Page 22 of Terms and Traditions

Turning the ignition, I cranked the heat and let Liz’s Christmas music flood over me—you could never go wrong with the Jonas Brothers. While I waited for the car to heat up, I snuck a look at my phone, which sure enough, Nana was blowing up.

NANA

A friend? How delightful!

Are you bringing Liz again? We haven’t seen her in forever!

She didn’t mention coming when I asked her to send some cookies with you. I thought she was spending Christmas with her fiancé?

NANA

But if it’s Liz, why do you need an extra room?

Wait.

Are you bringing a MAN?

STEPHANIE MAE LOUISE ADDAMS.

I wasn’t sure what the all caps were supposed to convey, but yeah, Nana was too sharp for her own good, and I’d been far too optimistic to hope she’d not see through my sham request.

ME

I’ll explain everything later. Just tell me there’s an extra room. Please.

NANA

There is.

And you can bet your Christmas karaoke medal that you and I will be having a nice long chat the minute your rear lands up here.

ME

I love you. Thank you. And make it the second minute.

Oh, goody. Here I was, twenty-eight years old, and my nana would be giving me the grilling of my life. But Nana’s words faded on the drive home, replaced by Nash’s words in the parking lot.

I’m only concerned about one member of the Addams family being in love with me.

Oh, sugarplums. Shoot. Me. Now.

Chapter ten

Stephanie

“You ready?” Liz asked, perching on her bed as she opened her laptop later that night.

I set the artfully arranged charcuterie board on her Little House on the Prairie plaid comforter and glanced at the assorted bottles of nail polishes on her nightstand. Inhaling deeply the pine tree and vanilla aroma bubbling from the diffuser on her dresser, I nodded an affirmative. “I think we got everything. Let’s do it.”

Her laptop chirped as she placed the video call, and we waited for Paisley and Juliet to join us. The four of us had met at the University of Washington in Seattle ten years ago. Our meeting was nothing short of miraculous. Paisley was running from the horrors of foster care after aging out. Juliet was looking for the best law program within a day’s drive of home. Liz and I were a package deal after she’d become my next-door neighbour in Denver. Her parents were newly divorced after nearly two decades on the mission field, and Liz was livid. We’d hit it off, and when it came time for college applications, she’d begged me to come with her as she tried to put miles between her and her parents’ disastrous marriage fallout. I hadn’t been sad to leave Colorado—just Nana.

After graduation, work and life split us up between southern Idaho for them and eastern Washington for Liz and me. Paisley and Juliet had both married amazing guys, and we’d kept our friendship strong with once-a-month girls’ nights via video chat, complete with snacks, nail polish, and life advice. These women had my back at every moment, and I’d be lost without them in my life. Rooming with Liz was like rooming with a sister, and having Paisley and Juliet so far away after four years of college together hurt. But they were happy, and so were we. Tonight was our last catch-up before Christmas, and let’s face it, so we had nice nails for the holidays.

When the video chat failed to connect, I grabbed my phone and shot our group chat a quick text.

ME

We still good for tonight?