Home for Christmas Read Free Page A

kissed Dad’s cheek.
    We grabbed as much luggage as we could carry, and I was the first one to the door.
    â€œHere it is,” I said. I turned the gold knob, pushed open the door, and gasped.
    My friends momentarily forgotten, I stepped through the doorway. Seasonal smells of pine, cinnamon, clove, and peppermint hit my nose. The living room was covered in Christmas decorations, and in the back of the room near the sliding glass door, a giant tree twinkled with colored lights.
    â€œOh, mon Dieu!” I said, turning around. “Mom! Dad! You said you didn’t decorate!”
    Lexa, Clare, Khloe, and Carina peered around me, trying to see inside. Mom and Dad grinned at me over their heads.
    â€œWe didn’t have time to decorate the outside yet,” Momsaid. “Of course Dad and I wanted you and your guests to come home to a houseful of Christmas cheer.”
    â€œAhhh! C’mon in, guys!”
    We all scurried through the doorway, and I motioned for everyone to put down their bags.
    â€œWow, it smells insane in here!” Khloe said.
    Mom tilted her head. “Is that good or bad?”
    Khloe laughed. “It’s very good!”
    We all laughed as we took off our shoes and put them in the closet. Dad took each of our coats and hung them in the same closet.
    â€œYour dad and I have some work to do,” Mom said. “Please make yourselves at home. The kitchen is full of snacks and drinks, and Lauren will show you around. We’re so happy to have you all!”
    â€œThank you so much!” Clare said, her long red waves bouncing around her shoulders. The rest of the girls added their thanks, and my parents disappeared. I knew from an earlier BBM that Becca, my older sister, wasn’t going to be home for a few more hours.
    â€œGrab your bags and I’ll show you the guest room,” I said. “You can decide where you want to stay.”
    Khloe gave Clare a pretend evil eye. “I refuse to room with Bryant. She snores.”
    Clare punched her best friend on the arm. “Please. You recite lines in your sleep from whatever script you’re studying.”
    Khloe smiled. “I’m a true, dedicated actress, obviously.”
    â€œLet’s take this discussion this way,” I said, sticking out my tongue at them.
    We climbed the stairs to the second floor. Garland wrapped around the banister, and white lights were nestled in the greenery. I led my friends to the guest room. Ellen, our part-time maid, must have just cleaned, because the room smelled lemon fresh. The white bedside table had a bowl of pinecones covered in red and green glitter. A painting of the New York City skyline hung above the bed on the off-white wall. The bed was made up with a red down-filled comforter and dark-brown sheets. The open blinds let the bleak December sun cast a little light in the room.
    â€œI was thinking that Khloe and Clare could take the bed in here, since it’s a king,” I said. “Is that okay?”
    Khloe and Clare nodded.
    â€œAbsolutely,” Khloe said.
    â€œUnder the window, that’s a daybed that my parents got just for you guys.” I nodded to the white-wire bed frame with a mattress covered with a seasonal whitecomforter with light-blue snowflakes. “Lex, I was thinking that bed could be yours.”
    â€œIt’s so cute!” Lexa exclaimed. She hurried over to the bed and put her luggage beside it. “Taken!”
    I looked at Carina. “My mom said there’s another one of those set up in my room, if you’re okay bunking with me.”
    Carina smiled. “That sounds great, Lauren.”
    I wanted Carina to share my room because I was closer to her than she was with the other girls. Plus, it had been my original intention to only invite her.
    â€œYou guys unpack—feel free to put your stuff in the dressers and closet—and I’m going to take Carina to my room. It’s at the end of the