Page 68 of Have a Bear-y Little Christmas
“I’m kinda worried if we’re around here a lot that he’ll get pulled into more stuff. But also, if we leave him to just lie around, he’ll probably find things to do on his own.”
“You know, I can see the logic in that. Something tells me that you have a plan in mind?”
I sure did, but probably not in a way daddy suspected.
“I do. You know that kinda lazy hike to the second main cabin that they tried to make happen but didn’t because there was, like, big family drama or something at the time?”
“It wasn’t family drama so much as it just wasn’t as convenient a location for all of us once the families started combining.”
“Right, whatever. I wanna see if it would be good for Max, so do you think you could take me and Eva on it tonight? Like around three-fifteen when everyone’s distracted, and we could scout it out?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure if he’d be all that into hiking. Or if his walker would work on uneven ground.”
I knew what he meant. Mommy had loved being in nature, but her walker was terrible at what she called “off-roading”. So much so, that sometimes Daddy would just carry her around because it was easier.
“Pretty please?” I asked, batting my eyes at him. I didn’t pull that out very often, because it was for special occasions, but this was worth it. There were many things in the world I still had to learn, but one thing that I was the most sure about was that Daddy deserved to be happy.
“Put the puppy-dog eyes away. You don’t gotta blackmail me. If you wanna check out the trail, I’ll be happy to take you. We should get back right before dark that way.”
“Yeah! That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
“Great minds think alike,” Daddy said, sending me one of his cheesy winks. Sometimes, I accused him of being cringe, but really, I liked that I had a funny dad. He always tried to smile, even when it was really difficult to do. It made me want to do the same, although it was much easier to scowl so people would leave me alone with my books or my sister.
“Definitely,” I said, thinking of Max and the plan we’d hatch together starting at the breakfast table and ending in Auntie Ana’s cabin.
As hare-brained as our plot was, and even though we stole part of it from an ancient movie, it was worth it. I liked Max and Miss Jeannie a lot, and I also liked how they made Daddy feel, so I wouldn’t mind them sticking around for a good long while.
Chapter 17
Remington
Crazy Coincidental Companionship
“It has been a beautiful day today,”I said as we started out on the trail. “We’re supposed to get snow over the next couple of days, so we’ll probably be able to do some more winter-like activities on Christmas Eve and Christmas.”
“One moment,” Addy said, and I glanced over my shoulder. She knelt and tied her boots. That was odd, I could have sworn she’d laced them up pretty tightly that morning. Although some kids liked to take off their shoes when they ran around the main cabin, Addy once told me the idea of her socks getting wet with an errant bit of melted snow made her soul wanna climb out of her mouth and crash out.
“Do you need help?”
My daughters were perfectly capable of dressing themselves, but it got more complicated once gloves were involved. With my increased body heat, I didn’t have to worry about wearing those.
“No, I got it, besides, we’re a little bit early.”
“Early?” I echoed in amusement. That was my Addy. We’d agreed to set out on the trail at three-fifteen, and currently it was only three-ten. Honestly, I was surprised she wasn’t objecting harder, because she didn’t like random disruptions to her plans, especially if there was a specific time involved.
“I should tie mine, too!” Eva agreed enthusiastically. I was all set to tell her that hers were fine, but when I glanced at them, sure enough, one of her boots was unlaced.
How had that happened?
I wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t a big deal, so I tucked it out of my mind and stretched while my girls took their sweet time lacing their boots up. Once they were ready, at approximately three-sixteen, we headed out onto the trail.
I hadn’t taken this trail in a handful of years, but I wasn’t worried. There were a couple of trail signs as well as informal markers that I could follow if my memory lapsed. Frankly, I was surprised my daughters even remembered it, because the last time we went had to be three or four years ago.
“We should come here during the fall sometime,” Eva mused as we strolled along.
Neither of my girls were going at their usual pace, but maybe they were also tuckered out from a wild start to our trip. Seeing them have so much fun really solidified that I was right to come this year. It seemed that we were finally ready.
And maybe, just maybe, it was also a sign that I could be ready for other things. Things I thought I would never have for the rest of my life.
