Page 12 of Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms
“But Mommy said you might be home this year. And we have to open presents, and eat breakfast, and watch a movie.”
I knew this wasn’t about the pancakes, or the presents, or any of the little things she associated with Christmas. It was about being together on a holiday. She was old enough for those traditions to mean something to her, and knowing she was sad that I might not be there made my chest ache.
I had a feeling the strike would still be on, so it wouldn’t matter anyway, but I had enough seniority to probably get the holiday off.
“Tell you what, kiddo. I’ll be home for Christmas this year. No matter what.”
Lifting her face, she gasped and gave me a big smile. “Really?”
“Really.”
“Promise?”
Twisting in my seat, I reached back with my pinky sticking out. “I don’t just promise. I pinky promise.”
Her mouth opened in awe. We Thatchers took our pinky promises seriously. She offered me her pinky, and I wound mine around it.
“Annabel, I pinky promise that I will be home for Christmas.”
“And we can have pancakes?”
I laughed, still holding her pinky. “You’re being very specific. But yes, I’ll be home for Christmas, and we can have pancakes.”
She nodded, and we shook pinkies on it.
That was a promise I absolutely could not break.
CHAPTER 3
Jensen
Light flurries of snow blew around my car as I navigated the winding highway through the mountains. The drive had been pleasant enough. Good weather, even over the pass, and the landscape had a certain rugged charm. Snowy slopes rose on either side of the road, with a few determined pine trees clinging to the rocks. Views of a river came in and out of sight as I drove, the banks crusted with ice.
It wasn’t my first visit to the area. I’d never been to Tilikum, but my sister, Nora—half sister, if we were being precise—had gotten married at a winery not far from my assignment. I remembered the wine being excellent. I’d have to make time to swing through and pick up a case or two before heading home.
The entrance to the town was heralded by aWelcome to Tilikumsign, and the fact that it was the Christmas season was impossible to miss. Large red bows adorned the corners of the sign, and a very large wooden squirrel wearing a Santa hat and holding a present in its forepaws stood behind it.
That was… unique.
Large lit candy canes flanked the main road, wreaths adorned nearly every door, and the storefronts were awash in lights and greenery. I slowed as I drove by a park in the center oftown. A parked fire engine on the grass had its ladder extended so someone could hang lights at the top of a massive tree.
I didn’t mind the holidays, necessarily. I had nothing against Christmas or all the festivities that went along with it. I’d say I was more or less apathetic to it. Having spent holiday seasons working in places where they’d never heard of Christmas, I’d hardly missed it. So, while I wasn’t about to bah humbug Tilikum’s Christmas cheer, it did seem like a lot of trouble over nothing.
In any case, I wasn’t in town for a holiday. I had a job to do.
“Where are you, sneaky thief?” I muttered as I glanced around the quaint streets.
Following the directions Maple had given me, I turned onto what could best be described as your quintessential small-town Main Street. A sign that read Angel Cakes Bakery caught my attention. That probably deserved a visit. Farther up the road, a large statue of a well-endowed pinup girl stood in front of a barbershop. She was clearly designed to look provocative, but for some reason, she had a white Santa Claus beard on her face.
That wasn’t something one saw every day.
Not quite sure what to make of the town, I kept driving. Maple’s directions led me into a residential neighborhood. I pulled up at the address, although it must have been a mistake. I was in front of a house, not a hotel.
But Maple never made mistakes.
She’d clear things up. I brought up her number and called.
“Is there a problem?” she answered.
