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WHEN WE ARRIVED AT the cabin Alex had rented for us, the use of the word ‘cabin’ no longer held any meaning for us. Seeing photographs of this beast of a house was one thing. But driving up to it in person? That was an experience that even I didn’t expect. This place was pretty much a snowbound mansion.
“Oh, my God,” I said as we approached it. “Look at it Barbara—it’s amazing.”
“Well, it certainly is large,” she said. “And I have to admit that it’s lovely. Look at all of the floor-to-ceiling windows. And how they’ve lit the whole house from within in anticipation of our arrival. Gorgeous. And look at the lake to our left, which is stunning, even in twilight. How big is this house again?”
“Something like nine-thousand square feet, I think. Maybe more—I can’t quite remember. But it’s huge.”
“It should offer all of us plenty of room.”
“To say the least. Alex went out of his way to take care of all of us, which just makes me love him more. And look at how private it is. I don’t see another house in sight.”
“Neither do I, so I’m declaring this as nothing short of a goddamned snow-globe miracle,” Blackwell said as we arrived at the estate. “In fact, as I look at it, I can actually imagine this house tucked into one of those ridiculous, touristy little snow globes. Shake the damned thing, and watch the snow fall down upon it like diamonds. That said, I can only hope that the inside matches the outside, because one never knows...”
“I’ve seen the photos,” I said. “I think that we’ll be fine, but we’ll see. What do you think, girls?”
“All I need is my own bedroom and bathroom, and I’m good,” Daniella said. “But it is beautiful,” she added. “Where is Cutter going to sleep?”
Neither Blackwell nor I answered that question, even though we both knew that wherever he slept, it would be far away from her.
“Is it solar powered?” Alexa asked. “Because with a bright blue sky and all of the snow surrounding it, just imagine what solar energy could do for a house such as this. I’ll love it even more if I find out that it uses green energy. But even if it doesn’t, Jennifer, it’s amazing. Thank you for inviting us. I mean, look at that lake! It’s like the ocean. I can’t see an end to it. I so want to explore it, along with the woods. And to breathe in the fresh air. To hear the sounds of birds I’ve never heard before. And maybe we’ll even see deer. Or moose. Or whatever! I’m really excited.”
“What you need to come face-to-face with is a skunk,” Daniella said. “Or better yet—a bear. Because all of this mooning of yours over nature makes me want to vomit. What I want to know is this—how close are we to the bars? Where are the best restaurants? Because if Cutter decides he really does want nothing to do with me, I want to know where I need to go to find men who are single and available. I already know that this place is loaded with them. People come to ski resorts for two simple reasons—to ski and to get laid. I’m here for the latter.”
“You’re such a whore,” Alexa said.
“And a satisfied one.”
“Who are you?” Blackwell said. “Where did I go wrong with you to make you speak like that?”
“I’m a grown woman, Mother. I make my own decisions when it comes to my body. And after the way Cutter shut me down on the plane, I’m prepared to move on—if I need to, not that I’m counting that out just yet. But if that turns out to be the case, my body is needing me some big, strapping, ski-sloping stud to come along as soon as possible. Before I leave here, somebody’s jingle bells will be banging against my doorbell. I can promise all of you that.”
“You’re disgusting,” Alexa said.
“And you should turn yourself over to the Amish,” Daniella said. “You are so repressed, my little lesbo virgin. And how sad is that?”
“Oh, Daniella,” Alexa said. “How I want to cry for you right now. What you don’t know is that when it comes to this trip? I’m about to put your sorry ass to shame.”
“What the hell does that even mean?”
“Nothing,” Alexa said. “Or everything. We’ll see.”
When she said that, there was a light, teasing, lilting tone to her voice, which no one could overlook—nor its implications.
What does she have up her sleeve?
“Anyway,” I intervened in a light voice that sounded canned even to me as the SUV pulled in front of the house. “We’re here! So, let’s get out of the car and explore.”
* * *
THE HOUSE WAS BEYOND any of our expectations.
As Cutter moved all of our luggage and gifts out of the SUVs and into the foyer, the lot of us just looked around when we stepped inside.
“It’s fantastic,” I said as I wrapped my arm around Alex’s waist. “It’s perfect, Alex!”
“I’m glad that you like it, Mrs. Wenn.”
“And I do, Mr. Wenn. Just look at this place! And look into the living room at the tree—how tall is that thing? Twenty feet? It must be. And look at the decorations—they’re beautiful,” I said. “It’s beyond what I’d imagined, Alex. Thank you!”
“It’s my pleasure,” he said. “I had nothing to do with the tree or with the decorating, though from what I can see, the team I hired did a fine job. When it comes to these sorts of rentals, you never really know what you’re getting into. But a friend of mine recommended this place to me, so on his advice alone, I went with it. And he was right. So far, this place looks great, and we’ve yet to see all of it.”
“Where are the bedrooms?” Daniella asked. “I want to choose mine before anyone else chooses theirs.”
“The bedrooms have already been assigned,” Alex said.
“They’ve been what?”
“Just what I said. Jennifer and I have ours. Brock and Madison have theirs. And your mother, Cutter, you, and Alexa each have your own. There is no picking or choosing when it comes to who wants which room, so my suggestion is that you enjoy what you have, and be happy that you have it. I doubt that you’ll be disappointed.”
“But what if I am?” she said.
And when Daniella said that, Alex stepped away from me and walked over to her.
“Then I’d be pleased to put you back on a plane back to Manhattan, Daniella. I’m not joking, because you’re an adult now, and at this point in your life, you know how to behave—especially when you’re a guest. After last Christmas, I expect you to be on your best behavior while we’re here. And believe me—I mean that.”
“Oh, burn!” Alexa said.
“I don’t need your help, Alexa,” he said. “Because I also expect the same from you while we’re here. No bickering or fighting between you two. I won’t have it.”
“That’s right,” Daniella said. “Because she’s the one who always starts it.”
“That’s not true,” Alexa said. “You do.”
“Enough,” Alex said.
“Agreed,” Blackwell said.
“You are our guests. We’ve gone to a great deal of trouble to make this Christmas something memorable for everyone. And I hope that both of you will appreciate your good fortune because of our efforts. But that’s up to you two. If you find that you can’t be polite to each other, then I’ll send you back to Manhattan, and next year we’ll reassess whether you’ll be invited to join us again.”
“Well, that’s kind of harsh,” Daniella said.
“Actually, he’s right,” Alexa said. “Uncle Alex, I promise that I’ll keep myself in check even if she doesn’t.”
“You’re such a suck-up, Alexa. You always have been.”
“All right,” Alex said. “So, right now I’m going to just address you, Daniella. You just turned twenty-three. And in my opinion? It’s time for you to act like it. Our time here means too much to me and to everyone else for you to ruin it for us. And I’m telling you right now that I won’t allow you to ruin it. Am I clear on that?”
“Uncle Alex—”
“There’s nothing more to say on the matter, Daniella. Either you agree, or you disagree. You’re no longer a little girl—and you haven’t been one for some time. So that pass I gave you when you were acting up last Christmas is long gone at this point. At your age, you know how to treat people with respect. You also need to know that there are consequences if you don’t.”
“I’ve been going through a difficult time,” she said. “I got dumped by another guy last week!”
“And why do you think that is?” Alex asked.
Before she could answer, he pressed on.
“We all go through difficult times, Daniella, but that doesn’t mean that we should take it out on those who love us. Do you understand that? I’m not sure that you do. In fact, I think that you’ve become so spoiled since your parents got divorced, you take everything that comes your way for granted—as if you deserve what is being offered to you. But here’s the thing—you don’t deserve any of it. Instead, you’re just lucky to have access to it. You are surrounded by people who love you, and yet you somehow just push people’s buttons with a kind of ugliness that I’ve never seen before.”
“Ugliness?”
“Yes, ugliness. And believe me—I’ve seen plenty of ugliness during my lifetime, especially as Wenn’s CEO. So, I’m going to be straight with you right now—all of your bad behavior ends here. If you don’t want to comply, you can leave. No hard feelings—just go. I’ll have a plane ready to take you back to New York within a matter of hours, and you can either spend the holidays alone in Manhattan, or with your friends. Whatever you wish. At this point and given your behavior, I can honestly say that I don’t care. So, it’s your call whether you stay or go, and also whether you turn yourself around when it comes to how you treat people. So, decide.”
“Oh, my,” Blackwell said in a voice so low that only I could hear it.
“I don’t mean to be difficult,” she said.
“I think that you do, if only for the attention you receive. And look at how that’s turned out for you—me, of all people, actually asking you to leave if you don’t agree to shape up. That’s something I never thought I’d have to do, but I will do what’s right to make certain that the rest of us have a pleasant holiday, because after this year? We deserve one. It’s in your hands, Daniella. Decide.”
“I want to be with all of you,” she said. “I’ve just had a hard year.”
“And you think that those around you haven’t? After the year we’ve just gone through? Cutter almost died, for God’s sake. Have you forgotten that? So did your sister—have you forgotten that as well?”
“I stayed by my sister’s side throughout everything she went through on that island. You know that.”
“Then where is that person now?”
And when he said that, she just looked at Alex, clearly at a loss for words.
“I saw how you cared for Alexa after she was bitten. I also saw how you cared for Cutter. And because of that, I know that you have it within you to be a decent person. But that person often goes missing when it comes to you, Daniella, and you need to face that fact and grow up because of it. You need to be kind. You need to be humble. You need to know that this house—this holiday—is not owed to you just because you’re associated with me. We’ve come here to celebrate the holidays, not to let your ridiculous tantrums ruin them. So, why don’t we just end this right here—do you want to celebrate the holiday with us, or not?”
“Of course I do.”
“Well, that’s good, because all of us want you here.”
“I don’t,” Alexa said.
“That’s enough, Alexa,” Alex said.
“Sorry.”
He turned back to Daniella. “I need to know if you understand my position on this.”
“I do.”
“Do you agree to stay given the conditions I’ve set out for you?”
“I can try. You know how I am, Uncle Alex. I can’t promise that I’ll be perfect—that would just be a lie. But I’ll try my best to dial it down a notch.”
“Several notches.”
“OK, several notches.”
“Now give me a hug.”
And when she did, I saw on Daniella’s face the sensitive girl behind the angry façade. For whatever reason, her self-esteem was so low that it revealed itself in ways that were cutting and sometimes awful. But beneath it all, I knew that deep within her was a good person. She just needed to believe that herself.
“Now, give your sister a hug,” Alex said when they parted.
“I have to hug the anti-Christ?”
“She’s not the anti-Christ. Hug her.”
“Oh, Christ.” She turned to Alexa, and when she did, I saw that her eyes were bright with tears. “All right—fine. Give me a hug.”
“Are you carrying any sharp objects on you?” Alexa asked before they touched. “You know—like a knife? A sword? Because my back would like to know.”
“Just my tongue, but that’s in check. You’re safe.”
“Fine then—let’s hug it out.”
And they did. And when they did, I reached down and took Blackwell’s hand in my own, which she squeezed at once. I knew that the exchange between Alex and Daniella hadn’t been easy for her to hear, but I also knew Blackwell well enough to know that she believed that what he had said to her was for the best.
On some profound level, Daniella hated herself. But why? Was it because of her parents’ divorce? Did she feel somehow responsible for that? It was possible—often, the children of divorce blamed themselves for the divorce. Or was it for a reason that none of us knew? What would it take for Daniella to decide that she could love herself? And in the process, love others as well?
Because when she realized that she could and that she should, I knew in my heart that that girl could turn her life around.
