Page 70 of A Class of Her Own

As I moved into the kitchen to get food prep started, I shot off a text to my friends.

Me: Merry Christmas, you filthy animals

I didn’t have to wait long before replies started coming in.

Aryn: Which one of you made the naughty list and got coal in their stocking?

Hailey: I’ve never heard of this naughty list. Probably because I’m so nice

Me: I don’t even hang a stocking. It’s too risky

Hailey:Do you hear what I hear? It’s the sound of bacon frying. I’m definitely on the nice list.

Ruby: Ho ho ho

Aryn: Did you call us a mean name?

Lizzie:Guys, you should all go on a honeymoon. Christmas is definitely meant to be spent on a tropical island

Ruby: Wearing nothing but stockings?

Hailey: Rubes!

Aryn:Speaking of ho ho ho . . .

Hailey: Santa is now rethinking who made the naughty list

Me: Well. This went straight down the chimney

Aryn: As expected

I laughed.

Me:Yes. I wouldn’t like you all so much otherwise. Hope you have a wonderful day

They all signed off with their own well wishes, and, as I mixed up muffins from a box and sliced some fruit, I found myself whistling carols. When my food prep was finished, I loaded up my car and made the drive to Dad’s house. The snow had held off, and I was grateful for that. Shoveling sidewalks on Christmas seemed like a borderline criminal activity. I pulled along the gravel drive to the back of the house and parked. Dad’s truck was in the carport, and Willow’s was nowhere to be seen.

My phone dinged, and I took it out of my purse, smiling when I saw Brooks had replied.

Brooks: Merry Christmas back. With family today?

Me:Yes

Brooks: All day?

Me:Yep

Brooks:If things change, call me

I grinned and tucked my phone back into my bag as I headed for the house. Smoke curled up out of the chimney as I carried my first armload of things inside. The muffins were still steamy, and the fruit bowl was heavy. It smelled delicious. The kitchen was empty when I pushed open the back door, but I was happy to see the lights were on. Maybe Dad had remembered it was Christmas today and that we’d be coming. I went back out for a second load of gifts, and before I knew what was happening, I heard a cracking sound and fell straight through the back steps, landing with a jarring thud on one foot and lurching forward. The step below caught me on my shin, and I tumbled, catching myself on my hands before I could land on my face.

“For the love!” I cried out, looking backwards to see that one leg was in a hole while I was kneeling on the other. My shin throbbed. “Ugh!”

I tugged my leg out of the stair hole and managed to shimmy around to a standing position. My shin ached, and I was angry that I’d fallen through at all. I rubbed my hands on my thighs to dry them and then scoured my palms for any cuts. Thankfully, they were okay. Hands are important for a lot of things, after all. I pulled up my pant leg and took a look at my abused shin. The skin hadn’t broken, but it was definitely going to bruise, thanks to the fact that bone against stairs never fared well.

Satisfied that I wasn’t in mortal danger, I surveyed the broken stairs. I stomped on the stairs above and below where I’d fallen through. They seemed sturdy enough. I figured, if I gave Willow some warning, we could work around it for the day, and I’d come back tomorrow to fix it. A noise from Dad’s workshop had me marching in that direction. I found him there, sanding something with goggles covering his eyes.

“Dad?” I called.

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