Building and decorating the houses was more comfortable than I would have believed. Elena and Robin chatted with me in the way parents always did, about school and my family and interests, and Tyler behaved—Tyler behaved like a boy with his parents: younger and more open than I had seen him before, a little annoyed, a little affectionate.
“Tell us about this jewelry chest Tyler said you found,” Elenasaid, crushing candy canes in a Ziploc bag with the back of a spoon. “He said it was under a floorboard?”
I wasn’t sure why, but I found it sweet Tyler had told his parents about the box. “Yeah. We think it might have belonged to one of the first generations at Golden Doors, in the mid-1800s.”
We were telling them about our afternoon research when my phone lit up with a call. I scrambled for it. Only family called instead of texting.Noah, the screen said. “Hi?”
“Where are you?” He sounded aggrieved.
Aggrieved meant he’d been roped into something and thought I, too, should have to deal with it. “Out?”
“We’re taking the middles and littles sledding.”
“Ha,” I said. “Have fun.”
“Weare,” he enunciated.
“The others can’t help?”
“Ethan and David have vanished,” he said. “And we need you to drive the second car.”
“Abby can drive it.”
“Shira.”
I rolled my eyes. Clearly he meant he needed me to help babysit and didn’t want to be separated from his girlfriend for two seconds. “I’ll meet you at the hill,” I said, a compromise I knew he’d be desperate enough to take. “And you owe me.”
CHAPTER TEN
Somehow, Tyler wound up coming sledding.
“It’ll be good for you,” he said as I pulled on my coat in his foyer. “And I’ll get to see you in your natural environment.”
“I’m not going to flirt with you,” I said. “Not in front of my family.”
“Relax.” Tyler rolled his eyes. “I’d never, ever expect you to flirt with me. But Isaac’s staying with your family, right? This’ll be good practice, interacting with a guy with your family around.”
Tyler was very different from “a guy,” but I saw his point, so we drove together to Dead Horse Hill. We parked off the street and headed to the top of the sledding area, a small enclave surrounded by trees, not far from the hospital. I felt more nervouswith every step and froze completely as we passed Grandma’s car. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“All my cousins will be there. Noah has a grudge against you.”
“You have a grudge against me, and you’re with me right now.”
Despite being several inches shorter, I did my best to look down my nose at Tyler. “We have adeal,” I said. “And you hit on Noah’s girlfriend last time you saw her.”
“Come on, Shir.” He took a step closer and rubbed his mittened hands up and down the sleeves of my puffer jacket, the white puffs of our breath mingling. “This is a great idea.”
He wastooclose, so close I could feel the heat of his body and had a front-row seat to the Obnoxiously Perfect Beauty of Tyler Nelson whether I wanted it or not. I gave his chest a firm push with my own mittened gloves, feeling like we were two Pillsbury Doughboys in a fight. “Just remember, I warned you.”
I hurried to the top of the hill, Tyler not far behind, trying to outpace him as I located Noah and Abby. They watched the littles absentmindedly, their heads bent together.
“Hey, guys,” I called, and they turned. I lowered my voice as I approached, so only they could hear me. “Don’t be weird.”
Noah looked confused, and then his gaze fastened behind me. His brows snapped together. “What are you doing here?”
I hated when Noah used that tone. He sounded like Grandpa. Like Grandpa right before I fled the room. “I invited him.”
