MONTANA: Besides, Ellison gave her grand-goats, a mini grand-cow, and a hell of a lot of other animals I didn’t ask for
VIENNA: I love your love
MONTANA: My hair is graying at an alarming rate
ASPEN: Ellison probably likes it
MONTANA: She better, it’s her own damn fault
VIENNA: *Adds men’s hair color to Christmas shopping list*
MONTANA: I hate you
VIENNA: No you don’t
MONTANA: I don’t. I miss you and I want you to come home
ASPEN: You could always move here
MONTANA: Not a chance baby sister
VIENNA: Well at least we have a plan in place
MONTANA: What plan??
VIENNA: We sacrifice you to Mama with your menagerie of baby animals and wedding plans and live our lives blissfully by the beach
ASPEN: Amen
MONTANA: I did NOT agree to that
ASPEN: Love you big brother
VIENNA: Love you!
MONTANA: You’re both getting coal
Feeling immensely better,I tie my hair up onto the top of my head and get started on the three orders I need to fill and deliver today.
PHOENIX
The kitchen lightis on when I pull up to Bristol’s house and park my truck. Grinning, I grab the box from the passenger seat and make my way to the door just as she opens it with a shake of her head.
“Someday you’re gonna grow out of this and I’ll be stuck makin’ the magic happen,” she teases like she does every year. But it’ll never happen because I promised, and honestly, Ilikedoing it.
“I love you too, big sister.”
“Uh-huh,” she says with a roll of her eyes. “How much cleanup is there with this one?”
Whistling softly, I stroll into the kitchen as Bristol trails behind me.
“Phoenix,” she hisses as I set the box on the counter.
“She really wants to see snow,” I say with a shrug, and my sister groans as I pull out a plastic sheet to cover the island along with several cans of shaving cream.
“I hate you,” she grumbles as I retrieve Navy’s elf, Gaston, from his previous spot.
“I have three sizes of marshmallows to make snowmen and then we need three of her toys to help with a snowball fight.” I preen under her narrowed stare. “And I have twoverysimple setups and I’ll text you to remind you.”
