Chapter Seven
Winter
I’m adding the finishing touches to my hair when the Spruces arrive for Thanksgiving.
I picked a festively plum-colored shift dress, along with a thin pair of sheer black tights with tiny velvet black dots all over them, and paired the look with a simple stack of understated silver bangles and my taupe booties.
I also have on a long-chained silver necklace with the dark garnet stone pendant my mother gave me many years ago as a graduation gift.
The stone is large, and the silver encasement has details all around, making it anything but understated, and I never take it off.
I lean in, glancing all over my face in the mirror, making sure the bits of makeup I put on earlier are still how I like them.
I’m already pale, and the snow certainly won’t help my cause any.
My lashes are wispy, better defined by a few coats of my Lash Blast mascara.
They’ve grown longer naturally, from the organic castor oil I’ve been brushing them with nightly.
I added a bit of taupe and plum eye shadow to my lid but kept it very light, along with a bit of lip stain, and then gloss on top.
I’m looking polished but not in an overly done-up sort of way.
I learned long ago not to wear blush on Thanksgiving because with all the food and then cheering on the football game, as well as the heat from the kitchen, I’ll be red enough as it is.
Another curse of not having any sort of tan going for me right now.
Anyhow, I’m determined not to look like a complete hot mess this time around when Sean sees me again.
I’d like it for once if I were the one with the upper hand and not falling all over myself in his presence.
While I won’t hold my breath on that front, I’m hoping he’ll at least not see me and instantly think I’m a charity case who can’t get her life right.
On my way down the hallway, I pop into my parents’ bathroom, swiping a spritz of Mom’s perfume.
It’s some sort of essential oil blend a lady from the next town over makes for her.
Whatever it is, it has mint, coconut, and vanilla in it, and I’m kind of obsessed, wearing it whenever I forget my usual.
I attempt to quietly make my way down the hallway, wanting to get the chance to scope out Sean before he sees me.
Yesterday at the coffee shop really meant a lot to me.
He didn’t have to be so kind and pay for my drinks after I spilled cappuccino all over him.
Nor sit with me to make sure I was okay, let alone offer to help me with suggestions on what steps I should take.
I come to a stop, finding Sean and Calla just inside the doorway, removing their coats.
I heard Mom and Dad greet them a moment ago, but now I quietly watch as they hang their coats on the designated hooks.
Calla is beautiful as always in her own natural way.
She has some dark bags under her eyes today, so she must’ve worked the night shift for a night or two this past week.
The clinic where she and Mom work is small without a lot of staff, so if anyone needs to be admitted and they don’t end up going to Noelville instead, then some of the staff have to stay at the clinic overnight with the patient.
Both Calla and Mom love their jobs, but I’ve also heard about how it can be hard at times when they’re being stretched too thinly.
Sean, however, appears to be in his prime.
Even after a grueling practice on the ice, he claimed to have to attend yesterday, he somehow appears no worse for wear.
His profession is a different story, though; those players can’t afford to practice and work tired, or else they could seriously injure themselves.
Today he’s wearing a hunter green sweater, the material thin enough so he doesn’t overheat, but still somehow smooth enough that it looks super soft to touch.
He’s paired it with dark wash jeans that hug his thick thighs, making me wish I could get a peek from behind, too.
The best part of the entire outfit is his tan Hey Dude’s he’s currently slipping off next to the door, revealing crisp white sock-clad feet.
He had on a black leather jacket that he’s already taken off, but I can easily imagine how amazing he looked in the full get-up when he first stepped inside.
“You can leave those on if you want,” I say, giving up my spot, knowing if I stay and stare any longer, it’ll be detrimental to my health in some way.
I shouldn’t want to look at this guy, nor be in the same room as he is, yet it seems this trip home, I’m destined to run into him around every corner.
I didn’t want to be nice to him, but after everything he’s done for me since I’ve arrived, he doesn’t deserve my cold shoulder.
Now, if I can manage to keep my heart from hurting around him, or even worse, falling for his dashing self all over again, that’s the real test of my willpower.
I hate admitting it, that he sorta broke my heart all those years ago, and it’s the real reason I was so upset about seeing him in the first place.
His brow jumps, eyes immediately finding me where I’m standing off to the side.
“I left my boots at home so they wouldn’t get your mom’s floors muddy from the slush out there, but these managed to get some on them too.
” He replies, obviously thinking I’m calling out his choice of footwear when I wasn’t trying to.
He doesn’t have to look like a lumberjack or a professional hockey player every time I see him; being casual is definitely okay in my book.
In fact, I prefer it to always feeling underdressed and frazzled in his presence.
Calla’s face lights up when she notices me. “Winter, how lovely to see you. My–oh–my, you look so beautiful today.”
I grin in return. “Thanks, Mrs. Spruce, you look nice too. I love your belt,” I compliment, meaning every word.
She may be content spending her life in this village, but apparently, she knows all the good spots to order her accessories offline.
“If you don’t mind me asking, which site did you get it from?
I need to check out their collections.” Not that I have a mere penny left to my name to blow until the bank decides if they’ll replace the money I was scammed out of, but a girl can still window shop.
“I got this at Sandies. I went in the other day looking for a few gifts, and she had several of these in stock. Other designs, too.”
My brow jumps. That’s new. Sandies didn’t carry cute accessories like that the last time I was around visiting, or I would’ve been eager to check the store out once I got into town.
I wonder what else she’s started keeping in stock that I’d like.
“I’ll have to pop in then,” I comment as she turns to Sean.
“Doesn’t Winter look great in that dress, Sean? We need her to get one in your team’s colors. I bet all of your teammates would be drooling over her if she wore it to a game. When do you play the Blizzards again?”
His posture stiffens, a frown turning his lips down immediately, but he doesn’t comment on the sudden change in his demeanor. His serious stare meets mine again as he doesn’t answer his mom’s question. Instead, he compliments, “You look stunning.”
Heat instantly fills my body all over, and I know it must be showing on my cheeks, too.
My heart thumps a quick, excited beat in my chest for a moment from his attention.
The tension’s soon broken between us from Dad hobbling in on his crutches.
He greets Calla first, then shakes hands with Sean.
“Welcome, welcome! Mom and Dad will be around shortly. Glad you two could make it. Brenda’s been in the kitchen since six a.m.. ”
Mom huffs, wiping her hands on a dishtowel she has tucked into the tie on her festive apron. She looks like a kitchen quarterback with it hanging there the way it does. “I like prepping early so I can watch the parade at the same time. After all these years, you already know this.”
Plus, Mom doesn’t want Gram coming in and overdoing it.
She may be a feisty old lady, but she needs to take it easy at her age and not get too overwhelmed by helping Mom.
She’ll show up with Pop soon enough, her hands loaded with her prized desserts that she’s won ribbons for at every fair and festival around she’s entered in.
Dad flashes Mom a grin, then hobbles his way back to the kitchen.
He has never been one to sit back in the past, while Mom prepared a feast for a small army each holiday.
He’s always been right there beside her, helping in any way he possibly could, so this must be driving him crazy not being able to meddle and get in the way.
My siblings and I were the same way. I used to wake up early just to beat my brother and sister downstairs to have some alone bonding time with Mom while she taught me her secrets to the ultimate turkey dinner.
The recipes she uses were passed down from Nan, on Mom’s side.
Gram, on Dad’s side, can bake all the sweets, but the woman can’t roast a bird to save her life.
“Mom, what do you need my help with?” At this rate, I’m looking forward to her keeping me busy for the first half of the day.
I was dreading this day in general when I first heard Sean would be here, but after each problem I’ve been hit with since I arrived, Sean’s no longer at the top of the list, and I’ll happily take all the distractions I can get.
If I even almost think of my debit card and my lost funds I’m waiting on, I tear up.
I’m determined not to give myself the slightest chance of doing it today and worrying my family.
“Finish setting the table for me?” Mom suggests, and I instantly nod. I head for the dining room, already thinking about which napkin rings I’m going to use.