Catch Yourself a Snowmance (Have Yourself a Merry Little #2)

3. Alyssa

Chapter 3

Alyssa

I gotta tell you, Santa, there’s something

about this place that doesn’t seem quite … Kosher.

~ Howard Langston, Jingle All the Way

“ T urn at that next big sign,” Noelle says to Jennifer.

“Which next big sign?” Jennifer asks, squinting into the dusky light.

We’ve been on the road for three and a half hours after packing all our stuff into Jennifer’s SUV. She’s a single woman with a mom car. And she justifies her choice in vehicles by saying she’s just being practical. If she’s going to be married in the next eight years, she might as well have a car that’s family-ready.

We couldn’t be more opposite from one another. I figure my Mazda MX may be the last sports car I own. I may as well drive a car that says, “fun, single woman” as long as I can. Then again, at the rate I’m going, I may never need anything bigger .

“That one!” Noelle says to Jennifer, waving her hands and pointing.

Jennifer takes the turn and we all lean just a bit to the left from the sudden change in direction.

“Now the rest of this road is a bit serpentine,” Noelle warns Jennifer. “You’ll be fine. We’re only fifteen minutes from our home away from home. I have to hop out and get the key from the property manager at the bottom of the hill, though.”

“Just tell me when to stop …” Jennifer says. “With some notice if possible,”

When Jennifer pulls into the driveway of the property manager’s cabin, I lean over toward Tori and give her a nudge.

Tori rustles from her nap and looks around.

“We’re almost there. Noelle’s getting the key.”

“Mkay.” Tori stretches and sits upright, looking around in that groggy way you do after a solid nap.

Stephanie’s in the third row with her nose in a book on her ereader.

Noelle gets back in the car.

“Okay. Well, there’s a slight change in plans.” Noelle’s voice has a cheery edge to it. “The place Daddy always took us had a leak in the upstairs bathroom this week. They’ve got a guy out there doing repairs, but we can’t stay there because they have the water shut off and the flooring is torn up. So, we’re staying in the cabin on the next property over.”

“Is it the same size as the one you had planned on?” I ask.

“I guess it’s a little smaller. He said it’s a bit more rustic. Of course, everything up here is more rustic than our cabin. That one is nicer than most homes in town.” Noelle catches my eye in the rear view mirror. “It’ll be an adventure, right?”

“Famous last words,” I say with a teasing smile.

“I’d better text Liam to let him know where to go when he gets up here,” Noelle says. “They left about fifteen minutes after we did, but with this stop, they should be catching up to us any minute.”

Noelle opens her phone and starts texting while Jennifer gets back on the road and maneuvers her way up to the mystery cabin.

We pass the place Noelle showed me in pictures. It’s even more beautiful in real life, honey pine with a large deck overlooking the woods and the view beyond, floor to ceiling windows on one side of the house. Lights illuminate the porch from the eaves, and low decorative lights run up the driveway making it look like a lodge in some idyllic movie set for a winter in the woods.

The next building we see is more weathered gray than warm golden wood. It’s smaller. More like an actual cabin.

Noelle looks down at something and back up at the number on the mailbox at the end of the gravel driveway leading onto the property. Jennifer slows. It’s like we all know this is the place, but we’re sort of hoping we’re wrong.

“This is it!” Noelle says in her cheeriest teacher voice. “We’re here!”

Stephanie looks up from her book just as I glance over the seat at her. She stares out the front window and squints. “That’s the place?”

“We had a downgrade,” I tell her. “Didn’t you hear?”

“I was in a good part of my book, sorry.” She glances outside again. “Wow.”

“You can say that again,” I quip.

“It’s going to be great!” Noelle says from up front. “Oh! And there’s Carson’s truck. The guys just got here!”

We open our doors and pile out into the cold evening air. Small drifts of week-old snow line the edge of the driveway and scatter around the property against the roots of trees and out on the open ground. It’s supposed to snow again throughout the week. At least we’ll have a good base for skiing.

“Hey!” Liam shouts over to us as he walks toward Noelle and pulls her into a hug.

“Sorry about the change in cabins,” she says softly into his chest.

“No worries. We’ll be fine. Let’s go check this place out.” Liam’s warm smile down at Noelle almost makes me forget the fact that our accommodations look more like a Halloween special than a Christmas dreamland.

My breath puffs out in tiny clouds. I wrap my arms around myself to brace against the chill evening air. A warm cup of something by the fireplace will be just what the doctor ordered.

Carson, one of Liam’s friends, walks over to Noelle and Liam. “The place looks like it’s seen better days—maybe a decade ago.”

Liam smiles a placating smile at Noelle and then tells Carson, “It’ll be fine. It’s better than a lot of places we’ve stayed over the years.”

I study our home for the week. The paint is peeling, the porch might even have a slight sag, but maybe that’s just the way the shadows are hitting it as the sun sets.

“Seriously, Noelle?” Stephanie says. And then she smiles a super-energetic smile to make up for her obvious opinion. “This … well, I’m sure it will be great.”

“I’m so sorry!” Noelle says, looking around at the whole group.

“Totally not your fault,” I say. “You planned for the Hallmark mansion next door. Not the Night Before Christmas.” I laugh, hoping it takes the tension out of the air. “And anyway, it may be way better on the inside. It’s got good bones. Right, Liam? ”

“Looks like it,” Liam says with less confidence than I’d hoped for.

Just then, a soft rustling sound comes from near the porch. I squint into the fading light and freeze. "Uh … guys? I think we have company."

Everyone turns to follow my line of vision. A small, black-and-white creature saunters out from behind a stump near the porch steps.

"Oh no," Noelle whispers, her eyes wide. "A skunk!"

The skunk doesn’t seem to know we’re here yet. He just ambles around sniffing the crawl space under the porch like he owns the place. Maybe he does.

I’ve always been the type to laugh at the worst of moments. I don’t mean anything by it. Amusement rises up in me and I can’t help but crack up. I bite back my laughter, but it comes out in my whisper. “Anyone know …” I nearly choke on my stifled laughter. “… how to handle a skunk?”

Carson’s eyebrows shoot up. “You think this is funny?” He glances at me, but there’s a twinkle in his eye. And then he lets out a controlled chuckle.

“Kind of,” I admit in the quietest voice I can muster. “I mean, it’s on brand for the cabin.”

Carson shakes his head, still grinning. He’s got a nice smile. The absence of Dorito dust helps accentuate his actually attractive features. Not that I’m in the market for a boyfriend—especially not my best friend’s fiance's friend. That would be beyond cliche and also troublesome. Date outside your friend group. That’s a rule I’ve always lived by. That way, when things implode—as they invariably do, the carnage isn’t widespread around the relationships that matter most.

As if on cue, the skunk pauses its foraging and lifts its tail. We collectively hold our breath. I feel a giggle bubbling up—this is just too ridiculous. Beside me, Carson tenses up .

“Just don’t make any sudden movements,” Carson advises, his voice low but tinged with amusement.

I nod. Our friends all exchange wary glances. When I look back at Carson, his eyes sparkle with mischief. “And maybe avoid breathing too hard,” he adds, obviously stifling another chuckle under a soft clearing of his throat.

“He’s kind of cute,” Noelle coos softly, mostly to Liam.

Liam smiles down at her.

We all stand still for a long moment, waiting for something. Will the skunk leave? Spray us? Climb the porch and stage a sit-in where he refuses to move, effectively blocking us from entering the cabin?

He sniffs around a bit longer and then, seeming satisfied with his exploration, waddles off toward the woods behind the house.

We all seem to collectively exhale in relief.

“That was a close one,” Jennifer says. “I was looking up solutions on my cell, but the wifi is pretty spotty, so they were coming in slowly. Most of them involve things I’m not even sure we have on hand, like ammonia.”

“Well, crisis averted,” Mitch announces. “Let’s check out this cabin.”

We pull our things out of the trunks of the vehicles and unload everything into the cabin. I step up, carrying my duffle and my makeup bag. Carson holds the door open for me.

His smile lingers, like we’re sharing some sort of private joke.

I guess he’s tolerable—definitely miles better than his first impression.