She never let her handicap slow her down or dampen her infectious personality. “My gratitude list is long, starting with this girl right here.” Elise gave Nicole’s arm a squeeze.
“Hey, she’s mine,” Cameron joked.
“Sorry, Camelot. You must share this dear creature with me. It was Nicole who made sure I was able to start—and, may I add,slay—veterinary school.” She gave Nicole a huge smile, but tears formed at the corners of her beautifully made-up eyes. “Because you believed in me, Nic, I’m living the dream.”
“Aww.” Nicole lifted the other woman’s hand and gave it a sisterly squeeze. “I can’t wait for you to be Dr. Hale.”
Across the table, Nancy and Jim Hale watched the exchange with nothing but love in their eyes.
“I’m going to echo that,” Nancy said, brushing back some hair as blond and wavy as her daughter’s. “And I’m grateful to this man”—she smiled at her husband—“for finally giving in and agreeing to let Elise fly.”
“Well, roll,” Elise cracked. “How about you, Cam?”
“You stole my thunder,” he said, pointing to Nicole. “I’m grateful for the most gorgeous and brilliant and supportivefiancée in the world and I can’t wait to make this woman my wife.”
Nicole angled her head and smiled with a happy sigh. “Thanks, babe,” she mouthed.
“I’m also grateful that after I pass my boards in January, I will actually be a certified paramedic,” he added.
That got a cheer around the table, everyone proud of Cameron’s skills as a ski patrol at Deer Valley in the winter and a firefighter in the warmer months.
“How about my sister?” MJ asked. “What are you most grateful for, Cindy?”
“So many things I’m not sure where to start, but I’m going to climb on the Nicole wagon,” she said.
Nicole groaned, briefly covering her face with her hands, her dark hair falling forward. “Too much attention on me.”
“I’m grateful you got on a plane a year ago, flew to Vermont, and persuaded your father to come to Park City and run the Snowberry Sleigh. And win back my heart.” Cindy lifted her left hand and let the diamond he’d given her moments before midnight last New Year’s Eve catch the light. “I can’t wait to be Mrs. Kessler…again.”
There were more cheers and toasts for that.
“I’m grateful for a second chance,” Jack said when the commotion died down, his gaze on Cindy. “And the opportunity to run Snowberry, be with my family”—he glanced at Nicole—“and make up for lost time.”
He leaned over and gave Cindy a sweet kiss on the temple just as she caught the rumble of Red’s voice and the sharp whisper of Benny’s—both of them looking at Red’s phone screen.
“Really, you two?” she asked, pointing at them. “Texting at the table during MJ’s gratitude game?”
“A text? Is that what this is?” Red asked Benny. “You called it…letters.”
Benny ducked his head as if expecting to be reprimanded. “It’s a TikTok DM,” he explained. “And Grandpa doesn’t know how to open it. Now, if I had my own phone?—”
“Benny.” Gracie gave her son a rare harsh look. “This is not the time for TikTok.”
“But, Mom, I think this one’s important.”
Nancy and Jim appeared a little confused by the exchange.
“Benny started a very popular social media account last year called Grumpy Santa,” Cindy explained.
“Oh, Nicole told us,” Nancy said. “Are you running it again for this Christmas season, Benny?”
“Kind of,” Benny said. “When Christmas ended, I morphed it into a Snowberry Lodge account then did some content on our renovations.”
“Somecontent?” MJ asked on a laugh. “Benny made art out of the demolition, set ‘before and after’ videos to music, and interviewed the subcontractors like they were celebrities.” You could hear the grandmotherly pride in her voice as she spoke.
“Impressive,” Jim said, nodding to Benny.
“So what’s the message, honey?” Gracie asked her son on a sigh. “And why is it important enough to discuss at the Thanksgiving table?”
