“He’s on his way home from London.”
“And?”
Cal clears his throat.“He saw Harper at the meeting.”
I hear nothing for several long seconds.Then Special K says, “Cool.”I hear his footsteps in retreat.“I’m headed out.Gonna take the flatbed to Tahoe to pick up the snow-making machine you want for the wedding, Finn.”
“You don’t have to do that right now,” Finn says.
“No time like the present, right?”I hear Kevin slam the door.
“Yikes,” Finn whispers.
“Yikes is right,” Cal says.“Our poor, helpless baby brother is driving to Tahoe because Finn wants at least seven inches of pristine, white snow on the ground in order for it to qualify as a Winter Wonderland.And since there’s no snow in the forecast, he wants a snow machine on hand.”
“It’s not what Ithink, it’s what Emmawants,” Finn snaps.“She wants a Winter Wonderland, not a dried-out dust bowl, so it’s my job to give her exactly that.Now get back to making my fucking party favors!”
I hang up, shaking my head.Finn’s lost his damn mind.
And as much as I like the visual of take-no-shit Special K serving as the wedding gopher, I don’t like that he’s still hurting over Harper.He’s never said a word about it, of course, because he doesn’t talk about anything.But we know.
Because we know him.
I close my eyes to get some rest.It’s an eleven-hour flight, and with the time difference, I’ll be landing at about nine a.m.
Oh no.
My eyes fly open as I realize my error.If I get back that early, I’ll be at Finn’s beck and call all day long.
I’m tempted to ask the pilot to take the long way around the globe.
CHAPTER 3
Phoebe
Day 1
December 17
I adjust my reindeer antlers again, but it’s no use.They keep slipping down over my eyes.
And since I don’t want everyone on the pediatric unit to suspect that Rudolph’s been hitting the holiday sauce, I slam the felt-covered wire headband into the top of my head, take a deep breath, and pick up where I left off with my song-and-dance routine.
“And if you ever saw it….”
The antlers skate down my nose and cover my lips, muffling the lyrics.This makes the kids and their families scream with laughter.At least someone’s enjoying this complete fustercluck.
I shove them back into place.
“You would even say it glows!”
A few minutes later, my performance comes to a merciful end, which means I can return to a job I’m more suited for—handing out candy canes and gifts to the pediatric patients stuck here over the holidays.
My heart breaks for the little ones and their parents.I can’t imagine how hard it would be to have to pretend to celebrate at a time of so much worry.
It’s not fair.
I feel a tug at the fake fur sleeve of my reindeer costume.“Nurse Phoebe?”
