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Including my brother.

And most especially me.

15

LUCI

December 13

Free Night

Fresh snow

Supper: Sloppy joes · Tater tots

The day brought a steady snowfall. By the time we finished lunch, there were a good four inches of fresh snow, light and powdery. We all went outdoors to enjoy it.

“Oh, this is glorious. Perfect for snowballs.” Ivy knelt, making a sizable one and hurled it right at her husband-to-be, catching him on the shoulder.

“Ivy James, you’re in trouble,” Jack said.

“Fight on,” Ivy called out, already making another one.

Rhett declared teams before anyone even agreed to play.

“As a team captain,” Rhett said. “I choose Luci, Ivy, and Beck.”

“Weak,” Jack said. “I am also a captain and I choose Grant because duh, who wouldn’t pick him? Holly and Mads. Blake you’re with me too.”

Knox, unable to participate due to his bum ankle, installed himself in a chair by the fire pit with a blanket over his knees and appointed himself referee.

“I don’t do snowballs,” Madeleine said. “I’ll hang with Knox and help referee.”

“Wimp,” Ivy shouted.

Madeleine made a very unladylike gesture.

Blake who had her phone out to record us put it back into her pocket. “Fine, but you’ll all be sorry when you see my arm.”

What followed was all out war between adults acting like children. Snowballs were thrown from every angle. Jack tossed one way too hard at Ivy, knocking her into a snow drift. She came out sputtering and fighting mad, tearing after him, pelting several into his back.

“Cheap shot,” Knox called out, but lifted his beer as if in salute.

Holly, who appeared to be incredibly fit, went after Rhett, until she had him on the ground, straddling him as she rubbed snow in his face. He roared with laughter as he rose to his feet, Holly’s long legs still wrapped around his waist. They stumbled a few feet like that until they collapsed onto the snow next to each other and spontaneously started making snow angels, giggling their heads off.

Grant, meanwhile, had hidden behind a stack of firewood and created a pile of at least two dozen snowballs. He started throwing them at whomever he could, getting me smack in the face.

“That’s a foul,” Knox called out. “You’re not supposed to hit a pretty woman in the face. In fact, that’s a yellow card.”

Grant answered by hurling one at the ref, hitting him square in the chest.

“Additional foul,” Knox said. “Red card. You’re expelled from the game, Walker.”

“I don’t think so.” Grant pelted him with another one, which prompted Madeleine to forget about her vow to stay out of it. She quickly gathered snow into two balls and hurled them in Grant’s direction, but he was too fast.

“Grant’s like that snow monster,” Rhett said, still fluttering his arms like an angel. “What’s his name?”

“Abominable Snowman,” Holly said, rolling to her side to smile at Rhett, as if they were alone in bed.