Free Home for Christmas by Jessica Burkhart Page B

looking at him. He shifted his green eyes between us and then at my dad. What? I mouthed. Jacob did the same gesture.
    â€œOh!” I said aloud.
    Everyone turned their head to me, including my dad.
    â€œSorry,” I said. “Totally did not mean to say that out loud. I was just thinking about tomorrow.”
    Dad picked up the set of glass reindeer on the mantel, examined them, and put them down.
    â€œDad?” I asked. “Can I help you find something?”
    â€œNo, no,” Dad said. “You kids go right ahead and keep having fun. Pretend I’m not even here.”
    Um, impossible.
    â€œHey, Eric,” Jacob said. “Want to see this new phone app I got today?”
    Eric paused for a half second, flicking his eyes to my dad and then Jacob. “Yeah, definitely.”
    Jacob got up from beside me, walked over to where Eric sat against a recliner, and pulled up who knows what on his phone. Now the guys were semi-separated from the girls.
    â€œAh,” Dad said. “I think I’m looking for a decorationthat your mom turned into an ornament. Let me check this tree, then I’ll be out of here.”
    I wanted to throw popcorn at Dad! He was seriously going to go through every ornament on our tree until he found the one he was “looking” for?
    I leaned over to Heather. “I’m going to talk to my mom,” I said in a whisper. “Be right back.”
    â€œGoing to invite her to join the search party?” Heather whispered back. She smirked as I stood up. I grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and lightly bonked the top of her head.
    â€œSilver! Dead!” Heather whisper-shouted at me.
    I grinned, my back to her as I hurried out of the den. I turned down the hallway and almost jogged to my parents’ room.
    â€œMom,” I said the second I reached the doorway.
    â€œAre you okay, honey?” Mom asked. She waved a hand at me, motioning for me to come inside. She was lying in bed under a knitted red blanket with her feet peeking out. Her golden-brown hair, the same color as mine, was loose around her shoulders. She was in yoga pants, a Canterwood sweatshirt washed so many times the colors had faded, and her fave holiday socks—woolly white ones with red-and-green reindeer.
    â€œDad has to be stopped,” I said. I stood at the foot of the bed. “He kept coming into the den, and I thought he really just forgot something or was making sure we were all comfortable. But then I realized—it’s because of Eric and Jacob! Dad’s freaking out that I’m hanging in the ‘dark’ den with boys.”
    Mom laughed quietly and shook her head. “Your father told me that he was making us tea. I’ve had this holiday movie on Hallmark paused for fifteen minutes waiting for him. Let me go drag him in here and tell him to leave you and your friends alone.”
    â€œThank you, Mom,” I said, letting out a sigh of relief. “Doesn’t Dad realize that I could be alone with boys any day I wanted when I’m at school? I haven’t done anything crazy yet!”
    Mom cocked her head at me. “Yet?”
    â€œStrike that,” I said. “Ever.”
    â€œMuch better. Good cover-up, Sash.” Winking at me, Mom tossed off the throw blanket and followed me to the den.
    I sat back down and looked toward the tree. Dad was only a few inches down from the top—he really was going over every ornament!
    â€œHey, guys,” Mom said, smiling at my friends. Shestepped around our spot and walked up to Dad. “Jim?”
    â€œHon, oh, right.” Dad’s face turned red. “The tea. It’s, uh, boiling. I was looking for your favorite ornament in here. I wanted to display it in the bedroom.”
    â€œUh-huh,” Mom said, taking his arm. Looking over her shoulder at us, she mouthed, Sorry , before focusing on Dad again. “Let’s look for that tomorrow when the kids are at the