A half hour later, in her couture dress minus the chain mail, and a shapeless borrowed coat from Tony’s hall closet, Elaine stepped out into Christmas morning. Church bells clanged with joyous abandon and, somewhere in the distance, carolers sang. The snowstorm was over, and the sun peeked through a crack in the clouds. A sparkling carpet of dazzling white lay over everything, turning parked cars to anonymous giant marshmallows, heaps of garbage to glistening ivory sculptures. Laughing children played in the streets while their parents, cradling steaming mugs in their hands, looked on from stairways and stoops. Kids tried out new sleds and skis and radio-controlled trucks.

They encountered a dark-eyed girl with a shy smile who carried a large box as she walked along with her mother. “Tony,” she said, “look what Santa brought.” She lifted the lid to show off a brand-new pair of hockey skates. He winked at her mom and tugged at the end of her stocking cap. “You must have been extra good this year, kiddo.”

“We’re going to Prospect Park to try them out right away.”

He waved at them as they headed for the bus stop. “She’s one of my best left wings,” he said.

“So she’s in your hockey league?”

“Yeah. For the time being.” A troubled crease appeared on his brow.

“The lack of funds is a big problem, isn’t it?” She watched the girl and her mother at the bus stop, their faces glowing with excitement. “It doesn’t have to be that way.”

“I know. Better PR, bigger donations. But we can’t afford better PR.”

“You can if it’s free.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah? When are you going to have time for that?”

She smiled, suddenly sure of herself, more sure than she’d ever been in her life. “From now on, I’m going to make time. My firm’s going to open a nonprofit PR division and take on some pro bono clients.”

He grinned and put his arm around her. “It’s good to be the boss.”

As she walked at his side, she felt lighter than air. She felt as though she’d been roused from a long sleep of numbness and was finally waking up to life. This was Tony’s world, this colorful, noisy, imperfect place, and it made more sense to her than her own. He was a part of this neighborhood, this tree-lined street filled with families and laughter.