"Okay, this is extremely important. Will you please tell Santa that instead of presents this year, I just want my family back?"

~Home Alone

~~~~~~

Kelsey, Ethan, and Becca bumped along a dusty Idahoan road, a brown farm on one side of them, and dense woods on the other.

"You sure this is the right place?" Ethan asked.

Kelsey squinted at her GPS. "Yup." She looked up at the road ahead of her and sighed. "I hope Roadkill's going to be okay."

"Don't worry, I left him at my apartment with a good friend," Ethan explained.

"He calls himself Dogface, Ethan," Kelsey replied.

"Because he's good with dogs!"

Kelsey rolled her eyes, glad that her apartment wasn't going to be occupied by someone named "Dogface".

The trees whizzed by and the GPS said that they'd be there in five miles. It was so strange to think that she was visiting her mom in a place that wasn't their real home. Through all the chaos of divorce, her dad had offered for her to take the house in Kansas, but her mom decided to come live in Idaho, near her Aunt Josephine.

Kelsey was glad that her mom had broken up with her boyfriend, so at least Kelsey didn't have to deal with that.

She glanced back at Becca, who was hunched in the back seat of their rented Chevrolet, texting furiously on her phone.

Then, she looked at Ethan, who had one hand resting on the wheel as the golden evening sun bathed his skin. His head was tilted back and his sandy hair peeked out of his grey beanie.

Kelsey smiled and laced her fingers in his free hand. "You like it here, don't you?"

"Reminds me of Iowa, in some ways," he replied contentedly.

"Maybe one day we could move here. You could start a Little Broadway that becomes the biggest theater in Idaho, and I could buy out a space at The Grove to set up a restaurant."

Ethan lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "We could get married amidst the potato fields. Very romantic."

Kelsey snickered. "You'd really leave the palm trees, and In-N-Outs, and beaches, and movie star fame?"

"First of all, I have six months left on my movie contracts," he reminded her, "and second, there's just something appealing about home." His face grew somber for a moment. "It's hard to get that in L.A. sometimes."

Kelsey nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Believe me."

Ethan glanced at the field that was passing by next to them. "Although, I don't know if I could live off of potatoes for the rest of my life."

Kelsey considered it. "I don't know...there's a lot of things you can do with potatoes. Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, potato casserole, hasselback potatoes, French fries—"

"Cheese potatoes!" Becca cried from the back seat.

Kelsey pointed at her and nodded. "I know I could live off of potatoes for the rest of my life."

"Yeah, sister." Becca high-fived Kelsey.

As they rounded a bend in the road, Kelsey's stomach twisted in nervousness. She kept telling herself that she was just going to see her mom. What was the big deal?

But she hadn't seen her in eight months, and in that time, she'd taken on a completely new life, dated a movie star, walked the red carpet, been on three talk shows, almost got killed in a car accident, and got promoted to start catering to A-list parties.

Her mom, on the other hand, had cheated on her dad, went crazy in the Philippines when she visited some family, and moved to a completely different state.

Would it really be like old times? Or would they be two strangers trying to make it work for Christmas?

Ethan squeezed her hand. "I've got your back, Kel. Don't worry." His eyes softened into a smile before he winked. "Maybe we can all have an escape plan, just in case."

"Sneaking out the window!" Becca offered. "I know how to make these drowsiness drinks. You mix a tablet of Seroquel with—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Kelsey said, turning around in her seat to face her. "How do you know this?"

Becca smirked. "It wouldn't be my first time, honey."

"We're here," Ethan announced.

Kelsey plopped back into her seat with a gulp. She held Ethan's hand tightly and felt him press his thumb into her palm, one short tap, followed by one long, and another short.

They'd come up with a type of Morse code system for when they were on a talk show together, or out in public.

Short, long, short meant, I love you.

Short, short, long, long, meant, Are you okay?

Long, short, long, long, long meant His face looks like a rat had a baby with a chihuahua.

They used the last one more frequently than they thought they would.

The house before them was two-stories tall, with a few dead maples surrounding the spacious lot.

Kelsey firmed her lips and unbuckled her seat belt. She'd only stepped out of the car when her mom peeked out of the house.

Kelsey straightened, her mouth gaping open.

Her mom had lost at least thirty pounds, and was wearing a leopard-print dress. Her beautiful, shiny black hair was dyed (or, rather, fried) blonde.

"I...wow, Mom..." Kelsey laughed nervously, closing the gap between them and wrapping her arms around her mom.

Despite everything, a flood of warmth coursed through Kelsey. Her mom still smelled like cumin and apples, somehow, beneath the thick perfume she was wearing, and she still gave too-tight hugs.

"Oh, my dear girl!" her mother cried, pulling away and holding Kelsey's face in her hands.

"I missed you," Kelsey said.

"I missed you too, honey," she coed, tears coming to her eyes.

"Aw, Mom, don't cry," Kelsey chided, patting her hand.

Her mom blinked rapidly. "Sorry, you know me!"

Kelsey stepped away and said, "You look...amazing!"

"They say it's what divorce does to you." Her mom shrugged. She looked past Kelsey and gasped. "Is that him?!"

Kelsey followed her gaze and saw Ethan unloading the trunk. She grinned. "Yeah, that's Ethan."

Upon hearing his name, Ethan looked up and waved. "Hello—"

"Oh, I've been waiting to meet you!" her mom cried, hurrying up to him and offering one of her signature bone-crushing hugs. "You're even cuter than Kelsey said!"

"I...well, thank you..."

"I'm so happy you get to spend Christmas with us!"

Ethan nodded. "Me too."

"I saw you in that one action movie a couple years ago..." her mom thought for a second. "I can't remember, but my husband—" she stopped mid-sentence, and Kelsey saw something go hollow in her eyes, before she continued, "er, Kelsey's dad, loved it."

Becca rounded the car and gave a wave. "Are you Kelsey's mom?!?" She let out a squeal a quickened her pace. "You two look so similar, wow!"

Now, having met her match, her mom was stunned to temporary silence. "I am! You can call me Anna. And you must be Becca?"

Becca came forward and clasped her hands like they were old friends, a sort of reverent awe coming over her. "I love your dress! Oh my gosh, where'd you get it? Is it Chanel?"

Kelsey's mom raised her eyebrows. "Oh no, honey, try something more like Macy's!"

"No freaking way!"

Kelsey and Ethan shared amused glances before gathering their things and making their way inside.

Warm brought heat to Kelsey's cheeks and she spotted a fireplace crackling in the living room. Her heart ached as she wondered who brought in the firewood.

"Grandma Rosamie is upstairs sleeping," her mom explained quietly. "And Jacob's coming tonight. But I'll show you to your rooms. Kelsey, do you mind sharing with me? I'm one room short."

Kelsey swallowed. "Uh, yeah, yeah, of course. No problem."

She hadn't planned on being in such close proximity with her mom. But maybe it would allow them more time to amend their relationship.

"Is that my Kelsey?!"

Kelsey turned and saw her Aunt Josephine coming from the living room. "Hey Aunt Josephine!"

She was crushed in a classic Mendoza hug.

"Natutuwa akong makita ka!"

Kelsey's face was squished into fish-lips by her aunt's long, pink-nailed fingers. "Goot to shee you, too..."

Kelsey was released and gave an exhale, watching as Aunt Josephine turned toward Ethan and Becca.

Dread filled her. This was only her aunt and mother. What was going to happen when the cousins, other aunts and uncles, and friends came over for the week?

She sighed and had to laugh. "Okay, okay, if Ethan and Becca don't run out the door the first chance they get, why don't we unpack and decorate the tree?"

"Then hot chocolate!" Becca declared.

Just as they were all about to get settled, Grandma Rosamie rolled into the kitchen in her wheelchair, putting a halt to the forward motion.

"Kelsey! Well, it's been almost a year since you've called!"

Kelsey exhaled. It was going to be a long week...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and are having a good week!

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