Christmas Snow Read online

  “Oh my gosh. It’s so slippery out there! We’re going straight home.”

  “I’ll hold the pizza,” Laura said. “But I won’t dare to even sniff it.”

  “Don’t worry,” Kristin said. “It’s just enough for the three of us to have a slice and the rest will get snarfed up by Brianna and Julie, which is perfect. They’ll be back at college in a few weeks and walk it off for sure.”

  “Thank you,” Laura said, sounding grateful. “T’is the season to eat, but only for some people.”

  Elise smiled at the camaraderie they had always shared during good times as well as the tough times. Having four younger sisters was a bonus in so many ways. She never lacked a friend to share her thoughts with or present an opposing idea or even cry with. Honest opinions came easily from one to another, and they seldom held back during those conversations. Occasionally they shared clothing, but their tastes in styles and colors automatically kept that to a minimum, much to their mother’s disappointment. Currently, they ranged in age from eighteen to twenty-eight, with Elise being the oldest. Their brother, Ron, was nearly two years older and the only son, much to his disappointment.

  When they reached their drive, they all took turns slipping and sliding their way to the door. Laughing as they grabbed onto each other, they finally made it up the steps with only one mishap when Kristin took Elise down with her.

  “Oh, good thing Laura had the pizza!” Julie called out from the door, reaching for the box. “Just one?” She looked incredulous. “There are FIVE of us, you know. Are you trying to starve me?”

  “You ate how many cookies today?” Laura asked as she stomped snow from her shoes before entering the house.

  “That wasn’t real food. It doesn’t count.”

  Laura rolled her eyes heavenward. “Someday, it’s going to catch up to you.”

  “I smell pizza,” Brianna called as she flew down the stairs. “I only have three days to get this paper turned in, so I’ll just take a couple of slices and go back to my computer.” She followed them all into the kitchen.

  Elise set out the paper plates along with forks while Laura retrieved the salad. When they all sat down, minus Brianna, their conversation turned to Brett Andersen.

  “Was I the only one surprised to see Brett?” Kristin asked, filling her glass with ice.

  “Brett? You mean Andersen?” asked Julie, her forked pizza poised in midair as she sent Elise a glance. “Really?”

  “Really,” Kristin replied, dishing some salad onto her plate beside the piece of pizza.

  “Still good looking,” Laura said, munching her salad and giving everyone a mischievous wink.

  “Why was he there?” Julie asked, her eyes narrowed. “It makes no sense to me.”

  “Nora invited him for dinner tomorrow and Christmas day as well,” Elise said.

  “Awk-ward.” Julie drew the word out.

  Elise smiled. “It’s been a long time.”

  “He’s still good looking,” Laura said again, raising her voice in a sing-song way. Then she sipped her beverage and stared at Elise over the top of her glass.

  “So, you’re saying you’re over him.” Julie still hadn’t eaten the bite of pizza on her fork.

  “I am and have been for some time,” Elise stated with a bit of force. “It’s not like we were a couple, I mean, a long term couple.” Although it had been hard at the time to convince her heart of that.

  “You’re nicer than I am,” Julie said just before she popped the pizza into her mouth. "And I think you're minimizing the whole thing. What makes it long term, or not? You've known him almost your whole life."

  “It's been seven years. Time changes things,” Elise said. There was that word again. Change.

  "I'm not so sure about that," Julie said with a skeptical frown. "And what does it matter if he’s good looking? Has he changed? That’s the question. Besides, I never even noticed he was good looking back then."

  "You were only twelve," Laura pointed out.

  "Hmm. I guess you're right. That was before my interest in boys." She helped herself to another slice of pizza. "I love being home during the holidays. It's so cozy."

  Elise smiled and silently agreed. Sometimes she missed these kinds of evenings with her sisters. They certainly filled a house with their variety and enthusiasm. Even their disagreements weren't a big deal.

  “Well, I don’t know about anyone else,” Kristin said. “But I’m in the mood for a movie.” She rose from her seat and waited. “Anyone?”

  “Depends on what movie,” Julie said.

  “First we clean up the table,” Laura insisted.

  “We’ll take a vote. I mean on the movie, not cleaning up,” Kristin said when Laura frowned at her.

  After the kitchen was clean and the vote had been taken, they all settled into their comfy chairs in the family room to watch their favorite Christmas movie. Within minutes after the show began, Brianna quietly slipped into the room and curled up in a recliner.

  “I’ll get that paper finished later,” she said, to nobody in particular and everyone in general.

  When the movie reached the halfway point, Elise paused it.

  “Intermission time. Who wants popcorn?” she asked, heading toward the kitchen.

  “Everybody!” Julie called out. “And I’ll get the soda.”

  “It just isn’t Christmas without watching Scrooge.” Kristin sighed happily then pulled an afghan over her lap. “Perfect weather for it too.”

  “Hasn’t Nora done a great job decorating the new house?” Laura asked as she accepted a bowl of popcorn from Elise.

  “It’s beautiful. She’s a natural born homemaker. I don't know she manages to do so much,” Elise replied. "And with those three little guys too, although they are pretty well behaved. And teaching full time too. She amazes me."

  Brianna let out a long sigh of exasperation. “I feel like I’ve been exiled to my room and missing out on my whole vacation. And I’ve got two more Christmases to get through before I’m done with college. So, thank you, to whoever decided to watch this movie. Bless you.”

  There was no drama in her voice, Elise noted, but then Brianna was all about having her nose to the grindstone until she wore herself out. No wonder she needed at least a bit of a break. Memories of her college days came back in a rush, late night studying, plenty of coffee and not much socializing, and that included not dating as well, at least not after Brett. Neither did she sit around waiting and hoping for him to come back to her during those years. After college, she'd put all of that behind her and focused on her job. She loved her small library and took pride in making changes and seeing it grow. Brett rarely came into her thoughts and certainly not as a what-if-things-had-been-different kind of thought. The hurt had dulled. At least she thought it had, but there he stood today on the doorstep right in front of her.

  Sighing, she sunk into the depths of her chair and pushed the play button for the movie to continue.

  Chapter Three

  The entire evening at Ron and Nora's had been enjoyable. The meal was delicious and way better than a can of soup. Even building a snowman in the front yard with Aaron and Micah had been fun, although it took a lot of imagination to figure out if the finished product was a fat cat without ears or an old man that couldn't stand up straight. He had to admit the carrot nose and the ball cap had helped but not much. Maybe it was just being home and playing in the snow then hanging out with Ron, but the memories from his childhood came flooding back. A good share of those years had been spent with Ron. How had they lost that closeness? The feeling of friendship was still there even though they'd left high school more than ten years earlier.

  He glanced at his watch. Not too late to call his folks. Sitting alone in his old house was almost worse than being in his apartment. When his folks were home his mom was always bustling around in the kitchen whipping up a batch of cookies or just making a pot of coffee. And he'd been looking forward to sitting down with his dad and just talking
about whatever came up, most likely golf. Reaching for his phone, he punched in the number. Being alone was the pits.

  "Hey, Dad, how's it going?" He propped his stockinged feet on the coffee table in front of the couch.

  "Hey, yourself. Good to hear from you. How's the weather up there?"

  "Could be better, unless you’re a snowman." He smiled when his dad chuckled at the lame joke. "I know, I know. Give me a few minutes and I'll see if I can do better."

  "Well, Christmas in Ohio. That's just how it goes. We walked on the beach today and saw a few folks wearing Santa hats. Gotta do something to get the spirit down here, but no complaints from me. I'll wear the hat."

  Brett laughed knowing he probably did.

  "I take it you got the key from the Martins. And they probably fed you too."

  "Yep. I'm sitting in the old house keeping warm after spending the evening eating Nora's home cooking. She's a good cook. Not as good as Mom, but she'll get there."

  "Betty will be glad to hear you've eaten. Here, let me put her on."

  After a little bit of juggle the phone between them, his mom came on the other end sounding a little out of breath.

  "Hello, Brett. What's this about Nora's cooking?"

  "It's great. Not as good as yours though."

  "Oh, I doubt that. Did she invite you to Christmas dinner?"

  "And Christmas Eve too."

  "I thought she would. I'm glad. And aren't those little guys just the cutest little fellas? I enjoy watching them play and sometimes she asks me to babysit so she can get groceries. I can't imagine how she manages to take them with her to the store like that."

  "Yeah, they are a handful. They helped me build a snowman in their front yard while Ron worked on assembling some Santa gifts in the garage. It was fun. Wet, but fun."

  "Well, it would be nice if you found the right girl and started a family of your own, you know."

  "I hear you, Mom, but I'm not ready just yet." Or maybe he was. It had been on his mind for the past year that he should try a little harder to meet someone. Work had always been his excuse but it was getting pretty thin and work had become tedious.

  "All right, I won't push you, not that I could anyway." The phone was silent for a few moments and he started wondering if they'd lost connection. "I feel so bad that you're home all by yourself. I wish there was time for you to fly down here." She sighed. "But I know it's so busy in the airports this time of year that getting a flight would be next to impossible on such short notice."

  "Don't worry about me. Number one, I'm not alone. Well, I am but with Ron's family so close I don’t feel like I'm alone and that counts, right?"

  "That makes me feel better."

  "And all of Ron's sisters are there most of the time too, so it's pretty much a houseful of people. Plenty of activity going on to keep anyone from being lonely. And number two, I'm not lonely." Okay, so that was an out and out lie, he knew it but wouldn't take it back.

  "The girls are all there? Even Elise?"

  "Yes, Elise is there too. She flew in from… somewhere, I'm not sure where, before I got here."

  "That makes me feel even better. You should talk with her. She's a nice girl."

  He cringed, squeezing his eyes shut. The pang in his gut was back.

  "Are you still there, son?"

  "Yes, I'm here." He had nothing to add even though his mind was trying to come up with something. "I suppose I should let you go. Don't soak up too much sunshine all at once."

  She laughed. "Oh, I never do that. A little here and a little there but sitting in the shade is my favorite spot to be."

  "Tell Dad I'll call again tomorrow."

  "Okay. I'm glad you called, dear. I'll talk to you later," she said.

  After disconnecting, he sat holding the phone listening to the quiet in the mostly darkened house. The bright lights from Ron's place cast a glow of red, green and gold on the window in front of him. The snow continued to fall in thick feathery layers which diffused and scattered the colors coming his way. It was impossible to hear any sounds coming from the other house, but he imagined there was a lot of laughter with Christmas music playing in the background. He shook himself and stood up. Nostalgia for what wasn't his, simply wasn't nostalgia at all, it was envy. That was the last thing he ever wanted to feel. He strode to the kitchen, turned on a few lights and brewed a pot of coffee. On the counter was the plastic container of cookies that Nora had insisted he accept. He chose three of them to go with his coffee then settled on the couch again. The remote was handy so he turned on the television and surfed till he found a station that had nothing to do with Christmas.

  Chapter Four

  Christmas Eve

  Kristen's little car nearly bulged at the seams when Elise and all of her sisters crammed themselves into it. During their short drive through the falling snow, they sang Christmas songs at the top of their lungs, not caring if they were too loud or off key. They balanced dishes of food on their laps while the trunk held gift boxes and bags plus a few more dishes. Maneuvering to get out of the car was a bit tricky but finally, each of them took an armful of goodies then filed up the shoveled sidewalk.

  "Oh, look!" Julie nodded toward the small lopsided snowman in front of the house. "Someone had fun. Ho ho ho! I'll bet it was Aaron with a little help from Ron."

  "Isn't that cute? I think he needs a scarf." Elise left the sidewalk, picking her way carefully through the snow. "He can have mine." She adjusted her load and pulled her scarf from her neck then wrapped it around the snowman.

  Kristin followed her and tugged off one of her gloves and then the other, trying not to drop her armful of gifts. "I think the red looks wonderful. Don't you?" she said as she slipped them onto the stick-arms which pointed upward.

  "Perfect touch," Elise said with a nod of approval.

  Each of them tromped across the porch in an attempt to clean off their boots. Nora met them at the door holding little Jacob who stared wide-eyed at the white landscape. He wiggled and squirmed for her to put him down but she gripped him closer.

  “Outside!” he said, showing his enthusiasm by reaching out with his arms as if he could embrace it all.

  “Maybe later,” she told him. “Come in, girls, close the door please before this munchkin manages to get away from me.” She laughed as set him down now that he'd been distracted by the boxes with bright colored bows.

  "We thought we'd bring the gifts today in case the weather turns nasty tomorrow and we can't get out," Elise said, slipping out of her coat.

  "I think there must be at least four inches out there already," Kristin said, struggling with her boots.

  “You brought more food? My goodness, we’ll be able to invite half the neighborhood for sure,” Nora said. Her cheery mood helped Elise to prepare herself for spending the afternoon in Brett’s company. She hadn’t exactly dreaded it, well, maybe she did. It was an argument she’d been having internally for the last few hours.

  Once the coats, boots, and hats had been hung in the closet and the gifts placed under the tree, Nora led the way to the kitchen with Laura and Elise right behind her.

  Laura placed one dish on the counter. “Julie thinks I’ve been starving her, so now I don’t want to hear any more complaining.”

  “I heard that,” Julie called out from the dining room and they all laughed in response.

  “I do appreciate your help,” Nora said. “I can’t imagine doing this alone.”

  “Well, you’re not alone and never will be as long we live close enough to pitch in,” Laura said, hugging her.

  Elise put one of the dishes into the fridge. “Where’s Ron?”

  "He's in the garage with Brett,” she whispered, “putting together a gift from Santa for the boys. I think they’re enjoying catching up on old times. Out of hearing distance, you know.”

  Brianna stepped into the kitchen and asked, “Would you like us to set the table for you?”

  “Oh, yes, would you? I’ve spent most of the
morning chasing after the boys ever since Ron went to the garage, so I got behind. Use the china that's in the dining room hutch and the silver is in the bottom cabinet.”

  “The ham smells wonderful!” Kristin said, standing over the stove while checking the boiled potatoes. “These are almost done. We should have come earlier.”

  "Everything is working out and right on time too," Nora replied.

  They worked together, dodging each other as they finished preparations. When they all agreed dinner was ready, Nora gave Elise a questioning look and nodded toward the rear door that led to the garage.

  “Would you mind asking the guys to come in?” she asked as she held a hot dish of sweet potato casserole with a pair of hot pads, heading toward the dining room.

  “Sure,” she replied, wondering if Nora was trying to play matchmaker. She hoped not and pretended not to notice the small sly smile aimed in her direction.

  Elise opened the door and stepped into the attached garage. Both men looked up from their task of adding sides and a tongue to a wagon that was large enough to hold all three boys at one time. On top was a canvas covering half installed but already had the look of a Conestoga wagon.

  “Isn’t that adorable,” she said, unable to contain that Christmasy feeling of excitement as she walked around it. “The boys will love it. It’s so cute. I think I need one of these for my reading area in the library.” She studied it longer, thinking of how perfect it would be. “Yes. I do need one of these. You’ll have to tell me where you got it. But we can talk about that later. Nora sent me out to tell you dinner is practically on the table.”

  Both of them got to their feet and dusted their clothes then Ron tossed a large blanket over it.

  “Can’t have them taking peek at this,” he said, smiling proudly.

  She hadn’t said a word to Brett and felt a little awkward for ignoring him, so she smiled and said, “Nice to see you again.” It was rather lame but better than nothing.