“Hi,” he said, as friendly as he could. “I’m Micah.” He held out his gloved hand.
“Nice to meet you,” she replied as she pumped his arm. Already, her scowl had turned to careful acceptance. “Aubrey.”
Charlotte groaned in dismay behind him. “Could have been halfway down the hill by now,” she mumbled.
He glanced over his shoulder, shocked at her rudeness. He’d thought she loved her family. He’d assumed they were tight when she’d talked about them on the ride here; also, they all lived in the same town; wasn’t that a recipe for a close-knit family?
Aubrey folded her arms and pinned him with a look. “So, what are your intentions with my sister?”
Micah reared back. “I intend to kiss her,” he blurted the truth before thinking through the answer. His ears burned under the stocking hat, and he wanted to bury his face in the snow and hide there until spring.
Aubrey blinked hard. Then she started to laugh. She held her sides; her medium brown hair fell in her face, and she brushed it aside. “Well, you’re honest and brave. I’ll give you that.” She patted him on the back and nudged him toward Charlotte. “Maybe you should have clued her in on that before you told me–she looks like she just saw Santa come down the chimney.”
As Micah turned, Charlotte’s mouth snapped shut, and she became very interested in arranging the sleigh so that it pointed down the hill at just the right angle.
“Come on, Char.” Aubrey teased. “Don’t be mad. You don’t have to wait for mistletoe on my account.”
“You’re worse than either of the boys. Honestly. A sister should have my back!” Charlotte sat on the sled, her heels digging into the snow to keep it from sliding away. She pointed at Aubrey. “I’m taking your present back and buying you coal.” She narrowed her eyes. “For the next five years.”
Aubrey laughed again. “Empty threats. You’re too much of a Christmas lover to do such a thing.” She turned back to Micah. “All I hear about is Lizzie-this and Lizzie-that. I can’t thank you enough for bringing her over here today. Jenny was going through Lizzie withdrawals.”
Micah allowed a small smile to peek through. “It’s the same at our house.”
“We’ll have to get them together over the break.”
“That would be great.” Micah checked off one of his Perfect Christmas List items. This holiday was turning out to be one he’d want to remember–and that said something.
The Morris Family wasn’t as bad as he’d thought they’d be. So far, he learned that–not only were they close–they liked to tease. He filed the information away.
“Come on,” Charlotte encouraged him to climb on the sled behind her. “Let’s get out of here before I melt into the snow from embarrassment.”
Aubrey chuckled. “Need a push?” She pumped her eyebrows.
“Not from you!” Charlotte only waited long enough for him to sit down before she kicked off, and they lurched forward.
Micah grabbed around her middle to keep from falling off the back of the sled. Had she done that on purpose? Aubrey’s happy laughter behind them said that she might have. He didn’t mind one bit.
As they picked up speed, Charlotte leaned into him, removing any space between their puffy coats. Micah closed his eyes and let the wind whip his cheeks as he memorized the feel of Charlotte near. She was an unexpected gift this holiday season, and though he hadn’t had her on the list of requirements for a perfect Christmas, she was at the top of it now.
They slowed to a stop at the bottom, and Lizzie and Jenny piled on top of them, knocking them off the sleigh in a fit of giggles. “You were so fast!” Lizzie exclaimed.
“My dad’s faster,” Jenny said. It didn’t sound like she was bragging, but she knew this for a fact.
“That’s because your mom makes him too many cookies.” Charlotte tickled her, and laughter peeled through the air. “Do you two want to go again?”
The girls scrambled to their feet and were off, dragging the sled between them as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Charlotte threw her arms out to the side and landed in the snow, making a snow angel. Micah watched her, content just to be here. The snow had lightened up, just like the weather app claimed it would. A flake brushed his nose, and he sneezed.
“Aren’t you going to join me?” Charlotte’s eyes darted to the spot of fresh powder next to her.
He shook his head. “I always get snow down my coat.” He shivered at the thought. Seeing Lizzie make snow angels had taken another brick off his shoulders. It was such a normal thing for a kid to do that it gave him hope that her life would have some stability in it now.
Charlotte giggled and got to her feet. “Fine. We’ll stick to sledding.” She took one side of the rope, and he took the other. “So…” she started.
Micah winced, knowing exactly where she was headed with this. He shouldn’t have told Aubrey what was on his mind. He should have just kept his mouth shut.
Charlotte turned around, so she was walking uphill backward and could look at him while she talked. “Is there anything Lizzie wants for Christmas? Anything she may have asked for other Christmases that she didn’t get?”
