Cabin Fever With My First Flame (Sweet Christmas Kisses)

3. Bailey

Chapter three

Bailey

The touch of Finn’s hand on my back sends shivers down my spine and awakens the long-dormant butterflies in my stomach. I haven’t felt them flutter around in years and don’t know what to make of the sensation. I take a step away from Finn and help Ava get her boots off, placing them by the front door so that melted snow doesn’t drip everywhere.

“This is a lovely home, Finn,” I tell him, taking in the rustic charm of the cabin. The floors are made of polished wood, and the walls are a warm cream color. There aren’t any pictures, and the place is devoid of any holiday decorations. “Your family always went all out during the holidays. I guess I’m a little surprised there isn’t a single Christmas ornament on the tree or figurines lining the mantle.”

Finn points to a stack of boxes in the corner. “We were planning on decorating tonight. It’s been a tough season for the boys since their mom passed away, but they’re ready to get into the holiday spirit. As far as my parent’s home is concerned, you remember that it was my sister who always made the house festive with her love of all things Christmas. Would you and your girls like to help us? We’re a bunch of guys without a creative bone in our bodies.”

I smile broadly because Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, and I could rival Finn’s older sister, Jenny, in the decorating department. Every winter, when she would come home from college, her first order of business was to turn the Hollister home into a winter wonderland.

“We’d love to! Christmas is my jam!” I point in the direction of Ella, who is thoroughly enraptured in a video game with a boy who looks just like Finn did at that age. “That’s Ella. She’s my oldest at 14 and wants to major in interior design. She’ll jump on the opportunity to help. You’ve already met Ava, who is my youngest and is willing to do anything that can create a mess. Then there’s Mia, who is the ten-year-old on the couch, sulking.”

Finn mouths the names over and over to commit them to memory. He’s a firm believer in the “rule of ten,” which is when you say or read something ten times, you’ll remember it forever. He points to the three boys gathered around the television. “The oldest is Micah, and he turned 16 last week. He’s following in my footsteps and is a junior firefighter in town. The other two are the twins, Isaac and Jonah. Isaac is the one with short, cropped hair, while Jonah has the curly mop.”

“All Biblical names,” I say, stating the obvious. “I didn’t peg you to go that route. I thought when we, um, I mean, you had kids, you’d name them after famous football players.”

Finn chuckles. “I didn’t get much of a say. I wasn’t the one who birthed them after all.”

I wave my hand in the direction of the kids. “Surely your opinion counted for something.”

“Nope. I suggested names but was quickly overruled,” he jokes. “I offered up Jerry for Jerry Rice and Tom for Tom Brady. There was no way she was going to have her twins be called Tom and Jerry.”

I chuckle. “No, I guess not. I can’t really blame her for putting the kibosh on something like that.” I give him a feeble smile that barely covers the hurt. If Micah is 16, that means that Finn left me for another woman or that he met her shortly after arriving in California. Not wanting to travel down that rabbit hole, I change the subject. “Where do you want us to sleep tonight? I’m willing to take the couch.”

Finn picks up my backpack and slings it over his shoulder before grabbing the girls’ belongings. “I’m not having you sleep on the couch, Bailey. Follow me, and I’ll show you to the guest room. Micah can bunk up with his brothers so that you can have his room, or he can take the sofa. His bed is large enough to fit you and one of your girls. The guest room has two twin beds, which you can divvy up how you see fit.”

Before heading up the stairs, I glance over at Micah, who is laughing with Ella as they both shout at the television screen. “I don’t want to displace Micah and relegate him to the couch. We’re intruders in your home.”

“Don’t worry, Bailey; Micah won’t have any problem staying on the couch. He falls asleep there half the time because he plays his games until the wee hours of the morning.” Finn deposits my bag in Micah’s room and then holds up the other three, silently asking me which one he should leave. I point to Ava’s pink bag bedazzled in rhinestones.

Finn shows me to the other room and sets a backpack down on each bed. “The sheets in this room are clean since it has been unoccupied. I’ll replace the sheets on Micah’s bed with fresh linens for you. Just give me five minutes.”

“Thank you. You’ve done so much for us already, but I need to ask one more small favor. May I use your phone to call my parents? They’re probably getting pretty worried about now.”

“Of course. There’s a landline in the kitchen,” he says, tilting his head in that direction.

While Finn takes care of changing the bedding, I head back downstairs. No longer sulking on the couch, my little bookworm, Mia, is cuddled up with a novel. I walk over and peek at the cover. “Ah. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. That’s not exactly light reading,” I tease.

Mia doesn’t bother to look up at me as she mumbles, “It’s better than playing dumb video games.”

Mia loves playing video games with her sisters, but with only four controllers and six kids, two are bound to be left out. I move her socked feet and sit down on the edge of the sofa. “Mia, you love to play video games. You simply have to let them know that you would like a turn. If you don’t ask, then the answer is always going to be ‘No,’ and you’ll be left out. You have to speak up for yourself.”

She dips her chin once and continues reading, ignoring my parental advice. And here I thought that Ella was the only drama queen in the family.

I sigh and rub my hands on my legs, getting up to make the phone call. I make my way to the kitchen and pick up the receiver. Silence greets me instead of a dial tone. I push the hangup button over and over again, but still nothing. “Come on!”

“What’s the problem?” Finn asks, sneaking up behind me.

I wave the phone above my head and accidentally smack my face with the cord. “Ow!” I rub my forehead to numb the sting, “That was a self-critiquing moment if I ever had one,” I mumble, my cheeks heating from embarrassment. I hand him the receiver and grumble, “There’s no dial tone, Finn. I need to let my parents know we didn’t drive off a cliff or get eaten by a bear.”

Finn takes the receiver and puts it up to his ear before placing it in the cradle. “Bears are in hibernation, Bailey, so there’s no chance of that. Plus, you don’t have enough meat on your bones to be a worthy meal or even a light snack.”

“Finn, this isn’t funny! You know my mom. She’ll start coming up with the worst-case scenarios in her head that puts a Bailey-eating bear to shame. Mom will think aliens have abducted us or that I got lost and ended up in Florida.”

Finn holds a finger to my mouth. “Shh. Bailey, you need to calm down. I’ve got you covered.” He grabs his walkie-talkie and calls the Chief.

“Chief, this is Hollister,” Finn says.

“Hollister, this is Chief. I have you loud and clear. What’s your status?”

“The boys and I were able to get to the family in time. They’re here at the cabin and riding out the storm with us, but the landline is out. Can you pass on a message to their family and appraise them of the situation?” Finn asks.

“Sure. Who am I contacting?” the fire chief asks.

“Please let Barb and Henry McNamara know that their daughter, Bailey , and their grandchildren are safe.”

“Hollister, did you just say that Bailey is with you? As in the Bailey?”

Finn walks into the other room and closes a set of French doors behind him, but I can still make out his words. “Affirmative. As soon as the storm passes and it’s safe to come down the mountain, I’ll bring them to town.”

“Hollister. Are you sure this is a wise decision considering your history?”

“I don’t have a choice, Chief. It’s not safe to travel, and they have nowhere else to go. You always go on and on, preaching about learning from our mistakes. I’ve taken that to heart and don’t intend to make the same one twice,” Finn says.

I don’t wait around to listen to the rest of their conversation, having heard more than enough. Needing to keep myself busy so that I don’t dwell on being called a “mistake,” I walk over to the kids and tap on Micah’s head. He pauses the game and looks up at me. I smile and ask, “Is it okay with you guys if I bust open a box of decorations? I want to make myself useful.”

Ella giggles. “Mom can’t help herself at Christmas, so be warned! By the time she’s done, there won’t be an inch of space that doesn’t have a figurine, ornament, or wreath.”

Mia chimes in from behind the pages of the book she’s holding. “Mom also makes the best cookies. I can’t wait for this place to smell like a bakery instead of dirty socks.”

“Mia! That was rude!” I scold. “We’re guests in this home, and you need to apologize.”

She places the book on her chest and smiles sweetly at the boys. “I apologize for saying this house smells like dirty socks, even if it’s true. Forgive me?”

Isaac and Jonah scowl at my daughter, but Micah laughs. “You’re forgiven. If you think it smells like feet now, wait until after we have refried beans at dinner. We’re having tacos.”

Mia finally smiles slyly at her older sister. “I’m used to Ella passin’ gas. She does it so often that Mom has nicknamed her ‘Tooter.’”

“Why you!” Ella screams, getting up to tackle Mia for sharing that secret, especially in front of an older boy who is cute to boot. Mia tosses the book and takes off running. Then Ava chases after Ella, thinking they’re playing a game of tag. Total chaos ensues as Isaac and Jonah join in, and pillows start flying along with insults and name-calling.

Micah gets up and stands beside me, watching as pure pandemonium unfolds. When he notices me rubbing my temples, he grins and says, “And to think, you can’t even spank them without going to jail.”