I’m working on it, I promise!<\/p>\n
<><><><><><><><><><><><><\/p>\n
“Wait, she said what?” Drew stared at Pavel, torn between horror and admiration.<\/p>\n
“She said that–”<\/p>\n
“No, I heard you the first time.”\u00a0 Drew sighed and put his palm to his forehead, wondering if maybe he could blame the entire last week on a fever dream.\u00a0 His skin, however, was cool – no such luck.<\/p>\n
“Do you need me to deliver anything today?” Pavel asked after a few moments of silence.<\/p>\n
“Huh?”\u00a0 Drew looked up.\u00a0 “Oh, no, sorry.\u00a0 Thanks, Pavel – I’ve got the next couple of days taken care of.\u00a0”\u00a0 Drew pulled himself up from the kitchen table where they had been sitting.\u00a0 “Come back tomorrow night?\u00a0 I’ll have the next gift for you.”<\/p>\n
“Of course.”\u00a0 Pavel drained the last of his beer and got up as well.\u00a0 “This is more fun than I’ve had in a long time!\u00a0 And this time, I get to bring home goodies to the crew!”\u00a0 He grinned.\u00a0 “You’d better keep her close – my crew is ready to kidnap her so they can get cookies any time!”<\/p>\n
“Big, bad pirates, looking for cookies?” Drew laughed despite himself.\u00a0 “There’s an image!”<\/p>\n
“Wouldn’t you?” Pavel joined his laughter.\u00a0 “Besides, even pirates appreciate cookies!”<\/p>\n
After Pavel left, though, dread replaced the laughter.\u00a0 Drew went out to check on Ember, wondering what the heck he was going to do.\u00a0\u00a0 Her proposal to Old Man Winter hadn’t been designed to give him a heart attack, he knew – but it had.\u00a0 When Father Christopher had called him and let him know what Molly had planned, and that Old Man Winter had accepted…He sighed again and opened the stable door.<\/p>\n
That was a very deep sigh,<\/em> Ember said, lifting her head to look at him.\u00a0 Her sapphire eyes were kind.<\/p>\n “I’m worried about Molly,” he admitted, crouching down to look at her leg.\u00a0 It had only been a few days, but whatever was in the ointment that Old Man Winter had been putting on the wound had worked miracles.\u00a0 The flesh was smoothing out, nearly healed.\u00a0 That, at least, was one good thing.<\/p>\n You and your young friend Schrodinger are both worried,<\/em> Ember said, watching him.\u00a0 I wonder if she is as delicate as you seem to think.<\/em><\/p>\n “<\/em>Delicate?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 Out of her league?\u00a0 Probably.”\u00a0 Drew smeared more ointment on the wound and laid a fresh dressing down.<\/p>\n Perhaps.\u00a0 Perhaps not.<\/em>\u00a0 Ember stretched her head out and tapped him almost playfully on the shoulder with her head.\u00a0 Perhaps you underestimate her.<\/em><\/p>\n “<\/em>Maybe.”<\/p>\n <><><\/p>\n How do I look?<\/em> Schrodinger demanded, looking over at Molly again.<\/p>\n “You look just fine, just like you did five minutes ago,” she told him, trying not to smile.\u00a0 “I promise you.\u00a0 You are handsome.”<\/p>\n I want to look perfect for Lily!<\/em>\u00a0 He jumped up and put his front paws on the window sill of the bookstore again, looking at himself in the window and admiring the bow tie he wore.\u00a0 Aunt Margie had done the unthinkable during the Christmas season – she had closed the bookstore for the entire day.\u00a0 It was, as Schrodinger kept reminding Molly, a very important day.<\/p>\n And now I’m bringing Old Man Winter to it,<\/em> she thought, wondering if she should be worried.\u00a0 She wasn’t.\u00a0 She was excited.\u00a0 For the first time since she, Lai, Sue and Noemi had been in grade school, she was going to see the Dance School of Carter Cove put on their version of the Nutcracker.\u00a0 It was made more sweet by the fact that her six-year-old niece Lily was dancing in it for the first time.<\/p>\n Do you think he’ll really show up?<\/em>\u00a0 Schrodinger looked at her over his shoulder.\u00a0 Really?<\/em><\/p>\n Molly was about to answer when an icy wind blew around her, nearly blinding her.\u00a0 As she blinked away tears, she looked up to see Old Man Winter, complete with scowl, walking down the street towards her.<\/p>\n “I’m glad you came,” she called out, as if she were meeting an old friend.\u00a0 “You’re going to enjoy this.”<\/p>\n He grunted.<\/p>\n “However,” Molly continued, looking him up and down, “You might be overdressed.”<\/p>\n “What?” Old Man Winter said, stopping and looking at her.\u00a0 “What are you talking about?”<\/p>\n “Fur coats are a bit much for an early evening performance,” Molly said.\u00a0 “And you’ll boil when we sit in the auditorium.”\u00a0 She looked him up and down again.\u00a0 “Then again, I guess we could stand in the back.\u00a0 We won’t be able to see as well, but…”<\/p>\n He stared at her for a long minute, and Molly stared back at him, giving as good as she was getting.\u00a0 Then that wind blasted around them, and when her eyes cleared, she saw him standing in a neat charcoal grey suit, with a tailored wool overcoat.\u00a0 Instead of the tall walking stick he’d been carrying, he had a polished black cane.\u00a0\u00a0 “Is this better?” he growled.<\/p>\n “Much.” Molly beamed at him and took his arm.\u00a0 “Trust me, you’ll be more comfortable.”<\/p>\n They strolled down the street towards the Dance School, not talking, but Molly wasn’t uncomfortable in the silence.\u00a0 Anyone looking at them would think it was her grandfather, or perhaps an older uncle.\u00a0 In this guise, no one would recognize Old Man Winter.\u00a0 Even his bushy beard seemed a bit tamer.<\/p>\n “Three tickets, Molly?” Noemi said, grinning.\u00a0 Molly had filled the Trio in on her plan Sunday night, and they’d all agreed to help.\u00a0 “I hope you like it, Mr. Winter!\u00a0 The kids have worked hard!”<\/p>\n Old Man Winter peered at her, perhaps wondering if she were making fun of him.\u00a0 “We’ll see,” he said finally, and took the program she handed him.\u00a0 “We’ll see.”<\/p>\n They settled into seats next to Aunt Margie and Uncle Art.\u00a0 The entire family was there to support Lily; even Jack, who thumped his tail eagerly when he saw Schrodinger.\u00a0 The CrossCat made a beeline for the shephard\/hound mix, who scooted over in the seat to make room for him.\u00a0 Molly waved to her folks and her brother and sister-in-law, then sat down and opened her program.<\/p>\n “What are we watching?” Old Man Winter asked her quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n It was amazing how the man managed to growl in a whisper, she thought.\u00a0 “The Nutcracker,” she told him, and explained the general story of Clara, her uncle Drosselmeyer, and the magical doll that took her to Faeryland.<\/p>\n “And your niece is dancing in this?”<\/p>\n “Yes, the little kids are going to be snowflakes.”\u00a0 Molly grinned.\u00a0 “I can’t wait.”<\/p>\n The lights dimmed, and the stage lit up.\u00a0 For the next two\u00a0hours, Molly sat in rapt silence, watching the beloved ballet.\u00a0 The snowflakes were adorable, of course, and the young girl they had as Clara was amazing.\u00a0\u00a0 It was perfect.<\/p>\n And then it was over, and Lily came bolting down the aisles ahead of her mother to throw herself into her grandparents’ arms.\u00a0 “Did you see me?” she cried.\u00a0 “Did you see?”<\/p>\n “We did!” Molly’s mother said warmly.\u00a0 “You were the best snowflake!”<\/p>\n Molly bit back a giggle.\u00a0 The snowflakes had come out in a rag-taggle line, and none of them had been really on time.\u00a0 But they had been perfect.\u00a0 Snow didn’t fall perfectly, so why should dancing snowflakes be orderly?<\/p>\n Then Lily saw Old Man Winter, standing behind Molly, and her eyes widened.\u00a0 “Are you Santa Claus?” she whispered.<\/p>\n Molly turned to look at Old Man Winter, who was staring down at the little girl.\u00a0 “Well?” she asked.\u00a0 “Are you?”<\/p>\n He amazed her by kneeling down to Lily’s level to respond.\u00a0 “No, child, I’m not.\u00a0 But I know him.”<\/p>\n “Are you his brother?” Lily asked, leaning in.<\/p>\n “Something like that.”\u00a0 Old Man Winter winked at her.\u00a0 “Do you want me to tell him something?”<\/p>\n Lily nodded and leaned over even farther to whisper something Molly couldn’t hear into his ear.<\/p>\n “I’ll be sure to tell him,” Old Man Winter said solemnly.\u00a0 “You were a beautiful snowflake.”<\/p>\n Lily beamed at him and threw her arms around him.\u00a0 “Thank you!”\u00a0 Then she ran off with her mother to collect her things.<\/p>\n “Yes, thank you,” Molly said, as Old Man Winter stood up, leaning on his cane.\u00a0 “You made her night.”<\/p>\n “Hrmph,” he said, but there was a twinkle in his eyes that she hadn’t seen before.\u00a0 “No need to make the little one unhappy.”\u00a0 He looked at Molly.\u00a0 “You’ll be heading out with them?”<\/p>\n She nodded.\u00a0 “We’re taking Lily for ice cream.\u00a0 Would you like to join us?”<\/p>\n Old Man Winter actually seemed to consider it.\u00a0 “No,” he said finally.\u00a0 “I think I need to head home as well.\u00a0 But thank you.”\u00a0 And Molly heard the sincerity in his voice.\u00a0 “This was not what I expected.”<\/p>\n “There’s a carol sing at the church on Thursday,” Molly said.\u00a0 “You should come.\u00a0 I have a new book of carols.”<\/p>\n “I might.”\u00a0 And then he turned and melted into the crowd.<\/p>\n Wow.<\/em>\u00a0 Schrodinger appeared beside Molly.\u00a0 I think he had fun.<\/em><\/p>\n “I think he did too.”\u00a0 Molly leaned down and picked Schrodinger up, so he wouldn’t get stepped on.\u00a0 “I think he did too.”\u00a0 Then she looked at the CrossCat.\u00a0 “Where did you get that?”<\/p>\n In his mouth was a small gift bag.\u00a0 I found it,<\/em> he said.\u00a0 Under the tree out in the lobby.\u00a0 It has your name on it.<\/em><\/p>\n She shifted him to one arm and reached into the bag with her free hand.\u00a0 This ornament was all shimmery white, just like Clara’s nightgown, and attached to the top were a tiny silver pair of ballet slippers.\u00a0 The card with them said, “I hope you enjoyed the ballet.”<\/p>\n <><><><><><><><><><\/p>\n Who knew?\u00a0 Maybe this isn’t such a hair-brained scheme of Molly’s after all!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’m working on it, I promise! <><><><><><><><><><><><> “Wait, she said what?” Drew stared at Pavel, torn between horror and admiration. “She said that–” “No, I heard you the first time.”\u00a0 Drew sighed and put his palm to his forehead, wondering if maybe he could blame the entire last week on a fever dream.\u00a0 His skin, …<\/p>\n