December 13
“Hey Molly, Schrodinger, wait up!”
Molly turned as Drew came running up the sidewalk towards them. She’d just locked up the store; as she watched him catch up to them, she wondered if he’d left something inside from earlier in the day. He and Tom had surprised her by bringing in lunch from China Gardens, and they had had an impromptu picnic party in the teashop.
“Did you forget something?” she asked as he stopped beside them.
“Sort of,” he gasped, bending over to catch his breath. Schrodinger, ever the opportunist, sidled up to him and rubbed his head against Drew’s shins, a purr welling up in his furry throat. “Hey, Schrodinger, how’s it going? You still being good?”
Oh yes! the CrossCat said. Santa promised me my gift, if I can be good until after Christmas. And I have been! I haven’t even touched the new toy you put in the living room!
Drew stood up and raised an eyebrow at him. “What new toy I put in the living room?”
“The Christmas tree,” Molly said, grinning at the look on Drew’s face. “Aunt Marge helped us decorate it. With mice, among other things.”
So tempting, Schrodinger agreed mournfully. But that would be bad.
“Not to mention painful,” Drew said, and it was Schrodinger’s turn to cock his head, his version of an eyebrow raise. “Because there is no way any of those branches would hold your weight, buddy.”
CrossCats don’t fall, Schrodinger informed him.
“Except when they overshoot the island in the kitchen,” Molly agreed, her grin widening.
That was one time, Schrodinger said, his tail lashing the cold air. I was not myself, and I thought it was agreed that we’d never mention the incident again.
“He found one of Cupcake’s catnip toys,” Molly whispered to Drew, who laughed.
“Well, that doesn’t count, then,” he said, leaning back over to smooth the CrossCat’s ruffled fur. “And it was only once.”
“So, what did you forget?” Molly said, changing the subject so as not to tease Schrodinger anymore.
“To see what you guys were doing tonight,” Drew said, standing up. “It’s a beautiful night for a sleigh ride.”
As if on cue, Doc Robbins’ sleigh whizzed by them, full of teenagers, carolling at the top of their lungs. Molly laughed. “It is, isn’t it? What do you say, Schrodinger?”
I’ve never been in a sleigh. He looked down the road at the rapidly moving vehicle. Will they stop for us?
Drew reached out for Molly’s hand. “Luckily for us, I know another sleigh, a quieter one.” The look in his grey eyes, both hopeful and slightly worried, melted her resolve, and she accepted his hand.
“I think a quiet sleigh ride sounds lovely.”
He led them down the street and around the corner, where Molly gasped. A small sleigh, less than half the size of Doc Robbins’, stood hitched to the glossiest white mare she’d ever seen. The sleigh itself was a silvery grey, swirled with pale blue and green. “Drew, it’s lovely! Where did you get this?”
As he tucked them in, he grinned at her delight. “I borrowed it from Darien,” he admitted. “I mentioned it was for a special trip with two very special people, and he was more than happy to let me borrow Cascade for a few hours.”
The ride was amazing. Cascade, true to her name, flew through the night; Molly had a sneaking suspicion that the mare wasn’t quite full Earth stock. She could even be a Crossbreed; it wouldn’t have surprised her. And Drew was a consummate driver, manuevering the sleigh through the byways of the town, and occasionally on some of the quieter Roads that he knew.
Finally, he pulled the sleigh in front of her brownstone. “Thank you,” Molly said, climbing out reluctantly. “You’re coming tomorrow, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Drew said and then grinned. “Is that all the thank-you I get?”
She grinned too, well aware of the CrossCat watching them, and leaned over to give him a sisterly kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you at 8 pm tomorrow, then,” she said, and stepped back. He waved and waited until she opened the front door, and then drove away.
That was so much fun! Schrodinger said, leading the way up the stairs.
“It was,” Molly agreed, and then stopped. There, tucked into the wreath on her door, was another red envelope. Inside was a mini CD and a note which read, “Molly, I hope you enjoyed your sleigh ride. You looked lovely with the wind whipping through your hair. SA”