“Absolutely not.” Hanna had decided not to tell Lucas how Kate hadn’t wanted to go to the mall with her. She couldn’t believe she’d been so na?ve as to fall for Kate’s kiss-ass tricks. “I want nothing to do with her. And I think I’m allergic to her perfume—I’ve sneezed about five hundred times since she moved in. I bet I’m going to get hives.”
She slumped dramatically back on the couch and stared blankly at the Disney-themed Advent calendar across the room. Hanna hadn’t grown up with holiday decorations. She was Jewish, and after her dad left, she and her mom barely celebrated Hanukkah. But Lucas’s mother was obsessed with Advent calendars—they had three different ones pinned up to the fridge, a cloth one with stuffed toys in each of its twenty-five pockets tied to the stair rail, and a small glittery one hanging up in the powder room. Lucas put his arm around her and began to stroke her hair. Hanna shut her eyes and sighed, feeling a teensy bit better.
When Hanna and Mona were BFFs—and ruling the school together—Lucas wasn’t exactly the kind of guy on the top of Hanna’s Boys I Want to Date list. He didn’t hang out with the right clique, didn’t play a cool sport like soccer or lacrosse, and he was more into after-school clubs and Eagle Scouting than wild weekend parties. In fact, in sixth grade, Ali had started a rumor that Lucas was a hermaphrodite, which had plunged him into dorkdom. More recently, Mona had made fun of Hanna’s friendship with Lucas, even threatening that it would bring down their popularity quotient.
But Mona and Ali were gone, and Lucas was shaping up to be the best boyfriend ever. How many guys would listen to her whine for hours about how Mona had screwed her over or how sucky her new family situation was? How many guys would open the door this evening, gaze upon Hanna in her bloated jeans and oversized Philadelphia Eagles sweatshirt, and say she looked smoking hot?
“Can I hide out at your house for the foreseeable future?” Hanna begged. “I don’t know if I can bear going back there.”
“That would be awesome,” Lucas said. “But—”
“It would be awesome,” Hanna cut him off, sitting up. “We could do stuff after school, go to Rive Gauche every night, dress up and crash the holiday party at the Rosewood Country Club . . .”
Lucas bit his lip. “Hanna, I—”
“Maybe my dad would even let me stay overnight here!” Hanna added, getting more and more excited. “I could claim that my allergy to Kate’s perfume is really, really serious. Do you think your parents would go for that? I could sleep in the guest room . . . but maybe you could sneak over in the middle of the night.” She winked.
“Hanna.” Lucas’s pale blond hair fell into his face as he sat up. “Slow down. I’m actually going away. Tomorrow.”
Hanna blinked. “Away?”
“My dad just sprung it on us. It’s an early Christmas present—he’s taking us on a fourteen-day trip to the Yucatán peninsula. We’re going with my dad’s best friend from college and his family.”
The inside of Hanna’s mouth suddenly tasted sour. “Fourteen days . . . as in two weeks?”
“Uh-huh.” Lucas gave her a little smile. “I’m really psyched.”
“But we’re still in school,” Hanna sounded out, reaching for another handful of popcorn. It was only December 7—Rosewood Day didn’t let out for Christmas and New Year’s until later in the month. “Why doesn’t your dad wait until winter break?”
Lucas raised both shoulders. “They got an amazing deal on the flights and hotel rooms. And my brother’s flying in from college for a few days, too. My dad worked it out with Rosewood Day—I’ll take the makeup exams between Christmas and New Year’s. And at least I’ll be back for most of the break.” Lucas gently took her hands in his and squeezed them. “You and I can spend every minute together then.”
Hanna pulled her hands away from Lucas’s, feeling a huge lump in her throat. “But I need you now.”
Lucas threw up his arms helplessly. “I’m sorry, but I’ve wanted to go to the Yucatán for years. It has amazing hiking. Great beaches. And it’s not like my folks could change their tickets now.”
Before she could say anything, the doorbell rang to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”
Lucas jumped up and parted the front curtains. A steel-blue Mercedes SUV had pulled into the driveway. “It’s the Rumsons, the family we’re traveling with. They’re dropping off the itinerary. You’ll love them. And I’ll bet you have a lot in common with Brooke.”
“Brooke?” Hanna asked warily, staying on the couch.
Mr. Beattie bounded in from the kitchen and pulled the door open, letting in a whoosh of cold air. “Wade! Patricia! It’s been far too long!”