Page 50 of The Goode Girls of Maple Lane
A dense but gentle snowfall begins as I wheel her home, the distance still too far for her to walk. The snow isn’t gray slush like earlier in the month. It’s bright white, with big flakes that nestle in her eyelashes and along her back. It’s the kind of snowfall I always picture when I hear “White Christmas,” and it blankets the parks and sidewalks like it’s tucking them into bed for a long and cozy nap. Even better? When we get home, a padded envelope is waiting in my mailbox. Aggie’s winter booties have arrived, just in time to play in the snow.
“Okay, sweetie,” I say once we’re settled and I join her on the futon with the package in hand. “You ready to check out your winter footwear? You’re going to look so cute!”
She leans over my lap, sniffing the package as I tear it open, revealing a flash of red.
“What’s this?” I ask, a question I answer for myself as I pull out the plastic-wrapped black and gray booties, along with a red hooded raincoat, its soft lining printed in cartoon dogs holding tiny umbrellas. It’s ridiculously cute, way higher quality than the cheap plastic poncho we’ve been getting by with all fall. It’s also designed to wrap her entire torso, so I might go through fewer towels every time we come in from the rain or snow.
The package includes a printed form letter from the manufacturer, thanking me for working with them. A handwritten note onthe bottom saysWe couldn’t resist including the coat. We hope Aggie loves it and it keeps her warm and dry this winter. Can’t wait to see it on!I love the note. It makes me feel like I’m working with real people and not a faceless corporation. Maybe it shouldn’t matter but it does, and already I’m more invested in the sponsorship.
I get Aggie dressed in the coat and booties right away. She’s unsure about the booties, plucking her feet off the floor one at a time and planting them again immediately as though she’s trying figure out why they feel funny, but she doesn’t seem to mind the coat at all.
I take a pic and send it to Hannah and Everett. Hannah’s probably asleep by now with her early morning running schedule continuing through the winter, but Everett replies right away.
EVERETT:Cute redhead alert!
CAMERON:Right?! They threw in the coat for free
EVERETT:It suits her. But what does she think?
CAMERON:Thumbs up on the coat. Booties TBA. But we’re about to find out...
I film a five-second video out my window and send it. The shot’s terrible thanks to my dismal view, just the crumbling brick warehouse and rickety iron fire escape on the opposite side of the alley, but the falling snow is visible, lining the railings and the edge of the roof.
EVERETT:I’m missing the first good snow of the season with you? ?
CAMERON:We’ll get plenty more ???
EVERETT:I should’ve booked an earlier flight back
CAMERON:You’ll still be here by dinnertime tomorrow, right?
EVERETT:As long as there are no weather delays
CAMERON:There will NOT be weather delays. I forbid it
EVERETT:As you have spoken, so shall it be
I smile at my phone, imagining him here in time to enjoy New Year’s Eve together. Ever since I was six or seven years old, watching the ball drop on TV with my mom, I’ve wanted to kiss someone at midnight. Despite forcing myself out to a few parties over the years, where I pep talked myself into painfully awkward attempts at flirting, I never came close.
EVERETT:Charlotte and Dakota want you to know they’re sorry you couldn’t come with me this Christmas. Apparently, I can’t stop talking about you. Also, they love Aggie’s new coat
CAMERON:You already showed them? Are they with you right now?
EVERETT:We’re out getting ice cream. It’s 65 degrees here. Definitely not snowing
CAMERON:I’ll catch a few flakes on my tongue in your honor
EVERETT:Please don’t mention what you’ll do with your tongue. Not when I’m not alone
My cheeks heat and I have a feeling I’ll be rereading that text later. Several times.
CAMERON:Enjoy your ice cream. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow
EVERETT:Enjoy your snow. I’ll be home soon
This time I smile so hard, I swear, the Google Maps satellites might pick it up. But I don’t let myself linger in a giddy, infatuated haze, because I have a dog who’s bundled up for winter weather and a pile of textbooks I’m eager to ignore for an hour.
“What do you think?” I ask Aggie. “Are you ready to play in the snow?”
