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“Thank you. We won’t be venturing up the hills tomorrow. A snowstorm’s on its way. Stay inside.”
“I will.”
He left, and I waited for James to return. How long did it take to change from a Santa’s suit?
Kensi found me rummaging in the kitchen fridge for a snack.
“Are you hungry too?” she asked me.
“A little.”
I needed carbs to soak up the alcohol in my stomach.
“Isn’t it past your bedtime?” I asked.
“There's no bedtime today. Tonight is a special night. And I’m waiting for a call from mommy.”
She fiddled with a phone in her hand. “You have a cell phone?”
“I told you. I’m waiting for a call from mommy but the storm outside is stopping the signal. That’s what uncle Julian said. And now, I don’t know if mommy will call because I miss her and I want her to come, but there's a lot of snow.”
“Oh, Kensi. I’m sure your mommy misses you as well, but it would be too dangerous to travel now.”
“I know. That’s why I want her to call. I have to tell her about our snow angels, and the igloo and Santa.”
“Don’t worry, baby. I’m sure she’ll call before the day is over.”
“Thank you.” She hugged my waist. “I had fun today.”
My heart expanded, knowing I had made little Kensi’s holiday special. If there was one person I had hoped to make happy, it was her. “Did you?”
“Yes,” she said with a nod. “And you know what else?”
I shook my head. “What else?”
She bit her lip and looked down like her wish wasn’t supposed to be mentioned. “I touched Santa’s beard, and he smiled, and then he lifted me up on his lap! He smelled of cookies and candy canes.” She giggled, then sighed dreamily, sitting on a kitchen stool. “I can’t wait until Christmas morning because the stockings are still empty, so Santa has work to do, and when the stockings overflow, he puts the presents under the tree, but some presents can’t fit there because some presents aren’t fiscal.”
“Fiscal?”
“Yes, like when you wish for grandpa’s health and he gets well, that’s not a fiscal gift.”
I ruffled the top of her hair. “You mean a physical gift?”
“Yes.”
“Is that the kind of gift you’d like?”
“Yes. I want mommy and daddy and you for Christmas. So we’re together, like a family. And then we can build a snowman family.”
“Oh, Kensi.” I sighed. “Has anyone ever told you that you have a special heart?”
“I have a special heart and a special kidney,” she said.
“What?”
“That’s what mommy says. She said she would call before Santa came and...”
Kensi’s phone rang, and we both jumped, startled.
