That Old Emerald Mountain Magic: A ChristmasHoliday Lesbian Romance by Malone Cara

Author:Malone, Cara [Malone, Cara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-11-17T06:00:00+00:00

SEVENTEEN

C armen’s mom eventually coaxed her onto the ice skating rink, looping her arm around Carmen’s to hold her steady and protect her ankle from wobbling. She made a few turns around the rink, and when all their noses were red and their breath came out in dense clouds, they went back to the cabin. It had started to snow and they warmed up by the fire, sipping hot cocoa and watching the big white flakes come down outside.

It was about seven-thirty by the time Joy called to let Carmen know she’d finished all her responsibilities at the resort, and Carmen told her parents that she was going out for a couple of hours.

“Better not get attached,” Mom warned, but Dad just nudged her with his elbow and smiled.

“Let her have a little Christmas romance,” he said. “She’s been working hard all year – she earned it.”

“Don’t stay out too late,” Mom said, and then Joy’s car pulled up in front of the cabin to pick Carmen up and she ran outside with a huge grin on her face. In the back of her mind she knew it was foolish to be so eager to see someone who would only be in her life for five more days, but she couldn’t help the way her heart rose into her throat every time she saw Joy.

They drove into Emerald Hill and went to the shelter, where Tyler was busy getting cots and blankets out and setting them up in the shelter’s great room for the people who would soon be coming in out of the cold and looking for a warm place to sleep. Joy brought him up to speed on Carmen’s Christmas wish, and he asked, “Not to be blunt, but how much money are we talking about?”

“A thousand dollars,” Carmen said. It felt strange and embarrassing to tell a stranger what her annual Christmas budget was, particularly with the shelter as the backdrop to this conversation, but he needed to know and she felt a little better knowing that the money would go to a worthy cause this year.

Tyler’s eyes widened a little bit, although he struggled to keep his expression neutral, and Carmen pointedly avoided looking at Joy through this exchange. Their hands were linked, Joy’s fingers warm in Carmen’s, but she didn’t want to look into Joy’s eyes and see judgment or, worse, alienation.

Tyler said, “And what did you have in mind?”

“Whatever the shelter needs,” Carmen said. “I was thinking it might be nice to do something special on Christmas Day, maybe give out blankets or warm clothing, but if you need the money for something else, please do what you think is best.”

The three of them thought about it for a little while, and then Tyler said, “We should serve breakfast. We’re never able to stretch the budget enough to do Christmas dinner and a hot morning meal, but I always feel bad sending them away hungry in the morning and telling them they have to wait til dinnertime.

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