He wanted to know about all of her favorite things, but he felt his chances slipping away. He hadn’t seen or spoken to her since their brief encounter at the train station. Their quick exchange of text messages had left him in a quandary. He had simply wanted her to understand that Maya and he were definitely not an item. The way she was regarding him now was a bit cryptic, just like the text she’d sent him. On second thought, the text wasn’t cryptic at all. She didn’t want to be his girlfriend.

Once everyone was in the house, chaos ruled. The kids ran around exploring, admiring the tree he had put up, and sorting out the bunk bed situation in the kids’ room. André and Angelica seemed to be doing all right so far. It was incredibly gratifying to see them embracing the holidays, far from the city, far from their mom. They each had a part in the annual Christmas pageant at Heart of the Mountains Church. When Maureen and Eddie Haven, the pageant directors, heard Angelica sing, they immediately asked if she’d like to do a solo, “Sleep My Baby,” on Christmas morning. The little girl had been practicing nonstop.

They were already taking ski lessons at the resort, too. André was a natural, eagerly learning the new sport. Angelica was more cautious, but happy to try getting down the hill on her skis, making little snowplow turns.

Charlie had arrived a couple days before, and the moment he’d seen his son, Logan’s world had felt complete. He was grateful for the ease with which they fell into their roles, like putting on warm, comfortable boots. Having André and Angelica there was great, lending a sense of family energy the house had been missing. Charlie hadn’t been out on the slopes yet but was dying to go. Tomorrow morning, Logan had promised.

Dinner was a free-for-all, supervised by the sisters and his mom. Logan’s famous chili was the main dish, and he was gratified to see how fast it disappeared.

“I’m proud of your cooking,” his mother said. “You’re really great at it.”

“Hear that, Charlie? I’m a great cook.”

“Good to know,” replied Charlie.

“Be sure you tell Santa how good I’ve been.”

“Santa,” squealed the nieces. “When do we get to see Santa?”

“Tomorrow, after skiing,” Logan said. “The big guy has a life-size gingerbread cottage in town, and then there’s a Christmas parade.”

“I want everything for Christmas,” announced his nephew Fisher.

“You can’t have everything,” said his brother, Goose.

“But I can want everything.”

Logan chuckled. “Yo, I like the way you think.”

“How come your name’s Goose?” asked Angelica.

“It’s a nickname, on account of Mom’s favorite movie.”

“Top Gun. She watches it at night when she thinks we’re asleep, and cries every time Goose crashes his plane,” Fisher explained.