Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 98134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98134 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
I’ve even managed to spend more time with my parents than I was expecting. They’ve been downright pleasant. It’s almost like Jake wasn’t the only one secretly crossing his fingers and hoping I’d change my mind about Landon.
Other than the growing, confusing rift between me and Jesse, everything has been perfect.
But that kind of feels like saying “other than losing a leg, things have been great!”
I just wish I knew what was going through his head.
Tonight is the ugly sweater party, which actually isn’t an official part of the Frostival festivities.
It’s late evening, and, as usual, a light snow is drifting down outside the guest cabin. I walk to the bathroom and pull on the gaudiest, ugliest sweater I could find. It’s a bright red monstrosity with a reindeer whose nose actually blinks, along with the words “Ho, Ho, Ho” in big, flashing letters across my belly. I mess with my hair but can’t quite seem to feel right. I normally love ugly sweater parties, but tonight I just feel nervous.
Maybe it’s because everybody just had basically admitted they know me and Jesse were fooling around. No less than a few hours after the team confronted us, we somehow managed to screw it up? And now we’re turning one small awkward mishap into several days of near silence and cold shoulders?
I decide this whole thing is silly.
I’m going to find a way to talk to him during the party. I’ll just confront him and ask him what in tarnation has gotten up his butt. And yes, I may use those exact words because I can picture them making him smile. I’m not sure even the boundless, beautiful nature in Frosty Harbor can compete with Jesse Prince when he smiles.
With my plan firmly in mind, I head out into the night, tennis shoes crunching and slippery in the snowy path from the guest house to the main cabin. As soon as I’m outside, I hear the dull thump of music and laughter coming from the party. The team, along with some locals, are already in full party mode, it seems.
Taking a deep breath, I push the door open and step inside.
The warmth of the cabin hits me, along with the sound of holiday music and the scent of hot chocolate, cookies, and something else I can’t put my finger on.
I spot some of the usuals I’ve come to recognize and know from town events, but it’s not everyone. This is more of a Jesse thing than a Frosty Harbor thing, I guess.
I scan the room and my eyes land on Jesse. He’s wearing an ugly sweater, too. It features a cartoonish Santa falling as he comes out of a chimney. His red pants are down around his ankles and his shiny butt cheeks are on full display. Our eyes meet, and for a moment, there's a flicker of the usual butterflies and chemistry. He ruins it with a polite smile and wave. “Hey, Andi.” His voice is neutral. “Nice sweater.”
"Thanks," I reply, trying to match his tone. "Yours is... something else. I can’t tell. Am I supposed to be aroused by those shiny cheeks?"
He looks down, lips curving down in amusement. “Um. That’s up to you, I guess. But I thought semantics was what got you going, not old man cheeks.”
I smile, cheeks going red at the memory of what had to have been the world’s weirdest dirty talk. That was also the last time we were intimate.
This feels like the normal Jesse. Maybe it’s the atmosphere in here easing his mood. Maybe it’s the alcoholic beverages he could’ve already started working on. Or maybe he just needed some time after running into Sarah like that. Whatever it is, I’ll take it.
“Um, yeah, well. You could say I’m never going to think about a hot dog the same.”
He chuckles. “Yeah. Me neither.”
A couple of the guys from the team holler at me. “Andi!” Carter says, voice rising above the rest. “Come judge our sweaters. Maddox actually thinks that his is better than mine. We need an impartial judge.”
One perk, if you could call it that, of this slump with Jesse is I’ve had more time to get to know the guys from the team. Carter is a big movie and literature buff, surprisingly, and has spent a few nights hanging out with me watching old movies. Maddox is crazy about board games, and frustratingly good at chess, but he has been trying to teach me to get good enough that I’ll be able to surprise Jesse and kick his ass some day. Liam likes to write, and he even agreed to let me read and give some feedback on some of his work. Nolan is happy to have anyone to talk to when he’s in the kitchen and he is always looking for taste testers. I’ve even had fun playing casual games of hockey against Jake, although he destroys me when he tries.