My words come back to bite me in the ass. “I don’t hate it. Not exactly.”
“It’s okay if you do. It’s not my favorite place, either. With all those loose boards and all that cracked molding and the noisy pipes,” he says. It’s a relief to hear him be honest about it.
I brighten. “I’m glad you think so, too. Well, not glad, I mean. But— Gah, I thought it was just me for a while.” I think back to watchingElfalone. Just one instance in a string of broken plans that seemingly could’ve led to broken vows.
The divots between Patrick’s eyebrows etch deeper with equal parts care and concern. “Quinn, it’s never just you. That’s what our rings mean. Always in this together.”
I take that to heart, nodding. “Can we make a promise?”
“We already made the biggest one there is.” His wedding ring glints in the filtered sunlight.
“Right.” I shake my head. “I meant more of a smaller promise.” I don’t know why my hands grow clammy all of a sudden. It’s too cold for that, and I’m too old for these kinds of nerves with my own husband.
“What kind of promise were you thinking?” he asks.
I toy with one of the toggles on my coat with a free hand, heart pitter-pattering. “A promise to really be together here. Not let anything get in the way of us.”
“Of course.”
“And I want to go on dates again! God, when’s the last time we went on a real date? We’re too young to be this boring,” I say, suspiciously sounding like Mom, which, I don’t love, but the sentiments are true regardless.
“I wouldn’t say moving to the North Pole with a day’s notice is boring, but I’m on board with dates. I would love that.” Patrick’s cheeks lift; they have a newfound rosiness to them. “I’m sorry if I’ve let my focus wander. I just want to provide for you the best I can.”
I pat his knee. “I don’t need you to provide for me. I just need you to be with me, okay?”
Ever since the clothing boutique, I’ve been thinking a lot about what Yvonne and Colleen spoke about, how the North Pole served to smooth over a potential rift on the horizon of their relationships.
While Patrick and I haven’t suffered through anything as unbelievably difficult as the death of a child or a near heart attack, I could see our mountainous mortgage, the fast-tracking of our life, being akin to what Ashley shared with me over tea: how Samson was an overnight manager at a warehouse before all this, which meant they always worked opposing shifts. He was sleeping while she was working and vice versa. Two ships, and all that.
“Okay. I’m with you, Quinn,” Patrick says, tugging me back to the moment.
“Good, because I’m going to need you to bewith meas we embark down this mountain,” I say, noticing our chairlift is about to arrive at the station. “It’s been a hot minute since I’ve skied.”
After the bar lifts away in front of us, Patrick helps me down with a promise. “Don’t worry. I got you.”
For hours, we forget about our real life, which feels more like a dream than this does. The more times I fly down the slope, wind cresting across the exposed parts of my face, the more tension jettisons away like the snow off the blades of my skis.
The poles in my hands give me power. Patrick beside me, even at this speed, gives me reassurance.
Emmanuella and Jorge appear around midday with hugs and skis of their own. Jorge asks if we want to try a bigger slope—the North Pole’s version of a black diamond. I pass. This ride is already winding me. Emmanuella offers to stay behind with me.
“How’s the chalet treating you?” Emmanuella asks, a hint of knowingness tinged in her voice.
“Those enchanted appliances. They’re something,” I say as we wait our turn.
“Right? Us Priors go back to the mortal life after we step down, but you never forget that taste of magic.”
I consider this for a second. “Can you tell me more about the magic?”
Her eyes take on an otherworldly sparkle. “You’ve come to the right Prior. I live for the history of this place. The lore of the land is that there was once a man named Nicholas—not our Nicholas, a different one, but a similar look.” She lets out a light, airy laugh. “This Nicholas was benevolent and rich and gave secret gifts to those in need. He believed in the good of humanity and his love for humanity was so strong that it manifested into abundant magical powers. He didn’t know how to use those powers, though, so he went in search of someone who did. That’s how he found the elves, a magical, immortal people living at the top of the world who accepted him, taught him, and believed in his mission.”
“The elves have magic, too?” I ask.
“They do. It’s smaller and more practical magic. The kind that makes everyday tasks easier. Not the kind that can deliver presents all over the world in a single night. They had never seen magic like Nicholas’s before.”
“Makes sense.”
“At some point in Nicholas’s long life, he fell in love with a woman. That new love in his life made the powers he possessed grow even stronger. Toward the end of his life, he knew he needed to put this immeasurable magic somewhere, so it didn’t die alongside him, and his mission could continue after he was gone.”
