Christmas at Thistlecombe Cottage

Chapter 2

The pictures Maya had found online when she'd booked the place didn't do it justice: Thistlecombe Cottage was even more quaint and cozy in real life. As she looked around, she couldn't help but smile. The first thing that caught her eye was the fireplace in the living room, old and weathered, proudly bearing the many winters it had kept the cottage warm. Across from the fireplace was a slightly newer-looking couch full of fluffy pillows and warm blankets. It looked tiny compared to standard-size couches in standard-size houses, but for Thistlecombe Cottage, it was perfect. One wall of the living room had shelves lined with books. A small Christmas tree stood in the corner, and there were Christmas decorations everywhere Maya looked.

The living room extended to the kitchen and dining area on one side. On the other, a door led to the only bedroom in the cottage.

"I guess you can take the bed," Asher, who didn't seem as enthralled by the cottage as she was, said behind her. He had gone out to his car to get his luggage and came back with a leather duffel bag.

She turned around to face him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"That you can stay in the bedroom and I stay on the couch?"

"And why do you get to make that decision?"

"Don't you want the bedroom?"

"That's not the point. The point is you are making the decision for me and you have no right to."

"Miss, I'm trying to be the bigger man here."

"Well, as a woman, being the 'bigger man' doesn't mean anything to me. I don't need you doing me any favors. Let's settle this fair and square."

Asher looked at her expectantly.

"Let's flip for it."

"Excuse me? You said all that so we could toss a coin?"

"Better a coin toss than you deciding for me." Maya took a penny out of her pocket. "Heads, I get the bed."

They both watched as the coin spun through the air. It landed on her palm, and Maya covered it with her other hand. They stared at each other before leaning in to look.

Tails.

Maya shrugged. "Just as well. I would've chosen the couch anyway." In truth, she didn't really care where she slept. She just didn't want this Asher person making all these choices for her. "Besides, there is no way you could've slept there."

Standing over six feet tall by her estimate, Maya imagined Asher struggling to sleep on the couch, not knowing how to position his broad shoulders and long legs. The image was rather comical in her head.

"And the living room looks cozy. That bedroom looks stuffy. So, enjoy your stuffy accommodation."

Asher walked past her, lugging his leather duffel bag toward the bedroom. He had removed his coat and hooked it to his finger, and it swirled behind him. "Suit yourself." Once inside, he turned around and gave Maya an absentminded nod before swinging the door closed.

"Wait!" She pushed against the swinging door. Startled, Asher stopped to look at her with a mix of annoyance and curiosity.

"You can't close the door."

"As the one with the right to the bedroom, I can do whatever I want with its door."

"But the bathroom's in there."

"You gave up the bedroom, miss, and the bathroom comes with it."

"What? No it doesn't! We both need to be able to use the bathroom!"