Page 33 of The Christmas Express
‘A coast girl,’ I clarify.
‘What do you like about the beach?’
I like how she pronounces beach, the last two letters sounding like a gentle wave breaking on the shoreline. ‘There’s something about being in nature that feels big and real and amazing and peaceful, all rolled into one. And I often think animals are better than people, so I like seeing seals and dolphins. I like that I can drive inland a couple of minutes and see sheep.’ I laugh. ‘There’s an owl sanctuary nearby too. I don’t know if I’m making sense or just sleep deprived.’
‘You’re making total sense,’ Alex says.
‘Might I see bears on this trip?’
‘Bears? Not on the train.’ She chuckles and adds, ‘You might when you hit Vancouver Island. Although they may all be hibernating.’
I pick at a loose thread of wool on the blanket, thinking of Tonia. She likes to hibernate in winter, also.
‘Do your family live in Cornwall?’
It’s an innocent question, and in hundreds of similar ways I’ve answered this before, so I don’t mind. But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t still cause my heart to let out a dull throb.
‘Actually, my parents both passed away, a few years back.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Thank you. It’s fine. I’m fine . . .’
Alex reaches across the aisle and rests a hand on my shoulder for a breath or two. ‘So now you just like to hang out with seals and owls. I get it.’
I smile. ‘That’s right.’
‘You know,’ she says, sitting up straighter, excitement flashing in her eyes like the stars have dropped out of the sky. ‘If you want to see polar bears there’s a great train that leaves Winnipeg tomorrow evening and travels up to Churchill. The polar bears are usually only viewable until late November but the reports are that they’re around still this year.’
‘You mean, get off this train? Not go to Vancouver?’
‘Just an idea. If nature makes you happy, that’s a pretty spectacular trip.’
But . . . leave the train? Forget about Bryn? That isn’t the plan.
Alex stands up, stretching her arms out to the side, and shakes loose her dark hair. ‘I’m just throwing it out there. This “Ember-without-Bryn” sounds like she’s got a few things figured out, and she might just find herself having a good time. I’m going to go to bed.’
She looks at me, her eyes find mine again in the dark, and we lock together. My heart stumbles a little, and she lets out another little laugh, tapping me on the shoulder again.
‘Goodnight.’
‘But we didn’t talk about you?’
‘We have thousands of kilometres to cover,’ she says. ‘Unless you leave me for the polar bears.’
I wish her goodnight and sit back to gaze up at the stars again. I’d forgotten how nice it feels to flirt a little. But a flirtation is one thing, and I’m thinking about the one who might be the one. I can’t get off the train.
Can I?
Chapter 17
Joe
I wake up in the morning having slept beautifully. The sun is streaming through a crack in the curtain, which, when I pull it an inch to the side, displays a dazzling vista of snowy forests under a blue sky.
‘Close that curtain,’ my darling sister croaks from the bottom bunk.
‘It’s incredible out there, wake up and look.’
