Chloe

Chloe waltzed into the year-round Christmas wonderland that was her home, dropped her backpack by the door and stomped the snow off her boots. “Mom, I’m home,” she called over the blaring holiday music.

It was some pop star making a mockery of a perfectly good Christmas classic and of course her mother was belting the tune right along with the singer. She didn’t hear Chloe over the racket, but Chloe didn’t mind. She was already occupied by Darcy whose little tail was zipping back and forth so quickly it was a tawny blur.

“How are you, my favorite little man?” Chloe asked scooping the dog up.

Darcy gave her a million sloppy kisses on her face. Chloe snuggled the dog close to her chest. She and Darcy shared a special bond and he always had a way of making her feel better.

Darcy looked dashing in today’s outfit—a red cable-knit sweater with white snowflakes. Chloe couldn’t help but smile when she saw him in it. The tiny dog probably had more clothes than she did, but that was because everyone in the family spoiled him rotten.

The little Yorkie had captured her heart three years ago. It had been love at first sight for Chloe when she saw him at the pet adoption drive at her local grocery store. She’d filled out the paperwork and taken him home that day. It was the one and only time she’d ever done something so bold without asking her parents’ permission. But luckily, Darcy had easily won them over. Who wouldn’t melt when a five-pound ball of love licked them?

Chloe grinned as she carried her dog into the kitchen, letting Darcy’s excitement lift her spirits.

“Hey, sweetie!” her mother called. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“I can’t imagine why,” she teased, referring to the blaring music.

Her mother turned it down. “How was school?”

Chloe shrugged. “It was school.”

“Are you excited for winter break?”

“Absolutely!”

Her mother looked startled. “That’s the most enthusiasm I’ve seen from you since—”

“Since he who shall not be named,” Chloe interrupted.

She’d made a strict no-Brady-conversation rule since the day he dumped her and her mother wasn’t very good at adhering to it.

“Right,” her mother said pretending to zip her lips. “Well I’m glad you’re home. Your dad could really use your help at the lodge. We booked a last minute wedding reception and now all the rooms are sold out. Do you think you can help at the front desk?”

Chloe groaned as she realized her plans for a quiet fireside evening were out. “Sure. Let me go get changed first.”

She padded up to her bedroom on the second floor and quickly changed out of her jeans and cardigan, swapping them for her khaki skirt and ugly Christmas sweater that the lodge staff all wore. Grumbling, she pulled on a pair of argyle socks and grabbed the Santa hat that completed the outfit.

Chloe looked longingly at her favorite pair of pink fuzzy pajama pants that hung on the back of her desk chair. Underneath, rested her favorite slippers of all time. Her parents got them for her for her birthday a few years back because they looked like mugs of hot cocoa. And as if that didn’t already make them the best slippers ever, they were heated! In the winter, toasty toes were a luxury. Apparently a luxury that would have to wait until she was done with work.

Washing her face and pulling her long dark hair into a messy braid, she tugged on the Santa hat and headed back downstairs with Darcy trotting merrily behind her. Halfway there her cellphone rang.

“Hello?”

Margot’s excited voice rang out on the other end. “Co-Co!”

“Go-Go?”

“Where are you?” Margot asked.

“Home. How’s Italy? Is it amazing? I want to hear all about it.”

Margot giggled. “I wouldn't know.”

Chloe frowned. “What do you mean? Mom said you arrived in Florence this morning.”

“Change of plans,” Margot said excitedly. “I'm coming home for Christmas!”

Chloe's heart stopped, her voice raising a whole octave. “Are you serious?”

“Of course I'm serious. I couldn't spend Christmas away from my favorite sister.”

“Oh my God, Margot you have no idea how excited I am to hear you're coming home.”

“And it's not just me,” Margot added. “I've got a surprise for everyone.”

“A surprise?”

“Owen and his brother are coming with me!”

Disappointment filled Chloe's chest. For a brief second she thought she'd have her sister all to herself again, but those hopes were dashed the moment she said her boyfriend was coming with her. And apparently his brother. “Do Mom and Dad know?”

“No, I wanted it to be surprise.”

They’ll be surprised alright, Chloe thought. “Mom just told me the lodge is fully booked. Where are they going to stay?”

Their house was tiny. They didn’t even have a guest room.

“Oh! I guess I hadn't thought of that,” Margot replied. “Oh well, we'll figure it out. Maybe I can crash in your room like we used to when you had bunk beds and the boys can take my room.”

Chloe's heart swelled. Memories of late night talks with Margot filled her with hope. “I’d love that.”

“Good. Make sure everyone’s home by dinner. I can’t wait to see Mom and Dad’s faces when I surprise them.”

Chloe laughed. “Me too.”

“See you soon, sis.”

With the anticipation of Margot’s arrival, work flew by. Chloe had trouble dragging her father out of the office on time without telling him the reason he needed to be home. Luckily, the promise of fresh-baked Christmas cookies that she’d seen her mother starting when she’d left had done the trick.

Chloe had just enough time to take off her boots, Santa hat and pull her hair into a messy topknot when she heard a car pull into the driveway. Chloe’s excitement soared as she raced to catch Darcy before the doorbell rang. Unfortunately, she wasn’t fast enough. The Jingle Bells door chime started at the same time the oven timer went off in the kitchen. Darcy hated both and flew into a tizzy, unsure how to attack the door and oven simultaneously.

“Can you get the door?” Chloe’s mother shouted from the kitchen.

“Trying. Gotta grab the gremlin first.”

Chloe chased after Darcy, knowing opening the door without having him in hand wasn’t an option. The dog might be little but he could run like a greyhound and Chloe had no desire to go racing through the snow. He was like Houdini when it came to getting through a door and as usual, Margot was ringing the doorbell a million times, making catching Darcy that much more difficult.

Finally, Chloe captured him. Wrenching open the door breathlessly, she was met with her sister’s smiling face.

“Surprise!” Margot shrieked in an ear-piercing shout. She took a step into the house and gave Darcy a kiss before pulling Chloe into a warm embrace.

Darcy wriggled between them, annoyed at being smothered, but Chloe didn’t care. Her sister was home. She could’ve cried right then, but their hug was cut short by the squeal of her mother. Both of Chloe’s parents came rushing from the kitchen.

“Margot?” her father bellowed.

Her mother gasped. “Oh my God! I thought I heard my baby’s voice! What are you doing here?”

“Surprise,” Margot said again, dashing into their mother’s arms.

Chloe was so excited by Margot’s appearance that she’d forgotten she wasn’t alone until a male voice startled her. “Hi, I’m Owen, the boyfriend.”

Chloe stared up into the handsome face of a stranger with jet-black hair and bright green eyes. He extended his hand and she shook it. “I’m Chloe, the sister.”

“Wow! You two are almost identical. It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Owen said, enthusiastically before he followed Margot into the house to continue the introductions.

Chloe tried not to let her eyes follow Owen too closely, but he was one of the most beautiful people she’d ever seen in real life. He was wearing dress pants, a deep green collared sweater over a navy plaid shirt, and his watch looked like it cost more than Chloe’s car. She briefly wondered if all boys in New York City looked like they’d just come from a cologne ad or if Margot had just won the boyfriend lottery? But then another male voice made Chloe jump.

A nearly identical tall, dark and handsome boy stood in the doorway. Chloe pressed her hand to her chest wondering if the stress of the past few months had finally caught up with her. Was she having a stroke? How else could she explain seeing double?

The boy gave her that crooked, cute boy smile that made it hard to breathe. She was wrong. This boy was the most beautiful person she’d ever seen. At first glance he seemed identical to Owen, but upon closer inspection there were many subtle differences. They both had the same impeccable fashion sense, dark hair and piercing green eyes, but the second boy had a quiet sharpness to him that made him breathtaking. Chloe couldn’t look away.

“Don’t worry, I’m used to the double take,” he said. “We’re not twins, but we get that a lot. I’m Ethan, the brother.”

Chloe laughed nervously. “Oh. Okay. Thanks for clearing that up. I was starting to think I’d gone completely crazy.”

Ethan’s eyes tracked over Chloe’s eclectic Christmas outfit, all the way down to her red and green argyle knee socks. Clearly her wardrobe was putting her further into the crazy category.

Ugh. Why hadn’t she changed out of her uniform?

Ethan

Ethan had to look away from Chloe’s face to stop the strange mix of emotions that were flooding him. When he’d first caught a glimpse of her something in his chest tightened. She was stunning in a torn down kind of way that surprisingly appealed to him. She wore no makeup and her hair looked like a chestnut tornado atop her head. Silky wisps floated around her rosy cheeks, framing her stunned face. As he took in the rest of her appearance, he only found himself more intrigued. She dressed nothing like Margot.

Ethan liked what Chloe’s kitchy holiday outfit said about her. Hear I am, take it or leave it.

After the grueling car ride watching Margot do nothing but repeatedly snap selfies that she edited until she resembled a brunette Barbie, Chloe’s rawness was refreshing. But then Owen ruined it by blurting out how much they resembled each other.

It was true. They both had the same dark chestnut hair, creamy pale skin, heart-shaped face, button nose and bright hazel eyes. But there was a soothing, calmness coming from Chloe that Margot was missing.

Though once Owen mentioned it, it was hard for Ethan to ignore how much Chloe looked like Margot. The instant desire to ball his hands into fists took over Ethan’s mind, killing the initial spark he’d felt in his chest. But then he heard Chloe speak and it started again. Her voice wasn’t anything like Margot’s. It was soft and sweet, immediately making him think of marshmallows or some other delicious sugary treat he’d like to taste.

Get your mind out of the gutter, Ethan. This girl is in high school.

He gathered his thoughts and hauled their luggage into the house.

“Do you need help?” Chloe asked, making him like her even more.

His eyebrows pulled together in surprise. “Are you sure Margot’s your sister?”

She gave a knowing laugh. “She gets forgetful when she’s excited,” Chloe said, grabbing one of Margot’s many bags. “But yep, I’m her younger sister.”

He frowned at that. “How much younger are we talking?”

“Three years,” Chloe replied.

Ethan did a quick calculation. That meant he was only a few months older than Chloe.

Interesting . . .

Ethan fought against the hopefulness that climbed into his chest. He shook his head, realizing he was staring again. The girl was going to think he was some kind of freak. “I’m sorry. I just wasn’t expecting you to be so different from your sister.”

Chloe laughed. “Yeah, me too.” Then she shrugged. “But I’m okay with it.”

“Okay with what?”

“I’m the nerdy one and she’s the pretty one.”

Ethan felt his jaw muscles tick. “I think you need to get your eyes checked.”

Chloe

Chloe stood at the door in awe as she watched Ethan pick up the luggage and breeze past her. ‘I think you’d better get your eyes checked?’ Maybe she needed to get her ears checked because it sounded like he was hitting on her.

No. Ethan’s extreme gorgeousness must’ve melted Chloe’s brain, because there was no way a boy who looked like that would ever find her attractive. Especially in her crazy Christmas outfit. She cursed her parents for being such Christmas nuts. Why couldn’t they just use normal uniforms like every other hotel in the world?

Chloe sighed and shook her worries away, reminding herself that she was done with boys. This winter break was about finding herself.