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I grinned. “There’s a movie title in there somewhere. And yes, if that’s okay.”
His eyes were warm. “More than okay.”
“Of course,” I added. “You know what this makes you, right?”
“Enlighten me.”
I grinned. “The biggest cradle robber of all time.”
He laughed. “It gets better.” When I gave him a quizzical glance, his eyes twinkled. “Well, you always were into older guys.”
When I was fifty-three
2020
“You weren’t kidding when you said you had a surprise for me.”
It had to be the most magical experience ever.
We were flying through the heavens and as far as the eye could see were the rippling, incandescent columns of the Aurora Borealis. Green flashed across the sky, shimmering in and out, as if the sky were on fire, and suddenly there was red too.
“Not bad for a bunch of excited outer electrons.”
I gaped at him. “You can’t reduce this to a scientific explanation. This isawesome.” Not to mention spectacular, exhilarating…
Nicholas’s arm tightened around me. “I wanted you to see this. It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?” He sighed. “Except it’s nearly time to get you home.” He grabbed the reins.
My heart sank. Another Christmas Eve was coming to an end.
I fell silent, gazing at the landscape below us, my heart aching.
It’s not enough.
I couldn’t keep doing this, wishing my life away, waiting for those few hours we shared.
He touched my knee. “Could you do me a favor? If I hold the sleigh steady, could you climb into the back where the sack is, and just check I really have delivered everything? I can’t shake the sneaking suspicion I’ve forgotten something.”
“You want me to climb over… in mid-flight?”
“I’d do it, but I’m driving.” He smiled. “You’re safe. I wouldn’t ask you to do anything that would harm you.”
I knew that. “Sure.” I clambered over the back of the seat into the large open space behind, where a big red sack lay in a heap on the floor. I peered inside it. “How do you expect me to see anything? It’s really dark back here.”
“The flashlight on your phone will work, if that helps.”
I removed it from my pocket and clicked on the icon. I searched every corner. “There’s nothing in here.”
To my surprise, Nicholas joined me. “Are you sure?”
I blinked. “Hey, I thought you were driving?”
He laughed. “My girls could fly without me. I’m not worried.” He peered into the sack. “Looks like you’re right.” Then he smiled. “How would you like to fly the sleigh?”
“Didn’t you just say they could fly without you?”
“Yes, they can, but I was thinking of giving you the reins for a while. You know, so you can see how it feels to be the one in control.” He gave me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, the girls won’t steer you wrong. I just thought you might like to do this.”
I grinned. “I can’t deny it, I’ve thought about this countless times in the last few years. I just never got up enough nerve to ask.”
