“I got a special card,” Angelica exclaimed. “Look, it’s from Santa!” She opened the card, which featured a sparkly picture of Santa and a simple message. “See you at the church, later.”
“I wonder what it means.” Bernie turned the card this way and that, squinting at the careful lettering.
Angelica’s eyes shone with hope and excitement. “Maybe it means I’m getting my Christmas wish.”
“I bet it does,” Bernie declared.
Logan was probably the only one who noticed Charlie’s smile seemed forced as he inspected the shiny new snowboard. “It’s really cool,” he said.
“I bet you can’t wait to try it out,” said Al.
“That’s right.”
“Just what you wanted?” asked Fisher.
Charlie ducked his head and slid his snowboard along the rug under the tree. Logan could tell something was up. Charlie’s cheerfulness was an act, that was apparent.
Logan’s gut twisted unpleasantly as he went over to the fireplace mantel, where there was a small stack of Christmas cards. Among the cards were the notes they had written to themselves last summer at Camp Kioga. True to her word, Sonnet had mailed them to arrive the day before. Logan’s message to himself had been succinct:
He sensed Darcy beside him, peering over his shoulder. “Remember this?” he asked her.
She nodded. “I filled one out, too. But I wasn’t home to get my mail.”
“What’d you write on it?”
She hesitated, but smiled up at him. “Maybe I’ll tell you someday.”
He liked the sound of “someday” coming from her. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“What did you write?”
He showed her. “I’m not doing so hot.”
“Nonsense. Look at this, Logan.” She gestured around the room, at his parents and sisters, nieces and nephews, Andre and Angelica and Charlie. Everyone was laughing or relaxing or playing while outside the window, a soft snow began to fall. His parents were on the sofa, sipping coffee and watching the kids. “Joy to the World” was playing on the stereo. “Look at these happy faces. You did this, Logan.
It was exactly what he needed to hear. How had she known? His heart skipped a beat. He was going to love this woman forever. He just knew it. Now he had to figure out if she knew it, too. “Hey—”
“The pickle prize,” she said suddenly, turning to Charlie. “Don’t forget the pickle prize.”
The kids perked up, and there was another mad dash for the tree. Darcy nudged Charlie and pointed at a spot in the tree.
“There it is,” Charlie yelled. “I saw it first!” Reaching through the branches, he unhooked the ornament from the tree. The motion sensor went off, and the pickle made a yodeling sound.
“You won the pickle prize,” Darcy declared.
“What’s the pickle prize?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
“I bet it’s on that little note,” Bernie said, indicating the tiny tag attached to the ornament.
“What’s it say?” asked Nan.
“Read it!” Fisher and Goose demanded.
Charlie unfolded the note. “It says pant...pantry. I got it, I’m supposed to look in the pantry.” He set down the ornament and made a beeline for the big storage room off the kitchen.
Mystified, Logan shot Darcy a look and followed him. Charlie swung open the door and peered into the dark.
“What’d you find?” asked Andre, crowding in behind him.
“It’s just pantry stuff,” Charlie mumbled. “I don’t—” He stopped and held very still.
“What?” asked Andre.
“Shh.” Nearly masked by the music and conversation, a tiny noise sounded. Charlie bent down and picked up a wicker basket filled with fleece blankets.
When he turned, his face was lit with wonder. “Dad,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Dad, look!” He set down the basket and moved the blankets aside to reveal a fluffy, squirming, squeaking bundle. “A puppy! I got a puppy!” His eyes shone with joy as he carefully lifted it up.
“Charlie got a puppy!” Bernie exclaimed. “Oh my gosh, he’s so cute!”
Everyone gathered around to admire the little puppy. It had floppy ears and butterscotch-colored fur, a black button nose and bright eyes. There was a red ribbon around its neck and a tag. Charlie read it aloud. “Please look after this dog. His name is Taffy, and he wants to be your forever friend. Love, Santa.”
The pup licked Charlie’s face, and the laughter that came from him was the sweetest sound Logan had ever heard. He looked over at Darcy—clearly, the culprit in this. She looked back, grinning.
“Whaddya know,” Andre said, “Santa really is real.”
Logan had told Darcy all the reasons it was a bad time to get a dog—the mess, the noise, the work, the inconvenience. But for now, he simply caught her eye from across the room and mouthed two words:
“How are we going to get to church?” asked Logan’s mother, checking her watch. “And will we make it on time?” All the adults in the house were in on the Angelica project. Everyone wanted the live video link to work so Maya Martin could see her kids on Christmas.
“Not to worry,” said Logan. “One of the groomers is driving the big plow down the mountain road.”
“Then let’s get going,” said India, rounding everyone up.
The town of Avalon looked as if it had been covered in fluffy white icing, but the church parking lot was full.
The church had power, thanks to a generator. Volunteers were pouring hot chocolate and coffee in the candlelit lobby. Everyone filed inside, breathing a sigh of relief at the warmth. More candles glowed around the altar. Charlie brought his puppy in a portable carrier lined with soft bedding, thoughtfully provided by Santa.
“How’d you pull that off?” Logan murmured.
“A little bird told me,” she whispered. “I paid a visit to PAWS yesterday, and they kept the dog at the lodge overnight. I just had to sneak him into the house this morning.”
“You’ve got a lot of tricks up your sleeve.”
“I know I put a lot on your plate without asking you, but I’ve heard it said that it’s easier to apologize after the fact than to ask permission in the first place.”
“Don’t apologize. You’re amazing. Charlie and I will never forget what you did.”
“It was Santa’s doing. I was only following orders.”
Eddie and Maureen Haven, the pageant directors, greeted people at the door to the sanctuary. Charlie handed the travel crate to Andre and approached them, his face pale and serious. “I’m sorry about the manger. I’m really sorry.”
“You fixed it just in time,” Eddie said. “No harm done.” He glanced down at his wife. “Years ago, I made a much bigger mess on Christmas Eve. Took me a long time, but I made amends.” They shook hands.
Logan frowned at Darcy. “What was that about?”
“I’ll tell you later. Or maybe Charlie will.”
Inside the sanctuary, the kids got into their choir robes while the adults filed into their seats. Logan and Darcy found Zach Alger getting the video link ready. He motioned them over. “All set,” he said.
Logan brought Andre and Angelica to look at the setup. “There’s someone who wants to say hi,” he said. The children’s faces lit up when they looked at the small screen. There was Maya, smiling tremulously. She wore a collared blue shirt and had every hair in place. There were rings of sleeplessness around her eyes, but when the kids stood in front of the camera, the tense lines were softened by joy.
“Hey, babies,” she said. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas to you, Mama,” said Angelica.
“We miss you,” Andre said. “We can’t wait to see you.”
“Are you gonna watch the singing?” Angelica asked, toying with the red ribbon of her robe. “I’m gonna sing a special song.”
“Yes, I get to watch. And I’m going to be so proud of you. I love you both. I’ll see you soon.”
