By the time Haley and Gail were done with their shopping and back at the inn, a light snow was just starting to fall. As they passed the life-size elf by the front door Gail patted him on the top of his head.
“Hello, little guy, looks like some snow is coming.”
Haley gave her a look. “Why is everyone always talking to that elf?”
Gail turned to her and smiled. “I think the question you should be asking is why aren’t you talking to him? It’s Christmas Camp, and he’s part of it. Where’s your Christmas spirit?”
Haley laughed. “I’m working on it.” She wasn’t about to admit that she, too, had been talking to the smiling elf, but she didn’t think in her case it had anything to do with having Christmas spirit.
Just as they were heading inside, Jeff appeared and held the door open for them. He hurried to help when he saw all their shopping bags. “Looks like you girls have been busy.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” Haley said. She pointed at Gail. “This one here is quite the little shopper.”
“And proud of it,” Gail said. “And if I remember right, you found a few things, too.”
Haley nodded. “I did. She’s a bad influence on me.”
“Like eating ice cream for dinner?” Jeff asked.
“Exactly.” Haley smiled back at him.
Once they were inside, Gail held out her hands. “I can take those now.”
Jeff felt the weight of them. “Are you sure? I can take them up to your room.”
Gail gave him a grateful look. “Thank you, but I’m good. That’s one of the rules of Christmas shopping. I can only buy as much as I can carry.”
“Or as much as your shopping partner can carry,” Haley added.
“We really did make a great team, didn’t we, Haley?” Gail asked. She looked tired but happy.
Haley nodded. “We sure did.”
Gail gave her a quick hug. “I’m going to head upstairs and call it a night. Oh, and Haley, I know Anna’s going to love that doll. Have a good night, you two. Thank you for everything.”
After Gail left, Jeff gave Haley a questioning look. “So, you bought a doll?”
Haley pulled the Tyler Toys doll out of the bag and showed it to him. “I did, and this isn’t just any doll, this is a Tyler Toys doll.”
“Okay.” Jeff still looked confused.
“And this is Anna.” Haley dug around in her pocket and found the angel she had taken from the angel tree.
Now Jeff looked really surprised. “From the community center?”
Haley nodded.
He looked into her eyes and smiled. “That’s really nice of you. You’re making a child’s Christmas wish come true.”
Embarrassed by the way he was looking at her, Haley quickly put the doll back in her bag. “The doll is made by the company I’m trying to win over as a client, the big Christmas toy campaign I’ve been trying to work on.” The way he was studying her made her squirm a little. She felt he could see right through her.
“So, you’re saying you bought that doll for Anna as part of your research for work.”
“That’s right,” Haley said, trying to sound like she meant it.
“Really?” He smiled at her. It was obvious he didn’t believe her.
Haley didn’t blink. “Really.”
“Well, that’s good to hear, because I have some more research for you.”
Haley kept a smile on her face as she mentally prepared herself for the trap she’d just laid for herself. “What kind of research?”
Jeff held out his hand. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
Haley looked into his eyes and saw that familiar challenge. “Okay, but this better be good.” As she put her hand in his, she hoped this wouldn’t be something she’d regret. When Jeff opened the front door, she gave him a surprised look. “We’re leaving right now?”
“Don’t worry.” He held the door open for her. “We’re not going far.”
As she followed him outside, she quickly saw he wasn’t kidding about not going far. He stopped about twenty feet from the door. Only then did she realize he was still holding her hand. Slowly withdrawing it, she felt instantly cold as the warmth she had felt from his touch was gone.
Jeff looked up at the sky. The snow was coming down faster. Haley followed his gaze, and within seconds, she was wiping snowflakes off her cheeks. When he leaned over and brushed some snowflakes off her face, she could only stare back at him. “It’s really starting to come down,” he said softly. Haley, not trusting herself to speak, just nodded.
Jeff turned his smiling face up to the sky. “I love it when it’s like this. When the snow starts falling, and everything gets quiet . . .”
Haley wasn’t looking up anymore. Instead she was watching Jeff enjoy the snow. She held out her hands and watched some snowflakes swirl around in the wind before disappearing when they touched her skin. Then she rubbed her hands together to warm them up.
Jeff noticed and frowned. “We need gloves. Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back.”
Haley laughed as he ran back into the house, and she glanced over at the elf by the door. “Like where would I go?”
Seconds later Jeff was back, tossed her a pair of gloves, and put on his own as well. “You’re going to need these.”
Haley put them on. “So, when are you planning to tell me what we’re doing? You said this was something that would help me with work. How can standing out here in the snow help me?”
Jeff laughed a little. “I’m not going to tell you how it will help you, I’m going to show you.” And with that, he put both arms up into the air, spread his legs out wide, and then fell backward into the snow.
Haley’s hands flew to her mouth. “What are you doing? You’re crazy.”
Jeff was laughing as he moved his arms and legs back and forth, making a perfect snow angel. “Come on. Your turn.”
Haley shook her head, laughing. “You’re crazy!”
“Come on . . .”
Haley looked at him, her hands on her hips. “This is not on the Christmas Camp activities list.”
Jeff continued to move his arms and legs. “No, but I bet it will help you with work.”
She tilted her head as she looked at him. “How?”
“Think about it. You’re trying to come up with a Christmas toy campaign, right?”
“Right . . .”
“So, if you’re trying to come up with ideas for a toy company, you need to think like a kid, right?”
Haley nodded. “Yes, but even when I was a kid, I didn’t like making snow angels. I always got a lot of snow inside my coat, and it wasn’t a good experience.”
Jeff laughed. “Sounds like you need to replace that memory with a better one. Come on, Haley, what are you afraid of?”
“Besides making a fool of myself or breaking something when I try to do this?”
Jeff sat up but was careful not to mess up his angel outline. “It’s snow. It’s soft, and no one is watching. You just need to let go and fall back. Have some faith.”
“Ha! Easy for you to say! You obviously do this all the time.”
Jeff laughed. “I actually don’t, but that’s not the point. I’m just saying, try. Trust me. You’ll love it. I thought you were the kind of girl who was up for anything? You’re not afraid of making a little snow angel, are you?”
Haley’s mouth dropped open. There he was again with his challenge, and here she was falling for it. Again. But she couldn’t help herself. “Fine.” She threw up her hands. “I’ll try it. But I swear if I get snow down my back again . . .”
“It’s just snow.” Jeff laughed. “Come on, let’s go. Just hold out your arms and fall back into the snow. You’re making it way harder than it is. Remember research. You’re doing this for work. How much do you really want this toy account?”
That did the trick. With a look of pure determination, Haley planted her feet shoulder-width apart then raised both arms to the sky. She shut her eyes then opened them and quickly looked behind her to see where she was about to fall.
“You got this,” Jeff said. “Just fall.”
Haley squeezed her eyes shut.
“I’ll count you down,” Jeff said. “One, two . . .”
But before he could say “three,” Haley had already let herself fall back. She didn’t open her eyes until she’d landed perfectly in the snow. “I did it.” She laughed. She looked over at Jeff, and they were so close, their fingers could almost touch.
“You did!” He smiled back at her. “Now make the angel.”
Haley watched as he started moving his arms and legs again, and she did the same thing. She couldn’t stop laughing. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she said.
“It’s called having fun,” Jeff said. “Maybe you forgot how?”
She laughed again. “Maybe, but not anymore. I wish Larry, my boss, could see me now, or my friend Kathy, or anyone, because no one would believe I’m doing this.”
“So, how does it feel?”
“Besides wet and cold?” Haley asked. Then she smiled. “Actually, it feels pretty good.” She moved her arms and legs as she looked up to the sky. The snow was coming down faster, so it was getting harder to see. When she tried to wipe some snowflakes out of her eyes, she just got more snow in her face from her gloves. She sputtered when some snow got in her mouth, and laughed.
“Are you getting cold? Are you ready to go in?”
Haley nodded. “I think I’m ready. But wait, how do I get up and not wreck my angel?”
“Hold on. I’ll help you.” Jeff carefully sat up and held out both hands to her. “Just sit up and take my hands, and keep your feet where they are. I’ll pull you up.”
Haley looked embarrassed. “No, it’s okay. I can do it.” But when she tried to get up, she started to slip backward.
Without saying a word, Jeff just walked over, stood in front of her, and held out both hands.
Silently, she took them, and when he pulled her up, she was standing so close to him that she could feel his breath on her cheek. When their eyes met, the spark was there, stronger than ever. Haley held her breath, because it looked like he was about to kiss her. She didn’t move. She didn’t want to move. She must have closed her eyes, because when she opened them, Jeff had stepped back and was brushing some snow off himself, not looking at her. She was so confused. She’d wanted him to kiss her, and she’d thought he’d wanted to kiss her, too. Her mind was whirling like the snow.
“Let’s get inside,” he said, snapping her back to reality. He was already heading for the door.
As she hurried to follow him, she looked back at their angels. They were perfect. They were so close together their wings were almost touching.
As soon as they stepped inside, Haley saw Laura waiting for them with her tray of hot chocolate. “I saw you outside making snow angels. I thought you might need to warm up a little.”
Jeff took one of the Santa mugs and handed it to Haley. “Laura, you read our minds. Thank you so much.”
“Thank you,” Haley said. She enjoyed a long, satisfying sip.
“This is another tradition we have,” Jeff said. “Having hot chocolate after making snow angels.”
“Is he making this up?” Haley asked Laura.
Laura shook her head and smiled back at her. “No, it’s true. Snow angels and hot chocolate always go together.”
“See,” Jeff said as he held up his Santa mug for a toast. “Cheers to snow angels.”
When Haley looked into his eyes, she saw something that had her wondering if he was talking about the snow angels they had just made or if he was calling her a snow angel. “Cheers,” she said as she clinked her Santa mug to his.
AFTER SHE TOOK a long hot bath, Haley snuggled up in her robe and walked to her bedroom window. The snow was still coming down fast, making it hard to see. So she got closer and pressed her nose against the cold glass. She wanted to see if the snow angels were still there, but all she could make out was a faint outline. Disappointed, she turned back, picked up her laptop, and got comfortable in bed. She was ready to work but was having a hard time concentrating.
Her mind kept going back to making the snow angels with Jeff and that moment when it seemed like he was about to kiss her. Remembering, she picked up the angel pillow and hugged it to her heart. She didn’t know how she should feel about it. Relieved that it hadn’t happened? Disappointed that it hadn’t happened? She was getting more confused by the second.
“Stop it!” she scolded herself out loud. “You need to focus on work!”
With a look of determination, she brought up her work emails and started catching up on them. She was making some progress until she read an email from Kathy, who had some updated intel on Tom’s Tyler Toys campaign and how much Larry was loving what he was seeing. That email was followed by one from Larry checking in on her, asking how she was enjoying Christmas Camp and saying how he was looking forward to seeing her pitch for Tyler Toys in a few days, and that he was expecting great things.
“Great things?” She groaned. “Great things? All I have are a few ideas, and I don’t even know what to do with them.” She took a deep breath. She knew she’d never be able to come up with anything creative if she was in panic mode. Forcing herself to feel more positive, she sat up straighter and started writing down a few words.
Wishing Tree / Angels / Presents for Kids / Snow Angels???
She stared at the screen for several more seconds, but when nothing came to her, she dropped her head into her hands and rubbed her throbbing temples. She was a bundle of nerves and stress, and she couldn’t sit still any longer. She jumped out of bed and started pacing around the room.
“Okay, so far I have an angel tree, angels, dolls, toys, more angels, what else? What else do I have?” She looked around the room and locked eyes with the angel in the picture above the dresser. She hurried over, yanked open the top drawer, and saw all the angels she had hidden away. She took one out and smoothed her wrinkled dress.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have hidden you all away,” she said to the angel. “Maybe that was bad Christmas karma or something. So, I’m officially saying I’m sorry.” She started putting all the angels back where she had found them. She knew she was being a little crazy, but so far nothing else had worked, and at this point she was willing to try anything and everything. When she was finally done, she stood back and surveyed her work. All the angels were staring back at her. Only this time they didn’t freak her out. This time they actually gave her some hope.
She then walked over to the stack of Christmas books next to her bed. She hadn’t touched any of them yet—she hadn’t had the time, but she quickly found the one she was looking for, An Angel’s Christmas, the one Jeff had given to her. She opened it up to the first page and started reading.
“Okay, angels, let’s see what you got. Bring on the inspiration.”