Page 7 of About Last Christmas
“You two okay over there?” Mitchell’s voice booms from behind, and his flashlight gauges my vision.
Seriously? Calm down, Mitchell. It’s only been two minutes.
But before I can answer, Leo says, “I’m trying to convince Greta to sled down the hill with me.”
“You sure about that?” Mitchell’s tone has me glaring at him. “Sorry, Greta, but I feel honor-bound to share about?—”
“No,” I interject. “That was years ago. Go away,” I call. “If anyone is to be murdered tonight, it’s you.”
Mitchell chuckles and resumes his post defending Silver Creek Park from crime.
I turn my attention to Leo and almost groan at the arrested look on his face.
“Is there something I should know, Greta?”
“Yeah, that men can’t be trusted with secrets,” I say loud enough so Mitchell can hear. I glance back at Leo. “I may or may not … sometimes struggle with …” So much for being the mystery woman. My most glaring fault (well, maybe notmy MOST glaring but definitely in the top ten) is about to be revealed. “Differentiating between my left and right.” There. My dignity is now forfeited.
To my surprise, Leo isn’t laughing at me. He just shrugs. “I couldn’t tie my shoes until I was eight. I rocked Velcro like a champ.”
I tilt my head. He didn’t have to trade an embarrassing moment, but he did. I somehow feel warmer. “So there’s this story that Mitchell knows. In sixth grade, Nick Gerrick fractured a bone going down Killer Hill. Thing is, it was my fault. I mixed my left and right and directed him wrong.” The guilt weighed heavily on my little soul for a while, until he was partnered with me for the science fair and left me to do the project by myself.
“Yet you say this hill is tame.” He sweeps a hand toward the slope.
“Fine. I’ll join you.” I glance at my phone. I still have a half hour. “But I’m steering. I know the spots to avoid. Which means you have the important job of pushing the sled from behind.” I position myself on the sled. “Are you ready to become a true Silver Creek resident?” I smile and put my boots on the wooden cross-piece that controls the runners. “And fulfill your childhood dreams?”
“I like that you’re so concerned about fulfilling my dreams.”
Before I can respond, he’s pushing the sled like we’re qualifying for the Olympic bobsled team.
CHAPTER 3
We zip forward,and I leave my breath at the top of the hill. At the last moment, muscle memory takes over, and I angle us away from a hazard area. Though with Leo’s thighs wrapping mine and his arms braced on either side of me, I’m in a different danger zone altogether. So yeah, I’m distracted, but I manage to control the wooden beast.
The speed at which we’re moving is thrilling, and a laugh rips from my lips. We catch a little air, and Leo gives a whoop. But then … the left metal rail beneath us snaps from the frame. Tossing us off kilter, the sled shooting out from beneath us. We’re a tangle of limbs amidst flying powder.
When all the snow settles, I’m on top of Leo.
“Are you okay?” Alarm threads his tone.
“I think.” I take bodily inventory. Nothing hurts. Not at present, at least. “You?”
“I’m good.” His warmth seeps into me, and I realize I am still, in fact, atop the man, my blond hair pooling against the curve of his neck.
Worse, I ruined this experience for him. “I’m sorry. Your first ever sled run, and it’s a disaster.” Meanwhile, I try to think of the most graceful way to remove my body from his.
Before I can move, he brushes the snow from my cheek. “Don’t apologize. It was memorable.” His leather glove, soft against my skin, trails down my jaw. “Thank you.”
My attention-starved heart is holding up a cardboard sign saying, “Free to a Good Home.” Ridiculous. I quickly swat away the absurd thought. Aside from his touch, which is enough for me to click repeat on my memory’s playlist, the man smells amazing. It’s some woodsy spice cologne that has my senses screaming for more. “Of course.” My voice pitches an octave higher. “I’m just … uh … gonna …” And I roll off him like a log. My boot gets caught under his leg, and I hit the snow again with a thud. “This is not my night.” I am staring into the sky. At least the clouds have cleared. The glistening stars blink an “all is calm, all is bright” kinda thing. A pretty view, but I currently have snow dripping into my ear.
Leo, in a much more athletic way, climbs to his feet and helps me stand.
I turn and glare at the sled. “You had one job,” I say to its mangled form, and Leo chuckles beside me. I found it at an estate sale for super cheap. I only intended to use it as a prop for my float, and now I see it should’ve remained in that role. “Well, we made it to the bottom.” I state the obvious because my intelligence clearly shines in these moments. “We probably tumbled about a fourth of it, but we still made it.”
“If you wanted to roll in the snow with me, you should’ve asked.”
I gasp. “That was not my fault. I?—”
“I know.” Shadows flit across his face, but I catch his teasing grin as he raises both hands. “Sorry, it was too good an opportunity to pass up.”
