Page 13 of A Package Deal

“I think this is it, honey,” Chet said.

“Oh,” Piper said, and from the way she’d gone on and onand on, during the ride here, Nelie knew the little girl was devastated.

“It kind of looks like a castle.” Ava sounded equally disappointed, but she was trying to make the best of it.

“Hmm,” Nelie tapped her chin with her mitten-covered hand. “I wonder how it melted.” She tilted her head as if studying it.

“The recent heat,” Chet said, looking at her as if she hadn’t passed sixth grade science, but she ignored him. Just like she’d ignored him during the ride over here. The way his subtle cologne had wrapped around her in the car. His laughter at the girls’ jokes. His deep voice as he’d sung along with them to some kid-friendly re-made pop song from several years ago. The way his hand on her lower back guided her as they walked toward the structure, burning through her thick, down parka.

“No. It would have been uniform with the heat,” she said, dismissing his boring factual explanation. The girls didn’t want facts, they wanted fantasy, dreams, and to let their imaginations fly. “But see there”—she pointed toward the worst section and the girls’ heads turned—“that’s where it happened.”

“What happened?” Piper asked, her nose wrinkling.

“The disaster,” Nelie said, sounding sad.

“What disaster?” Ava asked.

“I’m not entirely sure, but from the way it melted, I’m guessing a dragon. Not a terribly big one, but even the small fire-breathing ones create havoc. We won’t know until we investigate.”

“It could be the remains of a battle. An attempted siege,” Chet said, getting into the spirit. The girls looked between the adults as if they’d lost their minds.

“What do you think, Ava?” Piper asked.

“I think we need to investigate, and look for facts, just like Dad always says we should do.”

“Fact finding it is then,” Nelie said, grabbing the girls’ hands and heading toward the castle’s open gate. Nelie didn’t blame the girls for being disappointed. It had underwhelmed her, too, but now that they were inside the walls, it was interesting. There was an ice-walled maze, an ice structure with crawl spaces and several slides, carnival games run by people brightly dressed as court jesters, and concession stands. It wasn’t so much a castle, but a winter carnival walled in by ice blocks with colorful flags at the top, dancing in the wind. The cynic in Nelie knew people would pay more for a castle than a fort.

As they approached the tunnel, Piper and Ava waved to a few school-friends, one of whom was getting a lecture based on his red face. “You should put that in the paper, Daddy. Jimmy is always in trouble,” Piper said. “He took my fruit snacks last week.”

“Getting in trouble with your parents is not news, Piper, you know that. But if the fruit snack stealing threatens the safety of the community, I’ll print it.”

“What about that big guy arguing with the jester holding the rings?” she asked.

“Personal disagreements aren’t news either, kiddo. It needs to be a current event, and it needs to impact the community. Not gossip or personal.” Piper continued to point out the events surrounding them, and each time Chet patiently explained why it wasn’t newsworthy. They stopped in front of a series of tubes, unsure of what to do.

“Pick one and crawl through it. It takes you to the other section of the castle,” the high schooler who was manning the tubes said, sounding bored.

“Will there be clues there?” Piper asked. So far, they’d found none.

“Food and pony rides,” the teen responded, and Piper dove into the nearest opening. Ava took the next one. “Some adults do it, but most just walk around the corner.”

“Are you going?” Chet asked Nelie. She could think of lots of things she’d rather do than crawl through ice tubes, but she knew Chet wouldn’t follow. His shoulders were too broad, and he’d want to be on the other side to greet the girls. She needed a break from him. She’d forgiven him, but with each news explanation he’d given Piper, her resolve to avoid him melted, and her heart was on thin ice.

“Of course. Which part of food and pony rides did you not understand?” Nelie said, dropping to her hands and knees in front of the largest tunnel.

“All right. See you on the other side.” Chet sounded amused. Nelie started through the tunnel, grateful that she’d worn her ski pants. Remembering Chet’s scruffy face—Gah! I’m a sucker for the scruff—and the way he’d strode away warmed her.Or maybe it’s because you’re out of the wind, she thought.Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Nelie turned a few more corners before the tunnel went up.Up on ice? Who designed this torture chamber, she thought, tugging off her hat and stuffing it into her pocket. She’d thought the tunnel would give her a break from Chet. She hadn’t intended it to be a physical workout and a trip down memory lane. Nelie glared at the slippery slope ahead of her.Only way out is up, she thought as she moved her knees to hug the wall. Based on the indents she felt, she wasn’t the only one who’d done that.

Laughter and cheers greeted her as she reached the top, and she saw the girls waving at her from below. The only thing separating her from a steaming cup of watery hot chocolate was the ice slide. The long, steep ice slide. Nelie tucked her legs into her chest and scooted around, so she sat on her bottom. If she was doing this, she’d be sitting upright. The girls were shouting at her and Chet waved his hand in acome heremotion. Nelie pushed off and everything raced toward her until she skidded to a halt in front of them.

“You should help her up,” Ava said, as Nelie gathered her wits. She’d forgotten how exhilarating a slide was. How much fun it was to play! She needed more of that. More play. Less work. Nelie put her mitten-covered hand into Chet’s. She wasn’t so old that she couldn’t get up on her own, but he was following Ava’s kind suggestion, and she didn’t want him to look bad in front of his daughters. But he didn’t let go once she was steady on her feet.

Nelie frowned at their joined hands as the butterflies in her stomach took flight and her heart tumbled, begging her to give him another chance.

“Look, Nelie”—Piper shoved a few large pieces of dark wood chips at her—“what do you think it is?”

“Dragon scales,” Nelie said immediately.

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