Page 99 of Eight Days of Christmas
“Hi, Nana.” Isabella braved a reluctant smile.
“Well, what on earth are you doing?” Nana squinted, gazing up at the Hoffman’s trellis.
“Oh, you know me. I just love the snow. Can’t get enough of it.”
“You need some help, sweetie?” Papa asked.
“No, no.” Isabella put up her hand. “I got this.” She rolled and stood, only feeling a slight ache in her lower back.
Nana elbowed Papa in the ribs, whispering, “You think maybe she’s been, you know?” She made the smoking weed sign. Papa shrugged, his arms full of packages.
Nana pulled Isabella into a hug, sniffing several times.
Isabella made a face. “You okay?”
“We should be asking you the same thing,” Nana said.
“I’m fine.” Isabella went to the front door, opening it to let Papa inside. “Hi, Papa, how are you?”
“I’ll be better when I can set these gifts down. My strength isn’t what it used to be.” He entered the house with Nana right behind him.
“Well, I think you look great.” She took the stack of gifts from his arms.
Dad appeared in the front entryway. “Mom, Dad,” he said, holding his arms open wide.
“Isabella, could you please get the rest of the gifts from the trunk of the car? You know Papa and his arthritis?”
“Oh, I remember.” She exhaled a light laugh. It may have been years since she’d seen her grandparents, but some things never changed. Like how Papa’s arthritis suddenly acted up when Nana would ask him to do something he didn’t feel like doing.
After retrieving the gifts from the trunk of Papa’s car, Isabella returned just in time to see Norah, gliding down the stairs. Her face beaming with Christmas morning and wedding day glow. Ava zoomed down the stairs next, nearly colliding into Norah as she ran straight for the tree. She squealed in delight. Santa Claus had been good to Ava, bringing her a few specially wrapped gifts with fancy North Pole wrapping and stuffed her stocking full.
Finn and Nina came down not long after Ava. Finn rubbed at his eyes, then stopped after passing Isabella. He turned and frowned at her. “Dude, Izz, what the heck happened to your pants?”
Isabella chewed on her lip.
“They really are wet.” Norah got a closer look.
Isabella backed up. “Okay, can everyone please stop staring at my backside?”
Norah frowned. “Where’d you go this morning?”
“Oh, this one?” Papa hiked a thumb over his shoulder. “We found her lying in the snow by the trellis.” He leaned closer to Dad. “Nana and I think she’s been puffing the old magic dragon, if you know what I’m saying?”
“Papa,” Norah shrieked.
Dad looked at Isabella, frowning.
“I wasn’t.” She tried to assure him.
“We don’t have a trellis.”
“What?” Maybe she should’ve just gone along with Nana and Papa. Even though she and Leo talked about a long-distance relationship, they hadn’t discussed if they were going to announce it to their families yet.
“It’s fine, dear. Papa and I are hip. We grew up in the ’50s and ’60s.” Nana elbowed Isabella and winked at her. “C’mon, let’s get the show on the road.” She waved everyone into the living room. “We have a wedding to get to, and it seems an impatient little girl wants to open her stocking.”
Ava jumped up and down. Nana was speaking her language. “And one gift!”
“Now, Mom,” Dad said, “we talked about this. We’re opening gifts this evening when Landon can join us.”
