Page 39 of Baby, It’s Hot Inside

I squat to scratch Mabel between the ears. “Why are you stressed out?”

Jackie shakes her head. She rolls over and stands. “I just don’t understand why.”

“Right.” She types on her phone, clearly sending a text message to someone. Probably my sister. “Which is why you convinced Matt to dump me a week before graduation.”

“That’s not exactly what happened,” I say. Yes, I was responsible for her and my former best friend, Matt Hardin’s break-up.

Jackie shoots me an annoyed look, then she frowns at her phone, makes a gasping noise and types out another message.

The truth was Matt had been cheating on Jackie. I knew she’d be heartbroken if she found out. So, I’d forced him to break her heart a different way. I wasn’t going to stand by and watch him marry her and continue to sleep around behind her back. Jackie deserved to be loved and adored.

But she didn’t want that from me.

“It’s snowing too much now and it’s going to be dark soon,” I say. “But I’ll leave in the morning, and you can have the cabin to yourself tomorrow.”

She opens her mouth, then closes it with a nod.

“I’ll get a fire going,” I say.

“I have food cooked; I just need to heat it up,” she says. “Carne asada okay with you?”

My stomach growls in response.

She grins. “This isn’t an only one bed trope scenario, is it?”

I stare at her. “Those words don’t make any sense to me.”

“You know, like in a book? The cabin.” She motions with her hands. “Do we have to share a bed?”

Only if I’ve been a very good boy this year and Santa already got my wish list. But I find myself shaking my head. “There are two bedrooms.”

She nods, her shoulders visibly relaxing.

I busy myself with the fire while Jackie moves into the kitchen.

REN: Did you get my present? Merry Christmas.

ME: I did. She’s not amused.

REN: Give her some time.

REN: Here’s an idea. Tell her the truth so you’re not the villain in her story.

ME: Not that easy.

REN: Make a move, old man.

ME: She might actually kill me.

REN: There’s this spot on a woman and if you touch it just right, it’ll make her too pliant to want to kill you.

ME: Conversation over.

REN: You don’t want to hear about your sister’s special spot?

ME: I will kill you and make it look like an accident. Now I’m blocking your number.

From behind me I hear a popping noise. I turn to find Jackie, hips swaying, while she stirs a pot at the stove. A peppermint stick hangs out between her lips.