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“Who is that?” Holly asked her dad, pointing over at Nick, who was still making frantic motions in the snow with the other children.

“Nick!” Annie yelled to him. He jumped up like a happy puppy, his pants coated in snow, a huge grin on his face. “Come introduce yourself to Holly,” Annie said, her teeth glued together. “And then, we should probably get back home. I think I left a cinnamon-spiced candle burning!”

“Annie, you’re so funny, you can’t go home yet, the snowman competition starts in ten minutes!” Holly laughed.

“So?” Annie asked.

“I thought she’d want to be on our team,” Holly said, looking toward Chris. “She doesn’t want to be on our team, Daddy?”

“I’m sure Annie is busy; she’s a very successful big-city businesswoman,” Chris said, unable to meet Annie’s questioning stare. Holly let out a sad whimper and grabbed her dad’s hand.

“Don’t make the kid cry!” Nick said to Annie, now standing beside her. “Can I be on your team too?” Nick asked Holly.

“I hate you,” Annie mouthed silently to Nick.

“No such thing as hate here,” Nick muttered back, “you mildly dislike me at the moment.” Annie shook her head in annoyance and looked up to the sky. It had turned a beautiful cotton candy pink color, lighting everything in sight in a warm haze.

“Wow,” Annie whispered. Nick looked up.

“Yeah,” he said.

“It’s like it’s been filtered. I wish I could make this into an Instagram story …” Annie murmured, her hands itching for the weight of her familiar phone and its many functions.

“Let’s take a selfie!” Nick said. “The camera is the only thing that sometimes appears and actually opens on my phone.”

“Huh?” Annie asked, but Nick had already whipped out his phone. Annie saw a flash of the mistletoe and snow couple cartoon and couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it.

“Got it!” Nick said.

“Ew, no, take it again! I wasn’t even looking the right way!” Annie scolded him. Nick obediently held out his arm to take another picture, waiting for Annie’s nod.

“Are you guys okay?” Chris chuckled cautiously. Annie and Nick turned toward him, remembering he was still standing there.

“Capturing some holiday memories,” Nick smiled and tucked the phone back into his coat pocket. “So, Holly, can I be on your snowman team?”

“Do you also have a fashion background?” Holly asked, her tone playfully scrutinizing.

“Well, no, but I do have a lot of theatrical, scene construction experience. I help build sets for various Broadway touring shows,” Nick said.

“Broadway shows?” Annie asked.

“Yeah,” Nick shrugged.

“That’s actually pretty cool,” Annie said. “I thought you were like a weird roadie or something.”

“A weird roadie? Ouch,” Nick said, shaking his head. “Um, no. Being a tech theater kid in high school can have a pretty cool career trajectory,” Nick said rather proudly.

“Nick is also helping us with the town holiday show,” Chris explained to Holly, and her already big eyes grew larger before she hugged Nick’s leg. He looked way more excited by the attention than Annie had.

“Thank you, thank you both! It’ll be the best Christmas ever!” Holly smiled. “Now let’s go win a snowman competition!”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Chris offered Annie his arm. She stood dumbfounded for a moment before realizing she was expected to link her own through his so he could lead them to this snowman event. For so many late nights after meeting at bars, waiting to catch a ride back to his apartment, Annie had yearned for him to take her hand. She had even grabbed his once, only for him to immediately drop hers like it was on fire. Chris had always hated that type of public intimacy, at least with her.

This must be how we lady folk walk around town in these movies, Annie thought, our feet in heels and our arms linked to some man. Though even as it made her internally roll her eyes and want to thrash wildly against the heteronormativity of it all, a part of her reveled in the simple warmth and support of someone walking beside her. She gave in to it and wove her arm into the space. Annie tried not to overthink the last positions their bodies had taken together and did her best to silence any feelings of wanting to recreate them again, knowing this was not the same man she was used to. Annie turned back to see Nick and Holly behind them, already engaged in a deep discussion about snowman design.

“Holly seems like a great kid,” Annie said after a moment of silence.