Ashley sat in the rental Jeep into the circular drive of the Nantucket airport, the snow falling all around her.  It was pretty and it was definitely not LA.  This was going to be an interesting Christmas, for sure.  Her mom had married again, for the fourth time, earlier this year, and for some reason had insisted that Ashley spend the holidays with her and her new stepfather, all the way on the other side of the country at his Nantucket estate.  Ashley’d been counting on Christmas in California so she could spend time with her girlfriend, Spencer, so the trip east would have been intolerable if Spencer’s uptight mother—with a little coaxing from her way cool dad—hadn’t agreed to allow her to join Ashley for the trip.  But as she knew from experience, who could resist a pouting Spencer?  If only they’d booked their flights at the same time, they’d have arrived together, she thought now.  She sighed, fogging up the window.  Just then, her phone buzzed, and when she picked it up from the dashboard, the screen flashed “MOM.”  She flipped it open.

“Hey mom. . . Yeah, I’m here, safe and sound.  Just waiting for Spencer—she should be in any minute.  Wait, what?  They’re canceling all flights?  But the snow’s not even that bad, just looks like a postcard of New England.”  She looked out the window as if to assure herself.  “No, no, I’m sure we’ll be fine, but I’ve never been here, and I don’t know where Rick’s house is.”  As her Mom passed the phone over to Rick to rattle off directions, it clicked that having the parental units snowed out for a day or two, leaving her and Spencer completely and utterly alone, wasn’t exactly the worst thing in the world.  She smiled at the thought.  And just then, the electric doors of the airport opened, and there was Spencer, holding a duffel bag, a shopping bag full of presents, and rocking a ski sweater Ashley’d never seen her wearing in LA.

“’Kay, Mom.  Got the code.  We’ll call you when we get there, and see you in a day or two, I guess?  Bye.”  Snapping the phone shut, she hopped from the Jeep to greet Spencer.  Spencer, with the cutest flushed cheeks ever.