Tapping into Love by Monica McCallan

Author:Monica McCallan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
Published: 2019-11-11T00:00:00+00:00

Lucy stood in front of the six-foot pine tree at Hannah’s house, which was covered on almost every branch with more ornaments than she thought the tree could sustain.

Chloe, however, felt differently, her body bobbing around in search of another branch to place the ornament she held in her hand.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Chloe.” Lucy took a sip of her eggnog, watching the scene play out without doing much to stop it.

Hannah bustled around the kitchen, Drake helping her as they prepared Christmas Eve dinner. She’d be back tomorrow to spend the day, with a few more guests in attendance.

“Yessssss,” Chloe whispered next to the tree. She placed the shiny ornament along a wide, fat part near the bottom. It was something she’d made at school the day before, although Lucy couldn’t quite tell its intended form.

Chloe bobbled over to her in her bright, festive pajamas. “Aunt Lucy, when is Santa coming?”

“Tonight. Have you been good this year?”

“Yes,” she said, nodding emphatically.

“Are you sure?”

“Definitely.”

She admired Chloe’s unwavering confidence. “So, you haven’t been sneaking maple candies?”

Chloe tilted her head and put her hands on her hips. “Those were a gift.”

“How many candies have you had today?”

“I don’t know. A couple,” Chloe said, staring past her mischievously.

Lucy turned around to see Drake give the little girl a wink. She couldn’t even be mad. It was so sweet, the camaraderie they’d developed over the past month. The maple candies didn’t hurt, but it was because Drake was consistent and loving. Even Lucy had found herself won over by his presence.

Besides, she hadn’t seen Hannah this happy since Ben had died. She had a glow about her, like she floated when she walked these days, a wistfulness that reminded Lucy of teenagers with their first crushes. She’d never begrudge her best friend that happiness, even if it had come from an unlikely source.

“The maple candy monster wants to know when dinner will be ready,” Lucy said toward the kitchen.

“In just a minute. Chloe, go wash your hands,” Hannah said as she stepped from behind the counter separating the living room and galley kitchen.

Chloe stood still and stomped her feet. “I don’t wanna.”

“Santa knows when you don’t wash your hands.”

Chloe sucked in her cheeks and raised her eyebrows like she was getting ready to fight. “Santa’s pretty tough this year,” she said as she stalked off toward the bathroom at the end of the hall.

“How many more years do you think you can get her to behave with the threat of Santa Claus?”

Hannah laughed and threw a dish towel over her shoulder. “At least ten?” she said hopefully.

Lucy moved toward the dining room table and took a seat. “Good luck with that. I just spent an hour painstakingly explaining how Santa Claus made it to every house in the world each Christmas. That kid’s brain has a brain.”

“I’m sure you explained it well,” Drake said as he walked toward the table with a large pan.

“Can I help with anything?”

Hannah shooed her back into her seat with a handwave.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.