Page 46 of Dancing in Lake Mistletoe

Dutch’s eyes soften, and for a moment, he looks like he wants to argue, but he knows as well as I do that there’s no time to waste.

“You sure?” he asks, his gaze flicking between me and Josie.

I give him a reassuring smile. “Absolutely. We’ll be fine.”

Josie looks up at me, her big brown eyes wide and a little scared. I tighten the blanket around her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze. “It’s going to be an adventure, Josie. We’ll be like pioneers, living without power for a little while. Just you and me.”

I look back up to Dutch. “I can keep the fire going, and we can read by candlelight. We’ll be fine.”

“We can read Harry Potter,” Josie says.

Dutch kneels in front of her, brushing a hand over her cheek. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay? You be good and listen to Mindi.”

Josie nods, leaning into his touch. “Be careful, Daddy. I love you to Venus.”

He kisses her forehead. “I will, baby. I love you to Saturn.” Then, he stands and grabs his coat from the hook by the door and turns to me, his eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank you, Mindi.”

“Don’t worry about us,” I say. “We’ll be just fine.”

With one last look at Josie, Dutch disappears into the storm, the door closing behind him with a gust of icy wind. The house feels even quieter now, his absence making the space feel biggerand colder. I glance at Josie, who is still wrapped tightly in her blanket, and I force a smile.

“All right, kiddo,” I say, standing up and clapping my hands together. “First things first. Let’s get a cocoa refill and then fetch that book.”

Josie nods. She carries our mugs over, and I fill them to the top, then set them on the coffee table before returning the pot to the fire. She runs to her room to find the book, and I grab a couple of extra blankets from the linen closet and spread them over the couch. She sprints back, clutchingHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and climbs on the couch. I plop down beside her.

For the next hour or so, we sit, huddled together, while we delve into the story of wizards and muggles.

The candles flicker softly around us, and for a while, it’s easy to forget the howling storm outside or the fact that the temperature is slowly dropping. We’re bundled up in a cocoon of blankets, and I make sure the fire stays lit.

A gust of wind slams against the house, rattling the generator, causing the lights to blink briefly, as if reminding us of the storm’s presence. Josie jumps, her hand gripping mine tightly.

“It’s okay,” I say softly, rubbing her back. “It’s just the wind.”

I pull her closer, trying to reassure her. “You know, your dad is out there right now, making sure the whole town gets its lights back. He’s like a Christmas hero.”

Josie looks up at me. “He is.”

“Definitely,” I say. “He’s the one who makes sure all the Christmas lights stay on, even when a big snowstorm tries to mess it all up.”

I continue reading as her eyes grow heavy. When she finally succumbs to sleep, I mark the page and set the book on the table. And I snuggle in and let the storm lull me to sleep.

Mindi

Iwake to the sound of Dutch softly calling my name. I blink my eyes open to find him hunched down in front of us.

“Hi,” I croak.

He smiles. “Hi.”

“Is the storm over?” I ask.

“It’s still snowing, but the worst has passed.”

“Oh, thank goodness. What time is it?” I ask.

“Just past three in the morning,” he whispers.

“You must be exhausted,” I note. “Did you get everything fixed?”

---