Page 11 of Merry on the Mountain
“Do you want a snack? I could make cookies.”
Izzy jumps to her feet. “Yes, chocolate chip?”
“Of course.” I hold my hand out to her, and she slips hers in mine.
Warmth fills me. There’s something so endearing about her earnestness. It’s one of the reasons I love teaching kids how to ski. Teenagers and adults can be so jaded, but little kids just live in the excitement of the moment. If I could, it’s an attitude I’d live by every moment of my life.
I open the cabinet above the fridge and pull out the lone baking sheet in the kitchen, then grab the package of cookie dough. After I check the baking instructions, I set the oven topreheat. It’s nice that this kitchen is identical to theirs, but there are no stools to sit on at the counter.
“If I lift you up and let you sit on the counter, do you promise to be careful?” I ask.
“Yes. I won’t move.”
“Okay.” I lift her under the arms on the count of three and set her down. “You want to put the cookies on the baking sheet?”
She nods as I rip open the package. I help her spread each lump of dough out and then slide the cookies into the oven and set the timer. She holds her arms out to me, so I can help her off the counter.
“What do you want for Christmas?” she asks.
“I want to go home and see my family.”
“That’s it?” she asks, confused by my response.
“Yeah. I don’t have a lot of space for material things, so I like gifts from the heart.” I pat my chest. “And I live really far from my parents and brother. He has two kids, one of them is just a year or two younger than you. Seeing them is all the gift I need.”
As cheesy as it sounds, it’s true. I love my family with all my heart. Occasionally, my mom and dad will come out and travel with me during the summer, usually coinciding with a break between guided trips, so they’ll swing for a nice hotel. It’s always great to be able to stretch out and enjoy a full-size shower every once in a while.
“Well, I want a puppy and a canoe. And books.”
“Those are all great. Have you been canoeing?”
“Not really, but I see them on people’s cars during the summer, and it sounds fun. Have you been?”
“Yes, I have.”
Her eyes sparkle with excitement. “Can you teach me how to canoe?”
My chest aches at the thought of telling her no, that I’m not around here during the summer. But I also don’t want to lie toher. Luckily the oven timer goes off, so I’m saved from having to answer.
“Do I smell cookies?” Drew walks into the kitchen, looking more delicious than said cookies smell.
“Yeah, they’re just the take and bake kind.”
“A cookie is a cookie.” He lifts one from the cookie sheet and winces. “They’re hot,” he says as he bounces it back and forth between his hands.
“Daddy,” Izzy laughs at him.
“Generally, when you take things from a three-hundred-and-fifty-degree oven, they do come out rather warm.”
He feigns surprise. “Is that so?”
I bite back a smile and nod at him. His lips pull upward into a smirk right before he takes a bite of the cookie. Before I can say anything, my phone rings with a call from the mechanic. I excuse myself and walk into the other room to take it.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is Willow Baker available?”
“This is she.”
