Page 18 of The Snuggle is Real
I laughed a little. “Well, nothing beatsyourpie. It always tastes like home, but this… This is close.”
She smiled. “Let me get Sawyer and Ash so they can say hello.”
“Okay.”
“Actually, the whole gang is here. Maybe you can get Cash out of my leftovers so I can pack them away.”
I laughed. “Not likely, but I’ll try.”
As my brother and his friends came into the video frame, Pepper came over and laid his head on my knee.
All my longing from earlier was swept away. I had family and friends, even if they were far away.
A great job that helped people. A roof over my head. Delicious pie.
And Pepper.
What else could a guy need?
CHAPTER 6
Ford
“Oh, look!”Charlie picked up a little stationery kit from the shelf of Tidings & Joy general store, where we’d come to get bubble bath, because apparently that wasessentialto getting Charlie to ever bathe again.
She’d stubbornly refused to get into the bathtub even when I’d dumped some body wash in and swished it into bubbles.
There had been tears welling in those big brown eyes as wobbly lips informed me, “Mama always gets me pink bubble bath.”
Now, I had to buy another bottle of body washplusbubbles.
I really didn’t need this damn Santa letter-writing kit too.
“I’ve got paper at home for that, Charlie. Let’s just get these awesome bubbles and go.”
“But Santa gets lots of letters. I need mine to be special.”
She said this so matter-of-factly I chuckled. “Charlie, how could yours not be special? You’re the cutest, sweetest little girl I’ve ever met.”
At least when she got the bubble bath she wanted. But I decided not to point that out.
“IneedSanta to read my letter,” she insisted. “Please, Ford. Please!”
An urgency filled her voice that went beyond typical holiday excitement, and I was still scarred by those watery eyes. I couldn’t handle more tears. I wasn’t sure what had brought on this worry about getting Santa’s attention. Maybe it was all the talking LuAnne had done about the magic of Christmas Falls.
Or maybe it was missing her mom and needing this as a distraction.
Whatever the reason, I caved.
“Fine, but that’sallwe’re getting today.”
Charlie squealed and hugged my waist, making me a happy pushover, at least.
“All right, let’s get out of here before you sucker me into something else.”
She giggled. “You’re funny, Ford.”
Wasn’t I, though?
