She let up the garage door, grabbed the ladder, walked around to the side of the house and got busy climbing. Nothing to it.
Oops. Except as she got off she managed to kick the ladder sideways and it fell. Great.
But no problem. She’d have the last grown-up guest stay out and put it back up for her.
She was in place well before the others arrived. She suddenly felt excited and giggly. This was going to be fun.
A fat raindrop landed on her nose. Then another. The morning rain was back. Too bad Santa didn’t have a raincoat. Oh, well. The rain wouldn’t last long.
Molly, Ava and Paisley were the first to arrive a little before four. Paisley got out of the car, holding a cupcake holder filled with the red velvet cupcakes Molly had made. At the sight of Arianna on the roof she dropped it and ran across the front yard, calling, “Santa! Santa!”
“Ho, ho, ho,” Arianna hollered down.
“Santa, it’s not Christmas,” Paisley called up to her.
“I know, but I found some gifts that the elves forgot to pack in the sleigh,” Arianna replied, thinking fast. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by and drop them off. They’re inside under the Valentine’s Day Christmas tree.” Which Sophie had enthusiastically helped decorate, cutting out paper hearts for them to hang on it, along with lighted pink tinsel Arianna had purchased online at Kris Kringl, her favorite Christmas shop.
“Yay!” Paisley whooped and raced for the front door.
Molly picked up the discarded cupcake carrier—luckily it had only dropped a few inches from Paisley’s hands, so the contents were probably safe and sound inside—and gave Arianna a thumbs-up as they went in, calling, “Good job, Santa. I hope you don’t drown up there.”
Arianna gave her two thumbs-up in return. “Santa’s tough.” But Santa sure hated being cold and wet.
Sunny arrived shortly after. Dylan was first out of her SUV. He merely pointed to where Arianna stood and laughed, then raced on ahead to the house. Bella was next, taking her time going up the walk.
“Ho, ho, ho,” Arianna called down.
Bella looked up, stared right through her and continued on inside.
If ever there was a kid who deserved a lump of coal... No, make that a whole truckload.
“What’s with her?” Arianna called down as Sunny straggled up the walk.
“When she found out Travis was sick, she didn’t want to come. I made her anyway.”
“The wicked stepmother,” Arianna teased. “Santa will have to bring you a medal for courage under fire.”
Sunny just shook her head and started in.
Poor Sunny. Arianna had to admire her friend’s determination. Even the new improved her would have given up if she were in her friend’s shoes.
Oh, well, hopefully everyone else would have fun. It sounded like they already were. Happy voices and music were drifting up to her as the door opened. Sophie had volunteered to DJ, and had cranked the stereo up to levels not heard since the great smoke debacle of Christmas Day.
Good. And now, to get off the roof, get out of the rain, which was as cold as the Grinch’s fingers, and get out of this getup.
Wait! The ladder.
“Sunny,” Arianna called. She couldn’t have gone in already. “Sunny! Sunnnny!”
Shit.
8
Alden was in his kitchen, cooking up hot dogs for Buster and himself while pulling together his contribution to the gaming party at his buddy’s house later that evening—his mom’s dip that involved nothing more than onion soup mix and sour cream, which he would elegantly pair with a bag of potato chips—when the faint sound of someone hollering crept through the window over the kitchen sink. What the heck? He looked out the window at the house next door and saw... Santa?
Santa standing on the Whites’ roof at the end of February. In the rain. Sure.
He grabbed a jacket and went outside to investigate, leaving Buster inside, protesting furiously.
