Page 39 of The Christmas Accomplice

“Is that some kind of signal?”

“More like a cry for help. Come on.”

The toboggan run was close to the lodge, so they set off on foot. Welton asked about the songs Reece had lined up for the karaoke event that evening, which led to a conversation about favorite Christmas carols.

“I like pretty much all the Christmas songs, but I think my all-time favorite is ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’,” Reece said.

“That’s a good one. I always forget about that one until it shows up in my playlist or on the radio.”

“What about you?” Reece asked.

Welton thought a moment as they walked along the path, then he laughed quietly. “So, I’m going to cheat a bit on my answer.”

“Okay. But is it really cheating if you tell me you’re doing it ahead of time?”

“I’m sure it would fall into a legal gray area,” Welton said. “I don’t have a favorite song, but I do have a favorite Christmas album.”

“Interesting loophole you’ve made for yourself. Which album?”

“A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Reece stopped in his tracks. He watched Welton take a few more steps before he realized Reece was no longer beside him and stopped himself then turned back.

“Did I do something wrong?” Welton asked. “Did I ruin everything? Can you not stand that show or something?”

“No, nothing like that. That’s my favorite album as well.”

“Now you’re just making fun of me.”

“No, I’m serious. I kick off the day after Thanksgiving by playing a Christmas music playlist, and that album is the first in line. I play it at least once every day from Thanksgiving on through New Year’s.”

“It is a popular album,” Welton said. “It’s pretty much ageless.”

“So it is.” Reece looked at Welton until a family came around the bend behind them, their conversation and laughter breaking the moment. “The toboggan run is on the other side of this hill.”

“Oh, yeah. Okay.”

The Toboggan Launch Pad, as it was called, was at the top of a long flight of metal steps Reece explained were wired to melt snow and ice. Surprisingly, there wasn’t much of a line, and very soon they stood on the wide wooden platform where two lodge employees were helping people into a toboggan. One of the employees was a young college guy Nick claimed had a crush on Reece, which seemed pretty obvious when he caught sight of them and flashed a bright smile.

“Hey, Reece, how are you?”

“Hi there.” Reece couldn’t remember the guy’s name for anything, and though he was cute in a college boy kind of way, there just wasn’t a spark on his part.

“You come over to see how the other half lives?” the guy said, then glanced toward Welton. “Hi there.”

“Hi,” Welton said.

“Oh, this is Welton Monroe, a guest of the lodge,” Reece said.

“Hi. I’m Corey.”

Corey, that’s his name!

“I’m showing him around the lodge a bit and giving him a taste of winter outdoor excitement,” Reece said.

“Oh, yeah, sure. Come on over, and we’ll get you two set up.”

There were two toboggan runs, and Corey led them to the one on the far side of the platform. The run was made of wood with sides about six inches high to keep the toboggan on the track. It sloped away from the platform at a fairly steep angle, and Reece saw Welton’s step falter as he looked down the run.