Shit! Now I felt bad. I hadn’t meant to scare her.
“You’re fine, Noelle. Now, if you’ve had enough dinner, take your plate to the kitchen and then we’ll get your things together and move downstairs.”
You could tell Holly knew how to deal with kids. She had this calmness about her.
Noelle jumped up and scurried into the kitchen, setting her plate on the sink before coming back and picking up the rest of her things. I was surprised she didn’t argue or complain. I thought all kids complained about doing chores or picking up things.
“If you two are right up here, I’ll go down and get the fire started. It will take a bit to get the place warmed.”
“Okay,” Holly agreed, reaching for Noelle’s hand.
“Okay,” I confirmed, feeling awkward. Shaking off the feeling, I started getting dressed. Standing there in my boots, jacket, scarf, gloves, and beanie, I looked over at Holly and Noelle, who were standing by the Christmas tree. I couldn’t help myself. It was too precious a moment not to capture. I snapped a picture and banked the memory before I spoke.
“Right. I’m heading down. Pack up what you need. Warm clothes, pillows, blankets, and I’ll come back and help carry them down.”
“We can do that. Can’t we, Noelle?” Holly asked, trying to get Noelle involved.
“I can help,” Noelle replied. Damn, that kid was cute.
I reached for the door handle. “Holly?”
“Yeah?”
“If you don’t mind, could you pack some food and drinks, too? We don’t have to take everything, but it would be good to have some supplies so we’re not up and down those stairs every other minute.”
“Can do,” Holly agreed with a smile.
I needed to get out of there before I said or did something stupid like asking them to stay. Beg them to never leave. There was something normal about them being here. It felt like it was too good to be true. Yanking open the door, I was hit with an icy blast of reality that I desperately needed.
“Holy fuck!” I swore as I stepped out into the snow, tugging my beanie down over my ears.
I slipped twice on my way down the stairs, but thankfully, made it in one piece. After getting the fire started, I set about getting ready for guests. Even though I’d tidied up earlier it didn’t seem clean enough.
I made notes on my phone about what I needed to bring down. It would’ve been easier if it’d just been me. I would’ve grabbed my blanket and crashed on the couch. The couch wasn’t big enough for three. In fact, it wasn’t really big enough for me, but I’d make do.
An hour later, I shed my jacket and had worked up a sweat, but it was as good as it was going to be. Blowing up the air mattress really took it out of me, but at least everyone had somewhere to sleep.
Knowing I’d done all I could, I slid my jacket back on and headed upstairs carefully to help Noelle and Holly. Taking note of the ice on the bottom step, I made a mental note to warn them.
I opened the door and stepped into my apartment, and was hit by a frosty surprise. The temperature had dropped here quicker than I was expecting.
“It’s cold in here,” I commented, waving my phone around.
“It’s so cold,” Noelle replied, her teeth chattering.
“Let’s get you warmed up then,” I offered, feeling guilty I’d taken so long.
Noelle climbed out of Holly’s lap on the couch and tugged down her pink jacket. When she reached for the handle of her suitcase, I stepped over and took it. “How about I carry that down for you, and you just take care of getting there in one piece?”
Noelle looked to Holly who just nodded her agreement.
“Mmkay,” Noelle replied, hugging her teddy bear to her chest.
“Is this all of it?” I asked, looking around the room.
There was a lot less than I expected, or maybe Holly was just really good at packing.
“Other than your things. I wasn’t sure … I didn’t know …” Holly stumbled over her words, and it was adorable.
