❄ It Came Upon a Christmas Twist ❄

Alright y'all here's Chapter 2. 😁 Sorry it's coming in late today... It took WAY longer than I thought it would to put this one together. 😵

This chapter definitely challenged me in the posing department. 😳 (But that's what makes it fun! 😁 ) There are not that many good poses out there for sims sitting in cars. I was only able to find ONE good pose set for what I was trying to illustrate - that wasn't even poselisted... 🤦🏻‍♀️Sigh... - and then I ended up not using it because it was kinda lame, lol, and came up with some other posing methods instead. 🙃👍🏻 So if it looks like Harper doesn't have her hand on the wheel like she should, just pretend she does. 😆

A lot of time and effort was put into the pictures for this chapter, but the reward of it bringing my story to life is always worth it. 🥰

There's different types of chatter and banter in this one. So I hope y'all enjoy it. 

It's picture heavy y'all, you know how my stories be. 🙃

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Chapter 2

Just as Harper ordered, Declan made it to the office that morning toting his small, carry-on suitcase right on time. In fact, he arrived five minutes before eight o’clock. He might’ve done that on purpose just to show that he was competent enough to be punctual - even though he always showed up on time for everything, not just work. He doubted Harper even knew that. 

After a few quick goodbyes to the others in the office, the two loaded up the small company car and headed for the airport. It was only a 30 minute drive. And thankfully it was a clear and bright wintry day with no ice on the roads. 

Naturally they wanted to arrive at least an hour before the flight departed to make sure there was enough time to get through airport security. And boy was there a line! It was the holiday season after all. 

Having never spent this much time alone together, Declan and Harper struggled to make conversation with each other in between a few awkward pauses. It was mostly just small talk until they boarded the plane and got settled for takeoff. That’s when Harper noticed the Sky Mall featuring a bunch of exclusive Christmas decor items to flyers only - which honestly surprised Declan too - and that sent her off on a wild protest about the overcommercialization of Christmas. It was a four hour flight to Boise…and at this rate Declan felt like it was going to be a long four hours. 

It ended up not being all that bad. He managed to get a little nap in. Now whether he drifted off during Harper’s ranting or after, he couldn’t quite remember. Yet unbeknownst to him, Harper had become rather impressed by how much of a good listener he was. That is, until she heard him lightly snoring, to which she gave him a look of distaste.

After landing in Boise they took a long shuttle ride to the car rental area of the airport. Because reservations had already been made, it would surely be a breeze getting the vehicle. Everything was going along smoothly, to Declan, until the man behind the desk mentioned what kind of vehicle they would be renting: a 2023 Toyota 4-Runner.  

“Umm,” Harper began, hesitant to take the keys the guy placed before her, “do you have a smaller vehicle available? I’m not a big fan of driving SUV’s or anything larger.”
Declan tried not to roll his eyes. Typical, picky Harper.
The car rental guy seemed somewhat taken aback in his response. “We do, but you two are heading to Oakridge, right?” They nodded. “Yeah you gotta go through Oaks Pass to get there and trust me, you’re gonna want a car with 4-wheel drive.”
Declan couldn’t agree more. 
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Harper asked. “Do you guys not salt your roads in the winter?”
“Yes ma’am we do, but some parts of the road on the Pass can still get a little icy because they don’t get enough sun exposure.”
“But…that’s what the salt is for, is it not?” Harper shot back with.
“Well, uh, yes, but–”

“Harper, it’s fine,” Declan softly interjected. “He’s right.” Then he addressed the man for good measure. “How long have you lived in Idaho sir?”
The man smiled. “My whole life. Born and raised!”

“Ah, so you know the area pretty well then?”
“Like the back of my hand." He gestured. "Oaks Pass can get a little rough. Just trying to look out for ya.”
Mainly for liability reasons I’m sure, Harper grumbled in thought, averting her rolling eyes from the local. 

“Well we appreciate it, good sir. We’ll take the SUV,” Declan concluded, reaching for the keys and kindly handing them to Harper, much to her chagrin. “Thank you.” 
“Have a safe trip folks!”

“Declan, will you grab the luggage please while I go find the car?” Harper tartly asked, mainly to get back at him for his little interruption there. 
And Declan knew it. “Yes ma’am.”
“Please don’t call me that. You know I hate it!” And off she went towards the sliding doors to the garage, her heels clicking with firmness.

Declan and the man shot humorous glances at each other, before Declan followed after. 

Inside the parking garage, Harper mumbled under her breath as she pressed the “Unlock” button on the key fob to locate their SUV. “It would seem these Idahoans don’t know how to properly salt their roads…”
This time Declan did roll his eyes, but reminded himself to stay composed. “You’ve never driven through a mountain pass in the winter before have you?”
Unamused, Harper replied, “No…but I got this.”
Okaaay, Declan thought, sensing a hint of nervousness in her tone. “Could you pop the trunk please?”  

Once inside the car, the two buckled their seatbelts, and it took Harper a minute to figure out how to start the car. Push Button Ignition was not something she, or Declan, were used to. 

“Would you like me to drive?” Declan kindly offered, just before she was about to push the Start button.

At that moment Harper stopped and stared at him with a couple of blinks. “You don’t think I’m capable of driving us to the conference?”

Crap! “No. I wasn’t implying that at all, I was–”
“Then what?”
“I was just,” Declan stopped, suppressing a breath of frustration, “trying to be a gentleman, that's all. Sorry I asked.” He turned and fixed his gaze out the window ahead of him and sighed.

The sincerity in his voice caused the ruffled Harper to soften, making her brush an escaped strand of hair from her updo behind her ear. Then she repositioned herself in the seat and started the car. 

“Gentleman,” she began, backing out of the parking space, “you don’t see much of those anymore…”
Declan couldn’t help responding with, “Well that’s because you ladies often don't give us the opportunity to be.” He kept his eyes fixed ahead. 
Harper’s eyebrows bounced at that. “Well ok then Mr. Moody,” she said in a more playful manner, hoping to ease the tension. 
But Declan just shook his head, unamused. “Seriously Harper, we guys are not trying to demean you ladies in any way with that stuff. We’re just trying to treat you the way our mom’s always taught us to treat you.”
Hearing that, Harper pressed her lips together in thought with a nod. “Fair,” she acknowledged. “I guess I never thought of it like that.” Then she turned her gaze to him. “I’m sorry…”

That's what eased the tension. Declan turned his head toward her with an appreciative smile. “Thanks.”

                                                               ❄❄❄

15 minutes into the drive

Declan gazed out the car window almost in a daydream, taken in by the rolling, glittering winter wonderland that stretched on for miles. Every tree, rock, and blade of grass was covered in thick snow. Every stream was frozen and field fences glazed in ice, all unaffected by the glowing sun. Not a thick cloud in sight. At least for now. 

Idaho scenery was pretty similar to Wyoming’s, only this part of the state had a lot more pine tree dotted hills and less flat land dotted with sagebrush. They were heading into the Idaho panhandle, where some of the most beautiful forests in the USA reside. 

“It’s gorgeous out there,” Declan uttered in a whisper, not intending for Harper to overhear, but didn’t care if she did.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “It’s very pretty country up here. Not what most people expect when they hear Idaho.” 
It was definitely not what Declan expected. He knew they were going into the mountains, but these mountains…were truly mesmerizing. He could only imagine how it looked all covered in green or autumn colors. Something straight out of a National Geographic Magazine for sure. “I’m picturing what every snow powdered pine tree might look like with multi-colored Christmas lights on them,” he mused. “Illuminating the entire mountain on a cold winter’s night for all the travelers. I mean, can you imagine?”
Harper chuckled. “Wow. You sound a lot like my sister right now. She’s all about Christmas lights and decorations and how to put them on everything.”
“Well then she has good taste,” he said, turning his head toward her with a smirk.

A few seconds passed.

“Everyone in my family is all about Christmas. I’m just more of a Halloween gal,” Harper smirked at him in return. 
Declan smiled with a nod. “Yeah I figured as much at the last Halloween party at work.” She was one epic looking corpse bride! So much so that no one knew it was her throughout the entire party until she got up and spoke at the end. He remembered Andy feeling a bit flustered from having flirted with her quite a bit, not realizing. And the shocking thing was…she flirted back with him! But the two figured it was all just an act because Harper never said anything about it to Andy or anyone since. That or she was too embarrassed by it.

“Oh that’s not even the best costume I’ve done!” Harper exclaimed. “Wait until next year!” 
“Just make sure we can see that it’s you next time ok?”
“Where’s the fun in that!?”

                                                                ❄❄❄

45 minutes into the drive

“Twelve miles to Oaks Pass,” Harper informed, reading from the street sign. 
Declan glanced at his watch. “Seems we’re making good time,” he acknowledged, then a thought suddenly came to him. And he started kicking himself for not thinking of it earlier. “Do you think we should’ve checked the road conditions before leaving Boise?”
Harper froze for a second. “The roads have been clear so far.”
“I mean within the Pass…”
She glanced up at the mid-afternoon sky through the windshield. “It’s been sunny all day. I’m sure the roads are fine.”
I hope so, he thought, reaching for his phone and intending to look it up, but: no signal. Great.

Soon they started heading uphill and into the mountain.

“So do you think the rebranding will prove fruitful?” Declan asked, breaking the silence.
Harper released a breath, as if she didn’t feel like talking about it. “I dunno. I’m hopeful, but I’m not expecting anything positive just yet.”
Declan nodded. He could understand that.
“You know, three years ago I was seriously considering leaving the company, but the job searching just went on and on and on and it was…tiring to say the least.” She sighed. “I thought it would be so easy to find another job with my experience, but that was far from the truth. So I was stuck at Paperclips Etc. And in all that time I kinda started to like my job. And soon I began to appreciate it. Because I know just how hard it is to get a job. And it’s even harder to land a good one these days…”
Declan nodded again. 
“I should probably start searching again…Just in case.”

Declan couldn’t remember ever seeing Harper look or sound so somber. It was rather...nice. “Maybe. But I dunno if I would worry about doing that just yet–”
“Easy for you to say!” Harper unsuspectingly shot back with. “You’re a computer tech guy and there’s always a demand for that. You could get any job you want!”
With a couple of blinks, Declan lowered his eyes and thought, And here I was thinking we were having a heart to heart moment. He blew out a breath then lifted his head back up. “Ok that might be true,” he acknowledged. “But you’re the manager of a company branch. That kind of experience alone already gets your foot in the door to the good jobs compared to thousands of other people.”
“Yeah that’s what I thought before! And like I said it wasn’t that easy! Different companies require a certain array of skills that not every person with managerial experience is qualified for.”
True. “Ok. Umm, well–”
“And let’s face it." Her tone changed. "They prefer to hire a man over a woman in management anyway…”
Now Declan’s mouth fell into a hard line. Here we go again… “Oh come on Harper… That’s not how it is anymore.”

“Oh you guys think it’s not, but unless you’re a woman in the business world, you’ll never understand.”

“Uh, for your information, not ALL of us guys are sexists!”

“But most are.”
“Not even most!”
"Oh really? How do you prove that?"
"I don't need to prove it, I'm an actual representation of the s'ex and--"
“Just,” Harper stopped him with her hand, “I really don’t want to talk about this right now Declan, ok?”
“Good. Cause I don’t want to talk about it either,” Declan sharply expressed, turning away from her with a huff. 

If he could walk right out of the car and leave her to drive through the Pass and attend the conference alone he would. He had no problem freezing his butt off out in the middle of nowhere, if it meant he didn’t have to be around her anymore. He felt so foolish believing that the two of them might actually get along on this trip. I just don’t understand her! he thought, shaking his head with steaming breath and hoping the beautiful scenery outside would help calm his nerves.

Neither spoke another word to each other until they reached the entrance to the Pass.

When they did they discovered the road had been blocked off by barricades and a couple of snow plowing trucks. 

“Great,” Harper muttered under her breath.
Declan’s heart began to rev up nervously.  

One of the road workers, a plump, middle aged man in a muck suit, started approaching their vehicle. For some odd reason though, Harper threw the car in Park, unbuckled her seatbelt, and got out to meet the man. Confused, Declan quickly did the same. 

“Howdy,” the man greeted them. “You didn’t have to get out, I was comin’ to ya.”
“Yeah I know I just needed some fresh air,” Harper stated, although she was quickly regretting it with how piercingly cold the below freezing wind kissed at her nose and cheeks. “What’s going on? We need to get through to Oakridge.”
“I’m sorry ma’am, but that’s not possible right now. Road’s closed.”
Declan closed his eyes in an “oh no” fashion. 
“There was a pretty bad storm last night,” the man continued, “dumped about four feet of snow. Five feet in the drifts. We started clearing this morning and we’re only halfway done.”

Harper gave the man an incredulous look before speaking. “A-Are you kidding me?”
“Uh no ma’am. That’s not something we would kid about.”
Declan tittered at the remark, then carefully stepped closer to Harper and leaned towards her ear whispering, “Guess we really should’ve checked the road conditions beforehand after all…”

Harper nearly rolled her eyes into her head. “Declan, not now okay!” Then she turned back to the road worker. “When will the job be done? We have a very important business conference to attend tomorrow in Oakridge.” 
“Well ma’am–”
“It’s Miss Williams, please.”
“Miss Williams…The plan is to get the snow all cleared before tomorrow morning, but just know that the process goes slower at night. So you might wanna check the IDT website for an update tomorrow morning.”
Declan could tell that Harper was really struggling to keep her voice from exploding. “Ok. Thank you,” she managed to kindly get out.
“We’ll work as fast as we can. That’s the best I can give ya.” 

As Harper turned away from the man back towards the SUV, Declan wished him and his crew good luck and safety. 

Back in the car, the two sat in silence for a good minute. The previous warmth inside from the heater had almost completely dissipated.

Face buried in her hands, Harper spoke through a groan, “It’s been such a long day…”
“Yeah…it has,” Declan agreed with a nod.
“So much for our hotel reservation…”
“Yep. Guess we should head back to Boise for the night then?” 

Another moment of silence passed.

“No,” Harper broke it with.

Declan’s eyebrows shot up. “No?” he questioned.
“No. I’m cold and tired and I’m not driving another hour back to the city just to stay in some dingy hotel!”
Declan’s brow furrowed, figuring they would most likely be staying in a pretty nice hotel, courtesy of the company and all. But this was a typical Harper reaction. “Well we don’t really have any other choice here.”
“Yes we do,” she said with resolve, pressing the Start button and putting the car in Reverse. “My brother lives just a few minutes down the road in a town called Autumnvale. We can stay at his place. He’s out of town for Christmas anyway, meeting his girlfriend’s parents.”
“What!?” Declan exclaimed as Harper sped off down the road. “Ok, I don’t think that would be very ethical…”
“Chill out Declan…he has a guest house. You can stay there while I stay in the main house, ok? It’ll be fine.”
However, Declan's mouth still hung open. This trip just kept getting better and better. Not.
“Besides, it saves the company some money,” she added.
Declan finally raised his jaw and slumped further into the seat. I guess we’re doing this, he glumly thought in surrender. Staying at Harper’s brother’s house in nowhere Idaho. Greeeaat… He was tired of arguing with Harper anyway. 

He did want to ask how they would get into the houses, but figured it would just be a waste of breath. Harper was gonna do what Harper was gonna do.

Right now all he wanted was to be in someplace warm and with cell phone service so he could communicate with anyone else on planet Earth but her.

                                                               ❄❄❄

Darkness had started to fall as they drove into the quaint, small town of Autumnvale. Declan loved the name, because he could only imagine how brightly the crimson and auburn colored leaves shined on the trees surrounding the town in the Fall. The old, historic main street shops were adorned with Christmas lights of every color, wrapped around lamp posts, hanging from the roofs and in the windows, complemented with various colored wreaths and garlands. Steam emerged from every street gutter, blowing into pedestrians walking on the sidewalks, clutching their cups of hot cocoa or coffee to keep their hands warm. You could hear light bells ringing, soft Christmas music playing, and children laughing. Like a scene straight out of the Silver Bells song. The Christmas spirit was definitely bustling in this little town and it filled Declan’s heart with warmth to witness it.

About a mile down the road from Main Street, Harper pulled into the driveway of her brother’s house. It was a grand, two-story home, constructed like a cabin in the woods with a wrap-around porch, surrounded by untouched snow and pine trees dressed in it.

“Wow,” Declan breathed, gazing at the cabin home through the car windshield as Harper put it in Park. “This looks like a scene straight from a Christmas movie. The home where all the magic happens. Minus the Christmas lights,” he turned to her with a chuckle.
Harper couldn’t control the smile that formed on her lips as she shook her head. “Shut up Declan,” she playfully said before stepping out of the car. 

As Declan followed suit he watched as Harper strode right up the porch steps without slipping, surprisingly, and stopped before the front door. She reached up towards the porch light and somehow managed to retrieve a key from it. So that’s how we’re getting inside, he thought. Good. It was terribly cold outside and he didn’t want to be out in it for much longer. He went ahead and got their luggage out from the trunk. 

When he brought Harper’s suitcase up to the porch, she’d already unlocked the door, gone inside, and came out with another key. “Here’s the key to the guest house,” she told him, stretching her hand out to him. “I don’t know how it looks in there, but knowing my brother it should be cleaned and tidy.”

“Thanks.” He took the key from her. “That’s a clever hiding place for a spare key,” he said with a smile, gazing up at the light for a second. “Normally people leave it under the welcome mat.”
“And that’s exactly how you get your house broken into,” Harper somewhat quipped. “Way too predictable.”
“Indeed.”
“We’ve had family get-togethers here a few times over the years. Lots of fun memories…,” she trailed off through a cloud of visible breath, glancing around the property. “I’m going to give my brother a call and let him know we’re here.”
Declan nodded.
Harper then folded her arms to warm herself. “I do hope the Pass is open in the morning. Or I don’t know what we’re going to do about the conference…”

“We’ll just take it as it comes,” he said in a comforting tone.
She nodded, her nose and cheeks rosy from the cold. “I want you up and all ready to go by 7:30 just in case, alright? No later than that! Meet me here in the house.”
“Couldn’t you just check if the road’s open on your phone and then text me so that I don’t have to go through all the effort to get ready just in case–”
She gave him a pointed look.

He knew it had been silly to ask, but was worth trying. “Ok. See you at 7:30. On the dot!”
“Thank you. Goodnight Declan.”
“Goodnight Harper.”

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Finally. Some peace and quiet time all to himself, Declan thought. Just as Harper predicted, the guest house looked spotless. And cozy. A mini version of the rustic decor in the main house, he was sure. He almost felt bad using it, especially when the brother wasn’t yet aware of him staying there. But at this point, he didn’t care. He removed his glasses and plopped himself right down on the nearest couch, allowing the arm rest to support his head, and pulled out his phone.

He only had one text message and it was from Andy. He tapped open the messaging app and read:

How’s the Declan & Harper conference road trip 2024 going? 😉 Are you surviving? 

Declan tittered. Then responded with:

Barely. 

Then a couple of seconds later he added:

The Pass that leads to Oakridge is closed…Due to a bad snowstorm last night. So we’re staying in a town called Autumnvale for the night. 

He wouldn’t dare mention that he and Harper were staying in her brother’s cabin, which was conveniently closer to the Pass than Boise. It’s almost like we are in a Christmas movie, he humorously thought. Then continued to type:

The road workers said they’re hoping to have the road cleared by morning, but…I’m kinda doubting it will be.

Oh dang!  Came Andy’s response. What the heck are you and Harper going to do if you can’t make the conference?  

Declan sighed. Not sure…probably take the next flight home, I guess.

But isn’t it mandatory that she be there?  

I think so. I’m sure the higher ups will understand though. Then his fingers paused. Honestly, I’d be just as happy to leave for home first thing in the morning…

Sick of her already huh? 😜

You have no idea…

Come on. It couldn’t have been ALL bad. Right? 

Declan sighed, sitting up, then typed again:

No, I guess it wasn't. We had some fun moments. But, his fingers paused again, just when I think she might be a lot more warm and sensitive than she lets on, she goes right back to being the typical commanding, no-nonsense, opinionated Harper. Honestly it just wears me out.  

I bet. Well at least she opened up to you about something, right? That’s progress.  👍🏻

Yeah. Then he grew thoughtful. You know, at one point I was thinking that if she would just allow more of her warm and fun side to come out, I think we might make a good couple. Think! Lol 

Yeah I dunno, you’re too sensitive… You need to grow a pair sometimes. 😉

Ok, you know I have a pair, and I’m not THAT sensitive! Besides…most women like guys that are a little sensitive. 🙂

Yeah! The hopeless romantics that chase non-existent knights in shining armor. ⚔ 

They’re not so bad…

Nah. Give me a girl who’s a tiger… Like Harper. 😏

Declan just shook his head with a smile. Goodnight Andy. It’s been a long day. I’m gonna turn in.

Ciao hombre! Best wishes tomorrow. Let me know what happens. 

                                                             ❄❄❄

Later that night, a flashing light and crunching snow pierced Declan’s closed eyes and ears causing him to stir in the bed and wake briefly.

He’d only been asleep for a few minutes and felt a little disoriented. His eyes instinctively wandered towards the nearby window, wondering where that light and sound came from, and from what. Because now, he heard nothing.

Shrugging it off, he dropped his head back onto the pillow and rolled over to go back to sleep.

Another very early and cold winter morning awaited him.

***Next Chapter comes December 6th 😊***