Page 9 of Snowflakes and Ice Skates

When I got to the kitchen it was empty. There was a note on the counter telling me pancakes were waiting for me in the fridge, but everyone was out.

Wonderful.

What was the point of moving back here if no one was ever around? I missed them, and I thought this was the time of year when families were supposed to spend time together.

Oh well. I heated up my breakfast and settled down in front of the TV. If I was on my own it was time for some cheesy Christmas movies.

After the second movie ended, I was still laying on the couch in my pajamas. I had no plans of moving if I didn’t have to.

“Hey, Harry.”

I groaned and looked over my shoulder. Steven and Vince were walking in, wearing wet clothes.

“Where have you two been?”

“Mrs. Jordan down the road needed help getting a Christmas tree.”

Steven laughed. “Yeah, we thought maybe she just needed it down from storage or maybe even need to buy one from a lot. Oh no.”

Vince laughed harder. “No. She wanted a fresh one cut down by us.”

I shook my head. Mrs. Jordan was an eccentric woman, to say the least. “Is that even legal.”

Vince shrugged. “She swore it was. Told us she’d take the blame if we got in trouble.”

“That’s reassuring.”

Steven threw his wet coat on me and I jumped away. “How dare you!”

“Aw you just looked a little toasty. I wanted to cool you off.”

I glared at him then at Vince. “Don’t even think about it.”

He smirked. “I wouldn’t.”

Yes, he would.

I threw the coat on the ground and wiped away any water left on the couch before resuming my position.

“Is this what you’re doing all day?” Vince sat on the arm of the sofa and looked down at me.

“Probably. My family has deserted me, so I might as well.”

“We didn’t desert you. Your parents went over to your grandma’s house to help her with some errands, and we’re back now.”

I didn’t like that he included himself as part of the family. Sure, he spent more time here than at his own house growing up. Yeah, he had his own designated spot at the table. And fine, he was in most of our family pictures, but he wasn’t actually my brother.

That would make all the feelings I have all kinds of wrong.

“We’re still going to see the lights tonight, right?” I asked it loud enough for Steven to hear, so he’d hopefully be the one to respond.

He plopped down on the loveseat and shook his head. “That’s a negative for me. I’ve got a date tonight with Chrissy.”

He winked, and I groaned. “No. No dates during the holidays.”

Steven laughed like I was a comedian. I was not joking. He finally stopped and stared at me. “It’s one night, Harlow. I’ll be around every other night.”

Sure. That’s what he said now, but I knew better. He had a way of bailing on things that mattered.