The Snow White Christmas Cookie

Wait, there was something else tucked in the pouch. A letter-sized envelope containing … a pair of open-ended first-class tickets from JFK to CDG-as in Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris, France.

“We still haven’t spent time together in Paris,” he explained as she stared at him with her mouth open. She was not laughing. “It’s something we’ve just got to do. And we have to do it in April. No other month’s nearly as glorious. I figured we’d spend a couple of weeks there, then rent a car and get lost down in the Loire Valley until we max out your vacation time. Sound okay?”

“Sounds incredible. I can’t wait.” She tried the beret on for size, adjusting it this way and that. “How does it look?”

“Saucy,” Mitch replied. “And I happen to be a major fan of saucy.”

“Guess what I’d like to do tonight after we eat.”

“I’m hoping I have a pretty good idea.”

“No, not that. I mean, yeah. But first I want to watch Palm Beach Story.”

“I must be drifting back into la-la land. It sounded like you just said you want to watch Palm Beach Story.”

“Can we?”

“I’m afraid not,” he answered grimly. “I have to soldier on with my Danny Kaye Film Festival. I made it all of the way through The Court Jester this afternoon and tonight I intend to endure The Man From the Diner’s Club.”

“Mitch, you don’t like Danny Kaye.”

“That’s not entirely accurate. I loathe Danny Kaye.”

“So why are you watching all of his movies?”

“Because I have to.”

Des peered into his eyes. “You sure you’re feeling okay?”

“Never better.”

She gazed into the fire, sipping her wine. “You know, you were babbling about some pretty strange stuff when we found you on that beach.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. Like what?”

“Kids.”

“I was talking about kids? Boy, I don’t remember that at all. What did I say about them?”

“That we never had any. You seemed awful sorry about it, too.”

He got up and put another log on the fire, poking at it. “Are you sure? Because that really doesn’t sound like me.”

“Oh, it was definitely you. The only other man there was Casey and he wasn’t doing much talking.”

“Des, I must have been delirious.”

“So you didn’t mean it?”

“Mean what?”

“That you want to have kids.”

“I honestly don’t know what I meant. Can’t even imagine what I … Why, do you want to have kids?”

“Who, me? Maybe someday. But not right now.”

Mitch nodded his head. “Not right now. I agree a hundred percent.”

“Are you sure?”

He took a long time before he answered her. “Honestly? I’m not sure about much of anything anymore. But as long as I’ve got you and your little yellow bikini on my side I’m okay with that.”

“I guess that means the bikini stays on your Christmas tree.”

“Has to. Unless you want to, you know, model it before dinner.”

Des looked up at him through her eyelashes. “If I do that we won’t be eating dinner until ten o’clock.”

“Actually, it might be after midnight. I’m still concussed. I may have forgotten some critically important moves.”

“Not to worry, wow man. I’ll refresh your memory.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“Happy to,” she assured him. “For starters, do you remember where my tattoo is?”

Mitch got that dreamy look on his face. “Oh, yeah…”

Des showed him her smile. “Then I think you’re going to be just fine.”