Page 14 of Sinful Santa
“We’re ready!” They careened up to Tahlia and their father with delighted grins. Jed rolled up behind them.
“You’re coming, too, daddy?” Maddy grinned up at him. Her neon blue helmet was on the verge of falling off. Tahlia reached out to right it and lock the buckle.
“Maddy, honey, you have to latch the clasps,” she scolded gently. Maddy scrunched her face up.
“We’re not even on the lift yet!” she protested.
“I told you so,” Kaiden sniffed, resulting in his sister shooting him a death glare. “I put mine on right, Tahlia, see?”
Indeed, his red helmet was straight, the clasps already locked and tightened.
“Kiss ass,” Maddy muttered. Tahlia would have laughed except that Nelson burst out.
“Maddy!” he exclaimed, obviously shocked. “Where the hel-” he stopped and glanced at Tahlia. “Heck. Where the heck did you learn that kind of language?”
“Grandpa,” Maddy replied, eyes darting in fear between Tahlia and her father.
Tahlia covered her mouth to hide her smile but Nelson was not as amused. His jaw was tightly clenched and his eyes were focused on his father in a not so loving way. A reckoning was incoming.
“Time out!” Tahlia declared, putting what she hoped was a calming hand on Nelson’s arm before addressing the twins. “Maddy, don’t say things like that, even if Grandpa says them. Especially at your brother. It’s not nice. Wait…” Tahlia didn’t look before pointing a finger at Kaiden. She’d noticed him backing away from the corner of her eye.
“I didn’t do anything…” he whined.
“Don’t say things like ‘I told you so’. That is equally not nice. You two got it?”
The twins looked at her and their dad sheepishly.
“Yes,” Maddy said.
“We’re sorry,” Kaiden added.
“Now to each other.” Tahlia pointed between them. They faced each other and muttered another, somewhat reluctant apology. “That was okay, but it could be better…” she lifted a brow and the twins repeated their apologies, this time more convincingly. “Good. Anything to add, dad?” Tahlia looked at Nelson, who’d been silent the entire time, although she could feel the weight of his eyes on her.
“Erm,” he hesitated. “No, I-I think you’ve covered it. Go on, kids.Don’trepeat anything Grandpa says.”
The kids darted off to join their grandparents at the ski lifts, happy to escape from discipline with a mere scrape. Tahlia rubbed her cold nose and turned to her employer, who had resumed glowering at his father. Jed was too far away to notice, though Tahlia doubted very much he would care if he had.
“They’re going to say things like that, you know.”
“Yeah, but they don’t have to learn it from their grandfather.” Nelson took a gloved hand and rubbed his face in frustration. “I’m going to have to talk to him.”
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her seen-better-days snow coat. “The damage is done. But if you insist, not today, please?” she implored. “Maybe after Christmas?”
Nelson puffed out his cheeks before releasing the breath in a giant sigh. “You’re right. I’ll wait.”
“Good man.” Tahlia pat his arm, pleased. He was learning. “Now let’s ski.”
12
Twenty minutes later, the ski lift was stopped in mid-air while someone was helped onto a chair. Tahlia swung her legs a little, as best she could with two planks of wood strapped to her feet.
“I appreciate how you handled that back there,” Nelson said, causing Tahlia to look his way. His eyes were hidden by sunglasses, which she didn’t particularly like. Being able to see his eyes was an advantage; they were a giant clue as to what he was feeling or thinking. The ability wasn’t particularly relevant in that moment, but Tahlia still preferred being able to see his eyes.
“Handled the kids? That was nothing.”
“No, it was…” he paused. Even from beneath the sunglasses, Tahlia could tell he was struggling. “I try, but I’m not a particularly patient person. Their mom lacked the virtue entirely…”
Tahlia barely kept her stunned reaction in check. This was the first time he’d evermentionedthe mother of his children.
