least way less of a choice than me. So I didn’t fall for her bluff.

“No, it’s okay. I’m in,” I replied.

She seemed to droop a little bit, but she didn’t say anything. So I was right. I was curious about why she had to do this, but I made a mental note to ask another time.

“There’s one condition,” I added, taking another sip of my hot chocolate. It really was the best I’d ever had.

“What is it?” she asked.

“We’ve got to do everything before Christmas Day,” I said. “I really want to experience a Garland Christmas.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

“And who knows? Maybe I can convince you that Christmas isn’t so bad after all.”

Carolynn shook her head, but I could see the corners of her lips turn up into the slightest of smiles. “We’ll see.”

She stood up.

I pointed to her hot cocoa. “You haven’t finished your drink. You’re leaving already?”

“It’s not my favorite,” she said. She asked me for my number, and we quickly exchanged info. She tapped out a message and hit send.

An address appeared on my screen from a new number. Her number. “Meet me there tomorrow at 10 a.m. sharp.” She turned to go but then looked back. “And wear your pajamas.”