Snow Place Like Home (A Cozy AF Christmas 1)

I keep my eyes down on the cookies, but I can feel her watching me suspiciously.

It’s the question I’ve been waiting to ask her since I walked into the house and she gave me a big hug.

“Just the usual,” she says. “My parent’s friends, our usual high school gang, except Carrie isn’t coming.”

“Oh, no!”

“She’s at her new boyfriend’s house this year. Matt’s parents and his sister are coming. Your parents, my cousins, aunts and uncles from my mom’s side. Alan and Beth. It should be fun.”

I swallow hard as I wonder how far I can push without being too obvious.

“Anyone else?”

I can feel her eyes burning into me as I slather purple icing onto the world’s ugliest candy cane cookie.

“Anyone in particular?” she asks, tilting her head as she watches me.

Oh, shit. I can feel my cheeks getting all hot.

“Someone like… Uncle Ethan?”

I look up at her and gulp. Guilty as charged.

“You’re not still into him?”

I open my mouth to deny it, but a weird gurgle comes out instead. I’ve been in love with Christine’s uncle for my entire life. It was actually since I was eight years old, but it feels like forever.

He’s her dad’s younger brother and he’s the hottest man I’ve ever seen.

I can still remember the first time I saw him like it was yesterday. It was summer and Christine and I were playing in her pool when the loudest rumbling I’ve ever heard thundered down the street.

I watched in awe as Ethan pulled up on his motorcycle. Christine jumped out of the pool and ran up to him, giving him a wet hug as I watched with my little heart pumping on overdrive. I couldn’t believe how beautiful he was. He was tall with a wide frame and big muscular arms. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t stop staring at them. His hair was long back then, almost to his shoulders, but thankfully, he cut it.

I can still remember marveling at the beautifully intricate tattoos on his round chest and big shoulders as he jumped into the pool to play with us. He threw us is into the air over and over again and I remember screaming, thinking I was flying higher than the house before I landed in the water and swam back to him for more.

One thing was for sure… I was in love.

And that crush on Ethan Hearst was cemented into my heart.

“Mandy!” Christine shouts. “You’re pouring sprinkles all over the counter!”

“Shit! Sorry!”

“You were thinking about my uncle weren’t you?”

“What?! No!”

“You had a distant look in your eye and a creepy little pervy smile on your face. You were thinking about Uncle Ethan!”

“I was not! I was thinking about… homework.”

“Homework? You’re on break for the Holidays. Your semester is over. You don’t have homework.”

“That’s what I was thinking about. I was happy I don’t have any.”

She frowns as she looks at me skeptically.

“Don’t fuck my uncle. Please. It’s Christmas.”

“So… does that mean he’s coming?”

Her forehead gets all wrinkly as she frowns even harder. “Yes, he’s coming. But he’s off-limits.”

I feel like my heart is going to explode out of my chest.

“Chris, I would never,” I say, acting all indignant.

She puts her hand up, shutting me up real fast. “Okay, slut. Save the goodie two shoes act. I know you too well for that.”

She shakes her head as she gets back to the cookies.

Meanwhile, I’m going through different outfits in my head, trying to pick out the perfect one for tonight. Something that will get me put on the naughty list.

And I have just the thing…Chapter TwoMandy“Whoa, Mandy! That’s a lot of cleavage!” The first words my mother says to me when I see her at the party.

I look down and self-consciously fix my red dress. “It’s not that bad.”

It’s not!

I’m not in slutty territory yet, but I might look like I want to get my bells jingled this Holiday season.

My father just frowns and quickly wanders off.

“You’re just used to me in sweat pants and ponytails,” I tell my mother.

“Maybe,” she says as she looks me up and down. I’m wearing a tight red dress that’s a tad on the low cut end, but it makes my rack look magnificent. At least, that’s what Christine said when she helped me pick it out. “You do look beautiful. So grown up.”

That’s what I’m hoping Ethan is going to think when he sees me. I want him to see me as a grown up woman and not as Christine’s cute little friend whose name I can’t quite remember.

My eyes keep darting to the door every time it opens. Damn. It’s just Christine’s aunt and uncle from her mom’s side.

I wander into the kitchen and ask Christine’s mom if she needs help with anything. She’s one of those amazing hostesses who can do a dozen things at the same time while having a fully engaged conversation and make it look effortless and fun.