Christmas Snow Read online

  Christmas Snow

  by

  Paulette Brewster

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Christmas Snow Copyright © 2019 by Paulette Brewster. All Rights Reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  Cover designed by Lynnette Bonner www.indiecoverdesign.com

  Images: www.depositphotos.com file #175064334

  www.adobestock.com file#229507096

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Paulette Brewster

  Visit my website at www.paulettebrewster.com

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing: December 2019

  Chapter One

  The cab driver pulled into the driveway and stopped where the sidewalk led up to the front porch. Brett Andersen stared at the darkened house that gave every indication that nobody was home. None of the usual Christmas lights filled the shrubbery or lined the walk. As far as he could tell, the wreath on the front door was the only hint of Christmas. With a sinking feeling, he realized he should have called first. He should have told them weeks ago that he would be here for the holidays. Instead, his intention to surprise his parents had backfired. He had taken it for granted they would be home. With a shake of his head, he reached for his wallet, paid the driver then unloaded his suitcases. The light snowfall that had been falling since his flight landed suddenly turned into a thickening fog, creating a layer of white within minutes. He zipped his jacket all the way up to keep the cold and wet snow at bay before he hauled his luggage up the steps to the porch. He knew it was futile to search for a key to the front door but he looked under the mat and the empty flower pot as well as the cushion on the rocking chair. Nope. Just as he expected. He pulled out his phone and placed a call to his mom. After a couple of rings she answered.

  "Hi, Mom. Just wondering where you guys are."

  "Hello, dear. How are you?"

  He was cold and damp but didn't admit it, after all, it was his own fault. "Fine. Pretty good anyway. So, are you and Dad in Florida?" They had to be at his brother's house and most likely they drove down.

  "Yes, we're visiting at Dan's. I wish you were here with us," she said cheerily. "The weather is beautiful. Is it snowing where you are?"

  He headed toward the garage, wondering if the house key might be inside somewhere. "It's snowing pretty hard here." He brushed the wet snow from the top of his head.

  "Well, I'll bet it's lovely. I always enjoyed the way heavy snow could transform everything, but I'm quite happy to be here where it's sunny and warm."

  "Actually, I'm in Ohio, not St. Louis."

  "You are? Oh my goodness! Did you go there to surprise us? I'm so sorry, Brett."

  "Don't worry, Mom, I should have let you know a few weeks ago." He flipped on a light inside the garage and searched under and around things, but no key. "I was just wondering if you could tell me where the house key is?"

  "Well, dear, the neighbors have it. In case of an emergency, you know, if anything should come up. I'm so sorry, Brett." He could hear the concern in her voice. "On the brighter side, you know our neighbors."

  "I don't think so," he replied looking at the house whose driveway fit snugly alongside where he stood. The large, two-storied house with a wide front porch nearly glowed with colorful lights inside and out. It wasn't quite dark outside yet but it was plain to see that every room was lit up.

  "Sure you do," his mom went on. "Ron Martin and his family moved in this past summer. I thought I told you that. Well, I meant to tell you."

  "Ron and Nora?" he looked at the house again as he left the garage, closing the door behind him. If Ron lived there then it was very likely he'd be crossing paths with Elise Martin. Oh, Lord, he thought.

  "Just go knock on the door and tell Nora you need the key."

  This shouldn't be too hard, he decided. At least it didn't have to be. If he handled everything wisely then it would be okay. Yeah, right, he thought. So far he wasn't scoring very high in the “wise” category at the moment as he stood in the snow getting wet and cold.

  "How long will you be staying?" she asked him. He could hear the worry creeping back into her voice. "We'll miss seeing you."

  "My flight doesn't leave until a few days after Christmas."

  "Christmas dinner alone. Oh, dear."

  "Just being back home is good. Don't worry about me. I'll plan better next year. In the meantime, I'll check things out with Ron. And I’ll see you on my next visit. Enjoy the sunshine."

  "Okay. Now don't stand out in the cold any longer. Let me know when you get inside the house. Give me a callback, okay?"

  "I will, Mom. I'll talk to you later." He pocketed his phone and stared at the glowing Christmas tree in Ron and Nora’s window. There was no other choice than to knock on their door. He could stand around in the cold while he waited for another cab and hope the local hotel had room for him. No, that was ridiculous. If it was time to face the music, then that’s what he would do, but before he got more than two steps he heard someone calling to him from the porch of Ron’s house.

  “Come on inside. It’s too cold to stay out there so long.”

  He was sure it was Nora, although he’d only seen her once and that was at the wedding seven years ago.

  “Your mom just called me. Come inside and I’ll get you the key.” She waved at him to hurry up.

  He smiled at her and said, “Thanks.” When he stood on the porch he brushed the layer of white off his sleeves, shoulders, and hair. He felt like he should apologize but decided against it since his intention was only to collect the key.

  “I suppose it’s a beautiful night or a nasty one, depending on your circumstances, right?” she laughed but he heard the sympathy in her voice.

  “Yeah, I guess so. I think I’ll stay positive and just say it’s a beautiful snowfall.”

  “It is that. Merry Christmas. Now, come on in and get warm.”

  He followed her into the foyer and let the warmth seep through his jacket. She closed the door and put out her hand to take his coat then hung it on the coat rack. It had been years since he'd been inside the old house and it looked a lot more inviting than he remembered.

  “Mom said you and Ron moved in earlier this year.”

  She waved him to follow her to the living room. “We did and we just love it. Lots of work to update and make improvements but it was all worth it. Ron will be here in a few minutes. This time of day is tricky with traffic and then add the snow to that, and well, I hope it will only be a few minutes. Have a seat.”

  No sooner had he sat down on an overstuffed chair than three little boys came tearing around the corner, giggling as they tripped over each other. When they saw him, each of their movements came to a halt as they studied him from head to toe.

  “These are our boys. Aaron, Micah, and Jacob.” To the boys, she said, “Say hello to our neighbor, Brett.”

  “Hi,” they said in unison.

  The pang of an unknown feeling hit him in the midsection, unknown because he’d
never explored what it meant but it was also familiar. Two of the boys looked a lot like Ron and the other favored Nora. Time had slipped away. How was it possible that his best friend had a growing family already?

  Brett nodded at the boys. “Nice to meet all of you.”

  They all made their way toward the couch without taking their eyes off him.

  “Do you live in Betty’s house?” asked Aaron, the oldest of the three.

  “I used to when I was younger.”

  “I like Betty. She bakes cookies for us,” said Micah, the middle boy.

  “You have to watch out,” Brett replied. “She’ll spoil you.”

  They all giggled. “I know. But I like it,” Micah said.

  “Like it,” mimicked the youngest one.

  “Excuse me for a minute while I get your key.” Then Nora disappeared into another room.

  They all stared at each other and smiled but said nothing. Brett had never felt so out of his element. Not even the boardroom meetings and the presentations had put him in such an awkward moment. He tried to remember when the last time was he’d had to converse with children and couldn’t come up with an answer to that. He searched his brain for something to say that might spark interest to them.

  “Are you going to build a snowman with all this snow that’s coming down?” he asked, feeling relieved he’d discovered a topic that had to be near and dear to any child.

  “Yeah!” they all chorused, and he laughed, grateful for their enthusiasm.

  “Will you help us make one?” Aaron asked with his eyes big and bright.

  “Absolutely, I will. Sounds like great fun to me.” And he wasn’t kidding.

  Nora came back into the room and handed him the key. "Here you go. Now, I'll bet there isn't a thing to eat in Betty's house except some cans of soup because I know she planned in advance to clean out her refrigerator so I think you should accept our invitation to supper tonight." She gave a slight twist to her head in encouragement.

  He didn't want to stay for a meal but seeing Ron would be good. They hadn't kept in touch like they used to, and he regretted how he'd let himself get separated from friends and even some of his family.

  "Sure. Thanks. I don't mind canned soup but your dinner invitation sounds great."

  "Stick around for a while, we'll eat in about an hour and a half. Unless the boys are wearing you down." She laughed.

  "Not at all." He looked at them all lined up on the sofa. "We've been making some plans about making a snowman. I'm thinking if you have a carrot that would be a good start on planning his face."

  "I can help you with that and a hat and scarf too," she replied. "But it's a little early I think. We'll need more snow than this."

  "True, but it could happen. We just need heavy snow for packing." He couldn't even remember the last time he'd even thought about the condition of snow for making snowballs or snowmen. His life had been wrapped up in his job which kept him far too busy. His move to the city life had left little opportunity to enjoy the everyday things he'd loved during his growing up years. Concrete and high rises, boardrooms and airports had replaced all of that. The change had gradually crept into his life so that he'd barely noticed it. His workday never stopped at five o'clock as it did for most of his coworkers so there wasn't a spare minute to wonder how it happened.

  Nora offered him coffee and he accepted it while he conversed with the boys, or at least something close to conversing. Even though their interest converged around simple things, like how did you get here and why don't you wear a hat, he found himself enjoying their company.

  When Nora joined them, the conversation turned toward Christmas which obviously was uppermost in their minds. He listened as they begged for cookies, giggling the entire time undoubtedly knowing she wasn't going to give in. He studied the large well-adorned tree at the end of the room where a few gifts had already been placed beneath it. The fireplace mantel held a manger scene surrounded by pine boughs and unlit candles, giving the entire room a festive sense of hominess. His apartment sadly lacked anything close to what he was seeing. In comparison, he lived in a stark space that was nearly devoid of any color and certainly didn't have any Christmas decorations. Truthfully, he'd call it depressing now that he had to put a name to it.

  When the front door opened quite some time later, the boys all jumped up to greet their dad coming home from work. The noise was so great with everyone talking at once, that Ron hadn't even noticed anyone else in the room for a few minutes. Then Nora greeted him with a kiss to the cheek.

  "We have a guest," she said, stepping aside so he could look into the living room where Brett sat watching the welcome home ritual, at least it seemed like an everyday occurrence. He felt that same pang hit him in the gut, but he was beginning to get an idea of what was causing it. There was a lack of family in his life. He'd known it for a long time but ignored the emptiness by keeping busy.

  Ron's familiar broad smile brought out his own as they shook hands heartily.

  "Well, what do you know, old friend?" Ron asked, chuckling.

  "No more than I ever did," Brett replied, smiling in return. His friend hadn't changed much other than a few extra pounds that suited him well.

  "What a surprise. It's really good to see you." Ron no sooner sat down on the couch than the boys started climbing all over him. He scooped up the youngest one and put him on his knee, bouncing the boy till he giggled.

  Nora spoke just as she headed for the kitchen. "I saw him wandering around in the snow out there and I couldn't figure out who he was, then Betty called and asked me to give him the key. He's staying for dinner tonight so I'll let you two talk while I check the oven."

  "You've got a nice family," Brett said with sincerity. Just watching all of them together made him smile.

  "Thank you. Yes, and they sure keep us busy," he said, ruffling the hair of one of the boys. "So, I take it you flew in for Christmas and found yourself locked out. How'd that happen?"

  "Poor planning on my part." Brett shrugged. "What can I say."

  "Losing your touch for the element of surprise?" Ron laughed.

  "I guess so." He shrugged. "I'm out of practice."

  "Well, it's good to have you home. Don't stay away so long next time."

  Nora returned and sat in an easy chair near the two men. She gave Brett a knowing smile then said, "Why don't you come for dinner on Christmas Eve, and before you say anything, you need to know we won't take no for an answer. There isn't any way that I could ever look Ed and Betty in the eye again if we let you spend the holidays by yourself. So that includes Christmas dinner too. So, what do you think?"

  He laughed. "I don't know what to say, except thanks. It definitely sounds better than the alternative."

  "Well, no soup necessary on this vacation," Ron said. "We're glad to have you here. It's been too long."

  Brett nodded in agreement. It had been far too long, and he regretted not keeping in touch because he still considered Ron to be the best friend he'd ever had. Even though he'd missed his opportunity to spend time with his parents over the holidays, he could make good use of it renewing an old friendship. At least it was a good place to start.

  "All of Ron's sisters will be here so you'll get to see most of the family. Sort of like a reunion," Nora said, watching him closely. "It's always fun to celebrate together, especially this time of year."

  "I haven't seen John and Elaine for years," Brett replied, avoiding the subject of Ron's sisters. "How are things going for them? Or are they in Florida too?"

  "No, Mom and Dad are in South America doing missionary work. They planned to be home, but it didn't work out this time and that's why we're having the holidays at our place. Lucky for you I'd say." He smiled. "Funny how things work out."

  Brett adjusted himself in his seat, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the conversation. "It seems that way," he said.

  On one hand, he had the key to his old home where he'd be able to sleep in a familiar bed instead of taking a
cab to a hotel and just wait out the time for his flight back to St. Louis. But a feeling of unease crept over him at the thought of spending too much time at Ron's place. Just the idea of having to face Elise made him wish he'd stayed in St. Louis at his simple, albeit boring, apartment.

  Chapter Two

  The morning and afternoon had been ultra busy with mixing and baking plus three little boys who were occasionally underfoot in Nora's kitchen. Elise Martin pulled the cookie sheet from the oven, careful not to dump the two pies before she transferred them to the cooling rack. The hot pads were well-padded but they were also awkward for gripping the edges. No quick moves just stay steady, she told herself. So far the day had gone well and she wanted to keep it that way.

  “Oh, I made it!” she called to Nora, standing at the far counter whipping frosting for the already cooled cookies.

  “Nerve wracking isn’t it. I need a second oven like your mom's. I guess I should have thought of that before we bought this house.”

  “But it’s such a nice house just the way it is,” Elise replied glancing down the length of the older remodeled kitchen. “Plenty of room to add another oven, I’d say, if that's what you want to do.”

  “I know, but I’m done with remodeling for a long time.” Nora stacked two containers of sugar cookies on the kitchen table alongside the bottles of sprinkles and colored sugar.

  “Two more pies to go,” Elise said. “Then I’ll help frost those. And we do get to sample the mistakes, right?”

  “Of course!” Nora laughed. "I'm sure we’ll have plenty of help as soon as the boys come downstairs. I’m surprised they aren’t here already.”

  The fragrance of Christmas filled the entire house. Not only did the aroma of cinnamon and vanilla spill over into the dining room along with the fruity smell of baking pies, but the scent of pine mingled throughout the house. And no wonder since there were two live trees decorated to the max, one in the entryway and the other in the living room. At one end of the kitchen in the middle of a trio of windows stood a small artificial table-top tree with old fashioned cooking utensils and candy canes hanging on it.