“That’s not what I’m supposed to be doing. But thank you.” He grasps my hand, squeezing lightly.

“Something else, then?” I paper over my hurt and disappointment with a too-bright smile, a sunny tone that feels heavy in my chest. There will be time to miss Hall later, after he’s gone. I don’t want to waste however many precious weeks we may have left being miserable. “How about a winter-approved activity?” The perfect idea strikes. “I know exactly what’ll cheer us up.”

I take his hand, leading him toward the stairs. Behind us, Little Teller City shakes off its skin of magic, shrinking back to usual size. “Come, Holiday! Let us bake some delicious secular cookies, partake of glasses of milk, and revel in the ensuing warm and fuzzies.”

He returns my grin on a slight delay. Cookie baking! This should make him happy, which has spawned an unfortunate cycle of making me happy, which means his time will be up even sooner. When we trudge up the stairs and into the kitchen, a cold wind of despair follows after us, threaded with all the words we’ll never say out loud.

*

Chapter Sixteen

Countdown to Christmas:
3 Days

WHAT DID YOU put in these cookies?” I’m on my sixth and I can’t stop.

Hall is aloof. “The ingredients. You were there last night, you saw.”

“You had to have added something extra. These taste too good to be normal cookies.”

“I added love.” He clears his throat. “In the general sense, of course. Love is in the air. Love is all around us.” He looks like he wants to shoot straight up through the ceiling with a jet pack.

“It certainly is,” adds Mom as she passes by, grabbing a cookie. She pats Hall on the head. “Thank you, son-in-law.”

His gaze moves sharply to mine, but I have to look away. She’s going to be so disappointed when a wedding never happens.

Hall bustles over to the dishwasher to unload it, but Athena beats him there. This is no coincidence. When Hall cleared the dishes from the table after dinner, Grandpa was so exuberant in his gratitude that my siblings were bothered. If somebody receives positive attention, that is attention the others are not receiving. Listening to Hall praise everybody has Felix peer-pressure-complimenting Marilou more often. Dad mentioned privately to my sisters and me that Hall is “growing on him,” so Athena is now talking up her husband’s alleged positive attributes. This flattery, in turn, has prompted him to behave extra generously. Sean has asked me twice if I need assistance opening my drinks.

The drive behind these behavioral changes isn’t altruistic, but when somebody is kind to you, you tend to be kind back, so we’re in the midst of an odd paying-it-forward train that is just as alien as it is surprisingly pleasant. Kaia has even been putting her phone and iPad down to join in family conversations.

“Hurry up, Betts!” Dad barks from the living room. “We’re about to press play!”