Page 7 of When the Snowman Whispered
Meadow tugged her dad’s coat. “Where’s Butterfly?”
Yes, Daddy. Where’s your young girlfriend?
Brett cleared his throat. “Butterfly has something else to do this Christmas.”
“Is she going to be with her family?” Rose asked.
“Well, no. Butterfly isn’t,” Brett cleared his throat again. “Butterfly isn’t the family type.”
Aww. Has Butterfly realized it’s more fun to be the mistress than the wife?
My girls shrugged and raced back to the house. They knew the routine. I’d packed their bags the night before and filled them with clean clothes and their favorite stuffed animals.
Meadow pretended to be over Mr. Bunny, but all knew about the deception. If Mr. Bunny came up missing, Meadow would rain down havoc in the house.
All their stuff sat at the door, including a cellphone so they could call me.
And then there was the emergency bag.
Both girls didn’t feel like they should bring it. I told them they had no choice. With them away from me for twelve days, anything could happen!
In the emergency bag, I’d packed two phone chargers, several bottles of water, canned food, a picture of us together, the Lord’s Prayer written on a sheet of paper, a map with a clear red line from their father’s house to mine, two flashlights, and a new pack of batteries.
Did I pack everything? There could be a zombie apocalypse for all I know! He better keep them safe.
The girls piled into the house, no doubt leaving tracks of snow in the living room.
Brett turned to me. “How are you, Faith?”
My smile cracked. “Great.”
“Do you have any big plans for Christmas Eve?”
“Yes. Huge ones.”
He frowned. “Well . . . that’s good.”
Silence.
Brett gestured to my snow people. “These pieces could be in front of a museum. You always sculpted breathtaking objects.”
He walked over to my snowman. “How long did it take you to make him?”
For whatever reason, I didn’t like Brett so close to Remy. “I started last night and finished today.”
“That’s dedication.”
I shrugged. “He was worth it.”
Frowning, Brett pointed to his head. “That’s my MJ hat.”
“Is it?”
“And those are the earrings I bought you for last year’s wedding anniversary.”
“Are they?”
“Yes and this is crazy.”
