Janie stared at the screen of her phone. “What do you think of this one?”
He watched the animated white snowflakes flutter down her screen and then form a snowman. “Better than the last one. The elves jumping out as the present opened was a bit much.”
After a two-hour delay, they’d resorted to playing around with the wallpaper on their phones. It started as a contest to see who could find the most outrageous one before Janie decided to find a Christmas theme.
“I’ll keep this snowman. It’s cute.” She tucked the phone in her pocket. “Have you ever had a white Christmas?”
“Not unless two years ago counts, when it snowed the day after Christmas.”
“That doesn’t count. Unless it’s Christmas day, it loses the magic.” Her eyes took on a faraway look. “We had them in Iowa every few years. There’s nothing like waking up on Christmas morning and sipping hot chocolate while watching the snow fall. Add in a round of carols, and it’s as near perfection as we’ll see in this lifetime.”
“I’d like to experience one at some point in my life, but between Louisiana and North Carolina, I don’t foresee that happening.”
“You’ll have to come home with me one year to have a chance.” A nostalgic smile appeared. “It’s an event you’ll never forget.”
He rubbed his arms, pretending to shiver. “But it’s so cold there.”
She laughed, producing the desired effect. “You’re such a Southern boy. You wear layers when it's sixty degrees.”
“I like my sweatshirts.”
“We wear shorts at that temperature.”
The line moved forward, inching them slowly toward the opening. Once they made it into the plane, they found their spots. Janie had a window seat, and he got the unfortunate middle seat that could spell disaster depending on who sat on his other side. Two days before Christmas, he doubted the spot would remain empty.
Janie’s fingers curled over the handle of her carry-on, her knuckles the shade of a sheet of loose-leaf. “Is it too late to get off?”
“You’ll be fine. Once we take off, you’ll look out the window and be awed by the view.”
She released her grip on the bag and hugged herself. “My husband died on an aircraft. His last flight on one brought his body home to me.”
Her words punched him in the stomach. He should have thought ahead, realized flying would be an issue for her, especially so close to the anniversary of Mike’s death. They could have made the drive in a day, but it was too late now.
“I’m so sorry, Janie. I didn’t think.” It seemed to be a recurring theme lately.
“Tell me about Christmas with your family.” She swallowed and blinked. “What are your traditions?”
If distraction helped her, distraction is what she would get.
“Everything starts on Christmas Eve. My mom cooks a huge breakfast for us, enough for an entire platoon. Pancakes, muffins, eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage, kolaches.” His stomach grumbled thinking of the feast. “If it’s ever been considered a breakfast food, my mom will have it on the table.”
“What’s a kolache?”
“The easiest way to describe it is like a pig in a blanket but a hundred times better. You can find them in most donut shops and breakfast joints, filled with a variety of meats, but Mom always makes hers with cheddar sausages and adds jalapenos.”
“Sounds delicious.” Color began to return to her face. “Will Kate and Luke be there?”
“They should be.” He couldn’t wait to see his sister and have her meet Janie. He couldn’t explain why, but he desperately wanted them to like each other. “When I talked to her last night, they planned to spend all of Christmas Eve at my parents’ house.”
“What comes after breakfast?” Her back and shoulders relaxed.
“We hang out until evening. Some years, my dad takes Kate with him shopping to help him pick out last-minute gifts for Mom.”
Janie smirked. “Must be a man thing. I made many of those trips with my dad, too.”
“Could be, but I think Dad and Kate enjoy the tradition of it more than anything. The last year I was home, Dad already had a bunch of presents under the tree for Mom, but they still went out shopping.” The memories filled him with a longing for home. “While they were out, I’d help Mom wrap Kate’s presents, and then I’d tease her all day by telling her she’d either love or hate her presents.”
“My parents never let us know anything they bought for the other siblings.” A brief laugh blew from her lips. “They knew we were terrible at keeping secrets.”
