Page 68 of The Christmas Cookie Crush

I wave him off. “We’ll be fine. Won’t we, Soph?”

“Yup!” she chirps.

After one more indulgently doubtful look, Shane says, “Remember, Santa only comes if you’re asleep.”

“Aw, Shane. You know that I know Santa’s Grandpa Jake. And he loves me. So he’ll give me presents even if I’m awake.”

Chuckling, Shane starts to pull the door closed behind him. “Night. Sleep good.”

“Night,” Sophie and I both chorus.

“I’m so excited,” she whispers. Sitting up, she cranes around to look at me as I’m putting things away in my dresser and closet. “Thanks for inviting me for a sleepover.”

I smile at her over my shoulder. “Thanks for joining me. I like having you for company. Shane’s right, though. We should probably get to sleep soon. I’m pretty tired.”

As if on cue, she gives a jaw-cracking yawn. “Me too. Shane and I went sledding today and built a snowman afterward.”

Smiling, I climb into bed, glad that I invited her here. She is the perfect distraction. “Sounds like a fun day,” I say softly.

“It was. Hey, maybe we could all go sledding tomorrow?”

“Hmm,” I let my doubt color my tone. “Tomorrow’s probably pretty full with all the usual Christmas stuff. But maybe the day after? Even if no one else wants to go, I’ll take you sledding.”

“Yes!” It’s more whisper than shout, but her excitement is palpable.

“I love you, Aunt Nora.”

“Love you too, Soph.”

She settles into her bed, and I turn off the lamp next to my bed, but even though her breathing quickly evens out into the telltale deepness of slumber, I take much longer to fall asleep. My mind keeps replaying my conversation with Dylan and the events last night.

Did I make a mistake? Should I have just ignored my dumb brother and kept on as I wanted to? What if a long-distance relationship isn’t as hard as Dylan makes it out to be? What if Austin and I could make it work? What if it could be temporary?

Couldn’t we date, see each other when we have time, talk on the phone or video calls like he said, and cross the bridge of what comes after I graduate when we get there? It’s not like I have a job lined up after graduation anyway. I could end up back home regardless, and all I’ll have to show for it is heartbreak and an awkward relationship with the guy taking over my favorite bakery.

Did I just torpedo a chance at a relationship with the best guy I’ve ever been with for nothing?

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Nora

Sophie wakesme up the next morning.

“Nora!” She clambers onto my bed, patting my shoulder as she hisses at me. “Nora, it’s Christmas! Wake up! Merry Christmas!”

Running a hand down my face, I roll over to look at her, and she flops onto me for a hug. With a chuckle, I return her hug. “Merry Christmas, Sophie.”

“Come on!” she urges. “Let’s go see what Santa put in our stockings!”

I sit up and rub my eyes as she scrambles off the bed. “I thought you said you know it’s just my dad who’s Santa.”

“So?” She gives me a look like I’m ridiculous. “He’s still Santa. Our stockings are still full. Let’s go see! Hurry! Everyone else will be up soon!”

“Why is that bad?” But she’s already out the door before I can get the question out.

Climbing out of bed, I put on my slippers and grab a hoodie before following her out the door. “You know,” I say, sitting on the floor next to her in front of the Christmas tree, “everyone being up soon means you don’t have to wait as long toopenyour presents.”

She nods, her eyes never straying from the pile of gifts clustered at the base of the tree, so many it flows out past the circumference of the quilted tree skirt our grandma made when I was just a baby that we’ve used every year since. It has all our names on it. Well, my Mom and Dad and siblings and I, anyway. Obviously, it doesn’t have Shane and Sophie or Olivia or Lydia on it, though Mom’s made them all stockings as they’ve been folded into our family.

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