Far From Home

You could always mail an ornament to her.

I could, though I really liked the idea of giving it to her in person.

“Later… oh crap, we have to get going,” she shot up from her spot on the sofa as panic slowly made its way into her voice. “We still need to make the walk back. If we’re late, we won’t get to eat.”

Following her example, I got up from the couch and gathered our things while she put out the bit of fire that was left. “You sure love your food.”

“You don’t get it. If we aren’t there as soon as Mom puts everything on the table, we won’t eat. Trust me on this. Unless you want a meal of cookies, cider, and cheese, we need to get out of here.”

“But earlier you told me there’d be leftovers.”

“There are, but it isn’t always meat and gravy. And the rolls. We can’t miss the rolls!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sounds like my kind of dinner.”

“Remember what I said before. Get what you want as soon as you can because it’ll all be gone when you go back for seconds.”

After zipping my jacket, I opened the door and followed her outside. Once everything was locked, and after replacing the key, Taylor and I walked side by side as we made our way back to the house.

The next few weeks were going to be amazing.

Chapter Six

Taylor

The chaos of my family didn’t seem nearly as overwhelming with Sam at my side. Instead of getting lost in the mix like so many of my friends had done, she blended right in. As soon as the food was on the table, she took what she needed, then joined me in one of the more quiet rooms.

Granted, it was also where my sister’s rugrats had decided to camp out, but it wasn’t as loud.

“How are you holding up?” Sam asked between bites of turkey and mashed potatoes.

I shrugged as I dug into the cranberry sauce. “Okay, I suppose. Though I didn’t expect you to hold your ground the way you did. The way you blocked my uncle when you reached for the biscuits was amazing.” Sam was usually so polite that seeing her go for the food like I’d suggested wasn’t like her at all. It wasn’t a bad thing, either. We both had to eat.

“Hey, I love my biscuits,” she said, tearing off a piece before popping it in her mouth. “It’s even better if they’re warm.”

I glanced at the three piled on her plate. “I’m surprised you didn’t take every last one.”

“It was tempting,” she admitted, looking back toward the dining area, “but I’d much rather stay on good terms with your folks. So what usually happens after the feeding frenzy?”

“The game, though it doesn’t come on for another hour.

My uncle will probably claim the lazy chair, zonk out for a bit, then get animated once the game’s on. Katie and her kids have to go to her ex’s place, so they’ll stuff themselves here, then eat again before dinner. As for Mom and Brad, they tend to clean up a bit, make doggy-bags, then settle on the couch.

That’s when I either join them or retreat to the cabin.”

“So we should finish up then.”

“Why’s that?” I stifled a laugh when she wiped potatoes from the tip of her nose.

Frowning, she said, “Because the sooner we finish here and get that goodie bag, the sooner we get to work on those ornaments.”

I shook my head but couldn’t hide the smile in my voice.

“You really are a weird one. I’ll give you that.”

“I’m weird in a good way,” Sam said with pride. “I already checked with your folks and they have a box of

supplies ready to go. We’re going to do this whether you like it or not. You said you missed getting an ornament, so I’m going to make one for you. It might not be shiny, as you guys don’t have any glitter, but it will be beautiful either way.”