The Remains of Christmas: a Spicy Holiday Romantic Comedy by Megan Montgomery

Author:Megan Montgomery [Montgomery, Megan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-11-05T00:00:00+00:00

I turned off the overzealous spray of water at the rest stop sink, brushing errant drops of water off my shirt. I looked in the mirror, lengthening my torso to tuck in my shirt. It felt oddly free, now that my soggy boxers were in the bottom of a trash can and not glued to my balls.

Outside at the vending machines, I bought a few bottles of water before something acid-green caught my eye.

At Walmart, where I usually shop, it’s Mountain Thunder, and it’s best in cans. At the Save-A-Lot, it’s called Mountain Holler, and I still haven’t decided if it’s Holler as in yelling, or Holler as in a hollow, like “Butcher Holler,” from the Loretta Lynn song. It makes me laugh. It’s the best of all the cheapo Mountain Dews, but I don’t shop at Save-A-Lot very often because Walmart’s produce is better. I’ve never actually had Mountain Dew. Not the real stuff, anyway. Name brand soda’s a luxury.

The memory made me smile. I could see her telling me this. She’d been sitting on the counter of my parents’ house in my boxers and t-shirt and wool socks, feet kicking the cabinets underneath, fingers dipping into the tiny bowl to take pinches of red and green sugar to sprinkle on the gingerbread men I was smearing with icing.

That was before, when I could gaze up at her adoringly, kiss her and touch her whenever I wanted, thinking we’d have all the time in the world to learn each other’s quirks.

Now that our time was just about up, I could leave her with one final offering.

“I was worried you fell in,” she said as I opened the car door.

I handed her both water bottles and she tucked them in the cupholders.

“One more,” I said.

I passed her the real, honest-to-goodness Mountain Dew.

“For me?” Her eyes got all big and round in that sexy pitiful way that made my chest feel heavy.

“Have at it.”

She practically cradled the bottle in her lap.

“I’m too cold right now. Do you mind if I save it?”

“What you should do is toss it in the garbage, but it’s yours now. Do what you want with it.”

She smiled and tucked her hands back under her legs where they’d been when I’d left. I had turned off the car and taken the keys into the bathroom with me by habit. Now, she was freezing.

I started the car and blasted the heat before placing my palms on the wheel. I didn’t shift into gear. Didn’t make a move to leave the parking lot.

“Here’s what we’re going to do. And, Daphne, I need you to accept this without argument,” I said to the windshield. “Please.”

I felt her curious eyes on me.

“I’m going back west. I’m getting off at the Lebanon exit and we’re going to see the Christmas lights. If you still want to see them.”

“Yes!”

“It shouldn’t take us longer than a half hour. After that, we’re going to find the quickest alternative route to Knoxville and I will not stop this car until I’ve delivered you to your father’s doorstep.

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