Page 52 of Wishing for Christmas
Brent knew his real agenda, though—to talk about their future. He feared she still wasn’t comfortable with their engagement, and he wanted to see where they stood now that he’d been home for a few weeks. He needed to know what she was thinking so he could make a plan for their future—so he could fix what needed to be fixed.
Returning to the window for one last look, he continued to watch the snow falling. It looked as if it was just getting started, with plenty more to come. It appeared as if someone had cut open a pillow with an endless supply of feathers; the flakes floating softly down. The ground appeared fluffy and pure, not ablade of grass to be seen.It would have been beautiful if only it hadn’t been so disappointing.
Still, waking up to the sight of a fresh snowfall, Brent couldn’t help but feel a sense of renewal for the day to come. It was like a blank canvas, a new start—even if only for the present day. The world—and all its troubles—was now completely covered in white. Today needed to be a fresh start for them. He needed to get things back to where they were before this messy deployment scarred everything.
Brent glanced at his watch and pulled himself away from the window. He needed to get moving if he was going to salvage this day. He had to get to Cranberry Pines, to Clara’s house, before the roads got worse. With any luck, by the time he got there, the snowfall would be slowing down, and they could get on the road with a timely departure.
He hurried out the door and hopped into his truck. He hated the feeling that was growing stronger inside him—the realization that he had no idea what this day was going to bring. Some people, like Dave, would call that the excitement of endless opportunities. To him, it was torture.
Brent droveinto town with caution. He squinted through the windshield as his wipers worked to keep up with the falling snow. He slowed his truck, turned onto Main Street, and let out a gasp. He’d seen this town plenty of times, but never before like this, completely covered in white. Main Street was nearly deserted. The sky was a dark gray despite the morning hour, and the street lamps were illuminated, giving a lustrous sheen to the snow. The ground appeared to be covered in millions of tiny diamonds.
Shops and cafés, all decorated in matching garlands and wreaths, lined the street. Brent passed a white church with a towering steeple. The red doors had matching wreaths hanging side by side. It was a quintessential New England town, and he had to admit that the snow only contributed to the perfect scene. Sure, it was messing with his plans, but despite the circumstances, he took a moment to appreciate the charm.
Brent turned off the main road in search of somewhere to park. He looked up to see a red-brick building with paper snowflakes hanging in the windows. Behind it stood the biggest sledding hill he had ever seen. Kids of all ages raced up the hill and flew down on sleds, saucers, and inflatable tubes. He was careful, pulling into a parking spot at the end of the street.
A high-pitched tone screamed from his phone. It was a weather alert.
Route 4 Closed.
Brent let out a laugh and threw his hands in the air. Canceled. There went all his planning. So much for their romantic day. So much for them talking about their future. He rubbed his temples in frustration, trying to figure out how to recover this date.
He trudged through the snow to Clara’s townhouse, still not knowing what the new plan would be. It felt as if his feet were weighed down with the knowledge that the fate of their relationship stood on his shoulders.
Clara answered the door before he could even ring the bell. She was holding up her phone with the road-closure alert displayed.
“I have good news.” She gave him a playful smile. “The roads are closed.”
“Why is that good news?”
“Because it’s a snow day, and I say we go sledding.”
“Sledding?”
Clara nodded, a huge grin on her face.
“Let’s give it a little more time,” he said. “They may open back up.”
“There’s no better place to go sledding than Cranberry Pines.” She pulled him over to the edge of her front porch and pointed to the sledding hill down the street. “See?”
“Yeah, I saw that coming in. Looks like those kids are having a ball.”
It did look like they were having fun, Brent had to admit, but they were alsokids. The two of them had important things to talk about today. He wasn’t sure going sledding was the best way to spend their time.
“It’ssomuch fun, and I know the very best spot to go,” Clara said.
He lowered his brows. “I don’t know.” He opened his mouth to speak again, then closed it, unsure what to say.
“Come on, lets go off plan for once.” She looked up at him with her big blue eyes, full of excitement.
Brent ran a hand through his hair and snorted in amusement. He couldn’t resist Clara’s enthusiasm. Maybe he couldn’t control the weather. Maybe his perfect plans had once again been scrapped. But as he looked at Clara’s eager smile, he only cared about one thing at that moment—making her happy.
He shrugged. “Okay. Let’s go sledding.”
She squealed, grabbed Brent by the hand, and quickly pulled him inside her house. She threw on her coat and mittens. He noticed two fully inflated snow tubes waiting for them in her entryway.
He laughed. “It looks as if you’ve made some plans of your own.”
“Come on,” she said, motioning for him to follow.
