The Christmas Plan Read online

  Which made her feel like the houseguest nobody wanted.

  Mr. Andrews was holding the front door open for them and motioning for them to go inside. She glanced at Gabe and he stepped aside to let her go in first. So, with a smile on her face, she walked up the three steps and walked in.

  And immediately fell in love.

  She paused in the doorway. “Oh.” It was a breathy sigh.

  “Welcome to your home for these six weeks,” he said.

  “I’ll let the two of you look around. Don’t forget dinner will be ready in a few minutes,” his father called in to them before heading back to the house.

  “I…I don’t even know what to say,” Aspen said quietly as she stepped into the room. “This is just…wow.”

  “It’s tiny,” he said with just a hint of disdain.

  “I’ve seen these on TV,” she said and turned and looked at him. “They’ve always fascinated me, but it’s much cooler than I thought it would be.”

  Gabe didn’t look like he was sold just yet.

  She stepped farther into the space and looked around–touching everything she could. “I’m not saying I could function in this kitchen in the long-term, but I think everything here works just fine. I’ll just make my candies in smaller batches.” She smiled at him. “I mean, it’s definitely smaller than my studio apartment and I didn’t think that was possible.” She paused and realized that she needed to try to be positive or he’d continue to be miserable. “It’s much better than I expected.”

  “Aspen…”

  She couldn’t let him get going on a negative rant. So she forced herself to keep moving around and talking about everything she was seeing. She moved over to look in the bathroom and merely popped her head in and then out again. Looking at him over her shoulder, she said, “I’m not loving this. Your mom will just have to deal with me showering over in the house. There’s no way I can handle getting ready in there.”

  Stepping around her, he peeked into the space and shook his head. “Yeah. The bathroom really is small. I think we should just tell her this won’t work. All of it.”

  But Aspen tuned him out. “Normally I don’t mind a small bathroom, but I think I would die without a big shower—or a tub! You know, if this was a long-term thing.”

  “Yeah, I’m not loving this…”

  “Oh! Remember how long it took me to find an apartment that had a decent bathroom? I must have said no to a dozen places because the bathrooms were old and uninspired.” Then she laughed. “Okay, so I know I’m a little spoiled, but that shower certainly looked…”

  “Tiny?” he supplied. They both laughed and carefully maneuvered around each other to keep looking around. Their chests brushed against each other and Aspen was certain she heard Gabe softly hiss.

  Forcing that thought aside, she looked around and frowned. “Where do I sleep?”

  Gabe pointed to the ladder. “I’m guessing that’s a sleeping loft up there.”

  “Oh.”

  He moved over to the ladder and looked up. “You can climb up and look,” he said. “But from what I can see, you can’t stand up once you get up there.”

  “So you basically climb the ladder and then crawl into the bed?”

  “I guess.”

  “That’s not always a bad thing,” she said as she carefully climbed the ladder. “Although, I think I would have opted for stairs.”

  “They probably took up more space,” he said.

  “Maybe. But they would have provided storage and drawers. I’ve seen that on HGTV.” Aspen perched herself near the top and looked at the loft. “It’s really kind of cool. And there’s a skylight! On a starry night, I bet that’s not a bad view to have.” She smiled down at him. “I wonder if that couch folds out to a bed.”

  “How come?”

  “Because there’s only one bed up here.” She gingerly climbed down and did her best to sound casual about the whole thing. “I was kind of hoping you’d hang out over here with me like we do back at home. And sometimes you sleep on my couch, but…that couch doesn’t look big enough for you to sprawl out. Of course, you could just camp out up here with me and stare at the stars.” She felt herself blushing and let out a mirthless laugh. “I mean, I know it’s not that long of a walk back to the main house, so I’m probably being ridiculous…”

  Luckily, he seemed relaxed. “I’m really sorry about this, Aspen. This was not what my mom and I discussed at all. I still don’t know what in the world she was thinking.”

  “Would you stop? Please? You’re beginning to sound like a broken record.”

  “You know what I’m saying.”

  “I do and I get it. Was this a bit of a shock? Kind of. Is it a horrible one? No.” Then she figured she owed him the truth. “And just so you know, I’m a little freaked about it too.”

  His eyes went wide. “Really?”

  Nodding, she said, “Well, yeah. I feel like I’m being banished before I’ve even had a chance to do anything wrong.”

  His shoulders sagged. “That settles it. We’ll go inside and talk to her over dinner and tell her that this isn’t going to work. I asked you here because I wanted to cheer you up.”

  “I hate to make such a fuss. Maybe we’re just overthinking it. I mean…look around. It’s not that bad.” Then she glanced around and frowned. “Okay, that bathroom is definitely an issue for me, but it might be nice to have a place to retreat to at the end of the day.”

  Wrapping his arms around her, Gabe hugged her. “I might be spending a lot of time here then because that’s the sort of thing I always wish for when I’m here for the holidays.”

  “Well…my space is your space.”

  “Are you sure? You may regret saying that.”

  “Never,” she firmly interrupted. “It’s going to be just like back in Atlanta. Except the hallway is now a cold, snowy path in the yard.”

  Off in the distance, Mrs. Andrews called their names.

  “Come on. We’ll go and enjoy some dinner and after dessert we’ll move my stuff over and figure out where everything goes. It’ll be like a game or a puzzle!” she teased. “We’ll find all the little nooks and crannies to put all my junk and then I’ll have to try to remember where they are when we need them.”

  He laughed and it was low and a little husky. “You know you’re ridiculous, right?”

  “Just part of my charm,” she said and kissed him lightly on the cheek because…well…just because.

  Neither brought up the tiny house over dinner and the more Aspen thought about it, the more she liked the idea. Yes, she still felt a little dejected, but the reality was that she knew she was going to enjoy having a space of her own for the next few weeks.

  Because after that, she’d have more than her share of family togetherness with her own family.

  And nowhere to escape to.

  So over dinner she sat back and listened as Gabe’s mom and dad caught Gabe up on all the local gossip and what was going on at the tree lot so far this year.

  “Josiah mentioned things have been extra busy this year,” Gabe commented.

  “It’s true,” Paul said. “We did some social media advertising for the first time and apparently it was a big hit.”

  “That’s great, Dad! I didn’t think you were into any of that stuff.”

  “Oh, I’m not. But we’ve got some high school kids working for us after school and a few of them mentioned it, so I thought we’d give it a shot,” his father explained. “Actually, I was wondering if there was any way for you to shoot a video for us to use. I know you probably don’t have any of your cameras with you, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to ask.”

  Gabe looked visibly surprised. Aspen knew for a fact that even though his family always encouraged him and supported him in his filmmaking, they’d never asked him to do anything like this before. She looked at him excitedly and hoped he’d find a way to make this happen.

  “I don’t see why not,” Gabe replied, seeming pleased. “Like you
said, I don’t have any of my cameras with me, but I always travel with some lenses I use on my phone that do a decent job. Plus, I have my laptop with me so…what did you have in mind?”

  For the next few minutes everyone tossed out ideas about getting some footage of the farm and then the lot and then coming up with a catchy phrase for his father to say at the end. It was the kind of conversation she and Gabe had quite often. He always talked to her about his projects and how he planned all his shots. She loved the way his mind worked and then seeing how a film evolved from those early stages to completion.

  And it hit her how this was possibly the last time she was going to be actively part of the planning process. Once she moved back to San Diego, there would be no more late-night talks on the living room floor over pizza.

  Her appetite lost, Aspen gently pushed her dinner plate aside and tried to keep a smile on her face and be an active participant in the discussion.

  But her heart wasn’t in it.

  If anything, she longed to excuse herself and go out to the tiny house and just…cry. The enormity of how much her life was going to change hit her like a ton of bricks. For the last week, she’d thought she’d come to peace with the crappy direction of her life.

  Apparently not.

  Luckily, no one seemed to notice the change in her mood and as dinner moved to dessert and then to everyone cleaning up together, she almost convinced herself that she was okay.

  Mrs. Andrews hugged her once the kitchen was clean. “Thank you so much for your help, sweetheart. You didn’t have to do that.”

  Smiling, Aspen felt herself blush. “Nonsense. I’m happy to do it.”

  “Well, tomorrow’s going to be a bit chaotic, but I am a bit militant when it comes to our Thanksgiving dinner.”

  “Um…militant?”

  With a nod, she explained. “I have a system. And after years of doing this, I really have it down to a science so…let Gabe take you on a tour of the town or just sit and relax. No one is allowed in my kitchen tomorrow. Even breakfast will be every man for himself.” She laughed and Aspen laughed with her.

  “I’ve spent so many holidays working that it’s going to seem weird not being in a kitchen, but I think I’ll be okay.”

  “I did stock the kitchen over in the tiny house for you–just the basics. You know, milk, juice, eggs, coffee. Gabe told me some of the things you liked to snack on so you should be good to go. However…” She turned and walked to the pantry before returning with a cloth covered basket. Handing it to Aspen, she said, “I did make you some muffins. There are cinnamon swirl and chocolate chip in here. I figured you’d like a variety.” She smiled up at Aspen and for some reason, it made her feel overly emotional.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, accepting the basket. “That was incredibly thoughtful of you. You didn’t need to do all of this.” Her voice trembled and she felt her eyes sting with unshed tears. Her own family never made this big of a deal over her when she went to visit, and it was crazy how much this meant to her.

  Rather than say anything, Mrs. Andrews hugged her before wishing her a good night.

  Alone in the kitchen, Aspen wondered where Gabe had gone off to. She wanted to say goodnight to him as well, but…he was probably still talking to his father about options for the video.

  With nothing left to do, she took her basket and walked out the back door and across the yard. Once inside the tiny house, she put the basket down on the small kitchen counter and sighed.

  “Are you regretting coming to Silver Bell Falls with me?”

  With a gasp, Aspen turned and saw Gabe sitting on the small sofa in the corner. “How long have you been out here?”

  He shrugged. “Just a few minutes. Dad and I moved your stuff over for you. I figured you might appreciate not having to lug all this stuff across the yard.”

  “It’s not that much…”

  But it was.

  He stood and grinned at her. “All the unpacking is up to you, though.” Glancing over her shoulder, she knew the instant he spotted the basket. “What’s in there?”

  “Muffins,” she said coyly. “For me.”

  His dark eyes went a little wide. “And you’re not going to share?”

  “Well…I was told that it’s every man for himself for breakfast tomorrow so…I’ll share in the morning.”

  “But…”

  “You can’t possibly be hungry, Gabe!” she said with a laugh. “That dinner was huge and then all the dessert…I mean, if I’m not hungry, you can’t be hungry.”

  Even though he shook his head, he was laughing with her. “I don’t really think that logic works, but…”

  This was exactly what she needed right now. A time to laugh with her best friend before being left alone for the night in a strange place.

  “You bring the coffee in the morning and we’ll share the muffins. What do you say?”

  “I say that’s the best idea because my mother is a beast on a holiday morning. She yells at us to stay out of her way and then yells at us for not helping, so…if I’m out here with you, I’ll miss at least some of the yelling.” He paused and looked around. “I know I said you were on your own to unpack, but if you’d like some help…”

  But she waved him off. “Nah. I’ve got it. It would probably be too tight in here for both of us trying to figure out where it’s all going to go.”

  Gabe let out a long breath, raking a hand through his hair. “If you’d feel better, you can take my room and I’ll stay out here.”

  And before she could help it, she was hugging him. “You are very sweet but this is going to be just fine. I’m going to bask in the silence because once I move back in with my parents, I highly doubt I’ll get any.”

  “Aspen…”

  It wasn’t something she wanted to talk about tonight. There was a lot of unpacking to do and she was desperate to change into her pajamas and crawl into bed.

  Playfully, she gave him a gentle shove toward the door. “Go. I need to get going on all of this so I can get to sleep before midnight. I can’t even believe my eyes are still open right now.”

  “I know what you mean,” he said, but he still looked a little hesitant to leave. “If I help, you can get it done faster.”

  “Gabriel Andrews, go!” Another little shove. “I’m going to be fine.”

  Fortunately, this time he didn’t argue. Instead, he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead and said goodnight.

  Once he was gone, Aspen leaned against the kitchen cabinets and immediately decided she could unpack tomorrow because…the bed was calling her name.

  Four

  By Sunday night, Aspen had a whole new perspective on her time in Silver Bell Falls.

  The town was amazing. It was definitely small, and it was a little like stepping back in time because there were no malls or big shopping centers, but everything it did have was incredibly charming. Everywhere she went, people stopped and talked and there was always music playing!

  Although, she could do with a little less “Silver Bells”–in all its variations.

  But it was still so festive and uplifting to walk around what could only be described as the perfect Christmas town that looked like a picturesque winter wonderland.

  Thanksgiving had been loud and boisterous with Gabe’s family and so much different from anything she’d ever experienced. Aspen’s family was a little more on the reserved and traditional side, but the Andrews family loved to laugh and joke and eat and…she simply adored them all.

  As they had been told, Gabe’s grandparents and Uncle Ed came and stayed over. They were leaving in the morning. Aspen had really enjoyed getting to know them all and even made a special batch of white chocolate peppermint truffles for them to take home.

  Something Gabe told her would endear Aspen to them for life.

  The thought made her heart happy and put a smile on her face–which was becoming the norm lately and she loved it.

  The day after Thanksgiving, Aspen went sh
opping with Mrs. Andrews and a bunch of her friends while Gabe worked the tree lot with his father. He was worried about sending her off without him, but she assured him that she could totally fend for herself in a mall.

  Even though it meant driving for over an hour in a minivan with six other women who were essentially strangers.

  She got to know everyone real fast.

  But after a successful day of shopping–and by shopping, she meant that she browsed a lot and helped everyone find the perfect gifts for their loved ones and Aspen bought herself a pair of extra gloves and a hat–they had returned home and feasted on all the Thanksgiving leftovers.

  Which were amazing and made her wonder why her family never made a little extra so they could enjoy the meal twice.

  Because they're practical and boring, she reminded herself.

  Saturday was spent making candy with Gabe’s mom. They opted to set everything up in the main house because the kitchen was bigger than the entire tiny house. And if Aspen had to pick a perfect day, this would be it.

  Gabe and his father, grandfather, and uncle had left after breakfast to go to the tree lot and as soon as they were gone, Aspen brought over all her equipment to the main house. Once everything was set up, she began talking Mrs. Andrews and Grandma Andrews through the process.

  “My goodness,” Grandma Andrews said as she walked around the kitchen. “You brought all of this with you from Atlanta?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” she replied happily as she sorted out ingredients. “I figured I’d offer to make some as Christmas gifts but felt a little weird asking to take over the kitchen like this. That’s why the tiny house was such a pleasant surprise. I figured I’d just work with smaller batches out there.”

  “Now you won’t have to,” Mrs. Andrews said, giving Aspen a quick hug. “And I am so excited about learning how to do this. I enjoy baking and everyone loves the cookies I make, but I would absolutely love to add some candy to my repertoire.”

  Aspen thought that was adorable and knew they were going to be making a lot of candy in the coming weeks.