Hostile for the Holidays

5. Stella

FIVE

STELLA

When Jasper pulled into my parents’ driveway, I was stunned. I even double-checked the address to make sure it’s my house. It’s got the same white brick and pillars, the same cardinal red door with a half-moon window at the top. The spruce trees are exactly where they’ve always been framing the front stoop, but there’s noticeably one thing missing…Christmas decorations.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years going toe-to-toe with Jasper, it’s to never let him see my weaknesses.

That plan imploded today when I threw up on the plane, then laid in his lap like a helpless toddler. Oh, and when I asked him to fake date me to deal with the Daniel situation. That was a doozy.

I still can’t believe I suggested it. And Jasper agreed. Or was it the other way around? I can’t even remember how the conversation went. But it doesn’t matter, I’m going to nail my part as Jasper’s fake girlfriend if only to spite him.

Because that’s what we do.

We out-do and one-up each other and never ever let the other one know when they get to us.

That’s why there was no way in hell I could let Jasper see how my family’s house not being decorated for Christmas disappointed me.

I’m holding out hope that while outdoor lights were not on the priority list this year that the inside of the house is a winter wonderland with my mom’s crocheted Santas lined up on the fireplace above the stockings. Gingerbread candles burning and Christmas music on repeat in every room. The tree decked out in old school popcorn strands and ornaments Sadie and I made in the nineties that have been glued back together a handful of times.

As I move down the hallway and past the living area, that’s when I discover the true horror.

No gingerbread. No music. And from the vacant spot in front of the picture window, the tree isn’t even up yet and there are only six days until Christmas.

My dad is the first to greet me coming out from his study.

“There she is. Our Stell-bell is home,” he sings like the jolly old soul he is.

“It’s good to be home.” I sink into his embrace. When we separate, I notice that his hair has more flecks of gray than it used to, and the creases at the corners of his eyes are deeper than they were even months ago.

“Where’s the tree? And all the decorations?” I ask.

“Sorry, Stell-bell, we didn’t have time to get any decorations up this year. With Sadie’s wedding and your mom and I getting older, some things haven’t gotten done.”

Some things? Some things?

Nothing has been done. A surge of disappointment rushes through me.

Decorating for the holidays isn’t behind, it’s not happening at all this year.

Through the empty picture window in the living room, my eyes drift across the street.

The Jensens’ house is lit up tastefully in warm white lights. Their twenty-foot spruce could pass for the Rockefeller Center tree with its large bulbs of multi-color lights. All eight of Santa’s reindeer are poised perfectly on their snowy lawn with Rudolph and his red nose leading the group, pulling a person-sized sleigh that people take pictures in at their Christmas Eve party. That sleigh is the infamous site of Jasper’s and my heated debate about the merits of a real versus artificial Christmas tree.

I’m team real tree, and always will be.

Secretly, I love seeing that familiar reindeer display with Santa’s sleigh.

Their house has always looked picture perfect. It’s another way Jasper and I have competed over the years, and it’s clear that this year he’s winning.

My dad directs me toward the kitchen but before we get there, my sister, Sadie, comes flying toward me.

“Holy shit,” she exclaims in way of greeting. “We heard the news!”

“Language.” My dad attempts a scolding tone, but it comes off more as a question.

Sadie and I are only a year apart. My mom didn’t think she could get pregnant while breastfeeding if she didn’t have her period. A few months later, that myth was busted and she was pregnant with Sadie. Growing up, many people thought we were twins because of how close in age we were.

“Dad, I’m twenty-seven. I can say shit.” She waves him off. “Anyways, this development requires some expletives.”

“What is it?” my dad asks, concern in his voice.

“Stella is dating Jasper!” Sadie squeals again like she can’t quite believe it. I get it, though, because me either.

My dad looks confused. “Jasper?”

“Jasper Jensen!” Sadie erupts for the third time. “What other Jasper is there?”

“I thought you and Jasper didn’t get along?” my dad muses.

“They don’t! They didn’t! But now they’re dating!” Sadie screams excitedly. “Oh my god, Stellie, you have to tell me everything.”

“Let her get settled a minute.” My dad directs us into the kitchen where we find my mom.

“Stella!” My mom wipes her hand on a dish towel, coming around the island in her flour-covered apron to wrap me up in her arms. The moment she’s got her arms around me, my eyes burn with how good it feels.

“Are you making gingerbread?” I ask, sniffing the air but coming up empty.

“No, I’ve decided to make Sadie and Tom’s wedding cake. I’ve been working on different frosting recipes. Do you want to try some?” She motions toward the bowls on the island.

The thought of tasting sugary frosting makes my already sensitive stomach ache.

“Maybe later.”

Daniel is sitting next to Tom, Sadie’s fiancé, at the island scrolling on his phone. He glances up at me and for a split second I feel bad for lying to him, but the alternative, two weeks of awkward flirtatious encounters, is far worse.

“We heard about Jasper.” My mom gives me a secretive smile. It’s one that says she expected it all along and thought our rivalry was some kind of front for our true feelings. What she doesn’t know is that the rivalry between me and Jasper is perfectly intact.

But I need to make sure Daniel thinks otherwise.

“That’s right,” I announce loudly. “Jasper and I are dating. He’s the man of my dreams.”

Sadie laughs because she knows me well and right now, I do sound a bit like a robot.

“Okay, Stellie. Let’s get you unpacked.”

Sadie pulls me and my suitcase past a forlorn looking Daniel whom Tom throws a comforting arm around and mentions they should go play video games.

When we’re tucked into the safety of my bedroom, Sadie starts firing off questions.

“How did it happen with Jasper? Did it start with hate sex? Are you in love?”

“Hate sex?” I ponder, because it never occurred to me that you could hate someone and want them to fuck you.

“Yeah, you know when you’re so mad at someone that you bang angry. Tom and I have done it a few times, okay only once, but then we pretended to do it again because it was so hot, but it was really hard to replicate. That anger and tension doesn’t create itself.”

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “It just happened.”

“That’s impossible. There’s been so much tension between you two there had to have been fireworks. An explosion of some sort.”

There had been an explosion on the plane. My stomach contents.

Now that I’m thinking about it, that was really gross and Jasper handled it like a champ. I’d have to say that if the tables were reversed and he was the one sick, I would not have let him put his head in my lap.

“I was sick and he took care of me, so I decided he wasn’t the worst person in the world anymore.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet.”

I can’t take her hopeful, lovesick face. It’s like she beats the truth out of me without even saying a word.

“I’m lying. He’s not my boyfriend. Not really. We’re pretending to date each other so Daniel doesn’t think there’s anything between me and him, and Jasper needs a date to his family’s Christmas party.”

“I knew something was fishy.” Sadie sighs, clearly disappointed with the truth.

“You can’t tell anyone. Especially not Tom. He’ll tell Daniel and it will all be for nothing.”

“Yeah, sorry about Daniel being here. Tom couldn’t spend Christmas without him, and I couldn’t spend it without Tom. It kind of snowballed.”

“It’s fine. I’ll pretend to be with Jasper and get through the next two weeks.”

“So how is that going to work?”

I shrug. “I think we’ll hang out a few times. I’ll go to his family’s party, he’ll come to your wedding as my date, then we’ll part ways.”

“That sounds so simple.” She hands me another packing cube from my suitcase. “You are aware this is you and Jasper, right? Nothing has ever been simple with you two.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Later, after dinner, I get ready for bed, then pause in front of my bedroom window, looking out at Jasper’s house.

For a moment, I let myself enjoy the beautiful light display, forgetting that it’s the house of my nemesis and now, fake boyfriend.

Then, I yank the curtains shut and crawl into bed.

“It’s awful here, Pip. Come rescue me,” I whine into the screen of my phone where my best friend, Pippa, is staring back at me.

“This doesn’t sound like the magical Cedar Hollow you’ve told me about.”

“Sorry, I’m in a mood. And it’s not the town’s fault.” I shift my eyes upward at the mountains around me and take a deep breath. People from all over the world visit Cedar Hollow and the surrounding area for skiing and other winter recreation and I am lucky to have grown up here. I love New York, the hustle and bustle, but when I come home to Cedar Hollow, a charming and cozy mountain town nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, I immediately feel at peace. But the last twenty-four hours have been anything but peaceful.

“That’s understandable, considering you’re now dating your arch rival.” She arches an eyebrow for emphasis.

I told her everything about my plane ride, getting sick and Jasper witnessing it all, then Daniel showing up at the airport, and my genius plot to make Jasper my boyfriend to avoid Daniel’s unwanted advances. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now that I’m living that reality it’s a different story.

I’m currently walking to the tree farm to pick out a tree. With my family tied up with wedding planning, I’m taking it upon myself to decorate for the holidays, starting with the most important item. A real Christmas tree.

Does it make sense to walk to the tree farm, maybe not. But I’m counting on them having a delivery service.

I swing the axe in my hand. The one I grabbed from the garage, when I was sneaking out of the house so I wouldn’t come face to face with Daniel.

“I know what would make me feel better. If you came here.”

“Can’t. I’m on deadline.”

“You’re always on a deadline.”

“Most authors are. It’s kind of how this whole writing books thing goes.”

Pippa writes spicy romance novels. She’s the one that introduced me to romance audiobooks. They’re steamy and fun, and sometimes when I listen to her books, I have to pretend my best friend isn’t the author so I don’t feel weird about how turned on her descriptive sex scenes make me. Her career has taken off and now she’s attending signings and doing appearances all over the world. I’m super proud of her.

“It’s Christmas. You should take some time off,” I argue.

She sighs. “Maybe next year.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Say hi to Jass for me,” she says teasingly.

“Ugh, I will do no such thing. He already knows everything about my adolescent life. There’s no way I will let him infiltrate my adult one.”

Except, he already has. He’s my fake boyfriend now.

I end the video call with Pippa, and continue my walk toward the tree farm.

Suddenly, my phone buzzes and I’m hoping it’s a text from Pippa telling me she’s booked a flight. It’s not. It’s the devil himself.

Hey, Sparky. How are you feeling today?

Never better

Glad to hear that I nursed you back to health

That’s not what happened

It must have been my unreasonably handsome nose that did it

Lose my number

How would we arrange fake dates?

I’m going to change my mind about this whole thing

I’ll stop by your house later

Please don’t

I drop my phone in my pocket and keep walking.

I didn’t imagine I’d be headed to pick out my family’s Christmas tree alone but that’s okay. I’m used to taking charge and getting things done. So, I’ll pick out a tree and have it delivered. Everything will be fine.

Only it’s not just having the tree, but sharing the experience of picking it out then taking it home to decorate it. The laughter and the reminiscing about the ornaments while we decorate.

That’s going to be the part I miss.

But I’m determined to not miss out on this tradition, even if I have to do it myself, so I trudge on down the sidewalk, taking a right onto Pinecone Way and onward toward the Frosty Fir Tree Farm.