Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 431

Her phone, lying on the rug beside her, buzzed with a new message.

She picked it up. It was from Sebastian next door.

*Come outside and see the snowman!*

A snowman?

She pulled her coat back on and opened the door.

A gust of cold air swept in. In just one afternoon, the snow had piled up to half a foot deep.

In Sebastian's garden stood a lopsided, goofy-looking snowman. Sebastian was standing beside it, waving enthusiastically, a grin stretching from ear to ear.

As Emma walked closer, she noticed the snowman had a single red rose clenched in its mouth.

"His name is Snow," Sebastian announced.

Emma laughed. "That's a very uninspired name."

"But his gesture isn't!" Sebastian said, suddenly pulling a full bouquet of roses from behind the snowman. "Snow said to give you these and wish you a happy holiday."

Emma looked at him, a small, knowing smile on her face.

Sebastian's cheeks began to flush, and the hand holding the flowers wavered slightly.

Nearly half a year had passed since she'd arrived. She wasn't a clueless teenager; she knew what Sebastian's intentions were. He was always doing things like this, creating little surprises that she had to admit she found charming and fun.

But she wasn't sure she was ready to commit to another relationship just yet.

"Thank you," she said, accepting the flowers. "When are you and your sister leaving?"

She knew they were going back home for the holidays and had planned to treat them to a meal before they left.

"My sister's flight was this morning," Sebastian said. "She should be home in a few hours."

Emma looked at the eclectic mix of cuisines on her table and burst out laughing. "What do you call this style of cooking?"

"Remington's Kitchen!" he declared without a hint of modesty. "As long as it tastes good, right? I'll go grab a bottle of wine."

By now, Sebastian's preferred method of travel between their houses was to simply hop the garden fence.

A minute later, he returned with two bottles of a very sweet dessert wine.

Although it was winter, the roaring fireplace and central heating made the house toasty warm. The sweet wine, served over ice, was surprisingly refreshing.

With nowhere to be, they ate slowly, talking and laughing. Before they knew it, both bottles were empty.

Emma had assumed the sweet wine wouldn't have much of an effect, but the kick was stronger than she'd expected. Soon, her vision started to blur, and Sebastian's voice seemed to drift in from far away.

When they finished eating, she tried to stand up to clear the table but swayed, feeling dizzy, and stumbled to the side.