A Little Snow Chapter 16

The rest of the morning was spent opening gifts and calling Ricky one more time before the end of the day. He and his friends were packing up for their short ski trip, and he once again promised his mother they would all be careful. After the call, very little was mentioned about the day before, or the morning's coffee adventure. While Sharon knew her daughter meant well, it was difficult to not get a little flustered with her questions and assumptions.

Sharon was still working all of it out herself, and having Emily teasing her was not helping. It was lovely to be with her daughter, but at times difficult to navigate their evolving mother/daughter relationship. Emily was an adult, and testing how far she could take her prying. Sharon knew it was all in good fun; that Emily was truly interested in her life, but it was a little stressful while she herself was unsure of what was she was doing. The jokes were innocent enough to begin with, but they were beginning to take on a new meaning as her interactions with Andy outside of work increased.

This afternoon Sharon and Emily had decided to eat a light lunch at The Plaza before exploring the wintery scenes in Central Park. Emily wanted to take a few pictures of the snow while there were fewer people out to traipse through the photos. The city was more awake now, but most people were leisurely exploring the sights, and enjoying a rare time of fewer crowds and less traffic. It was still busy, but nothing like the normal hoards of people meandering around the popular venues.

"That was perfect," Sharon beamed as she and he daughter left the through The Plaza's side door onto 59th Street arm in arm. "I am so glad you wanted to get out today. Now we can say we had Christmas tea and cakes at The Plaza. Another New York experience to add to the year."

Emily returned her mother's smile, "Just like Eloise. I am so happy it did not take too long to get a table. Now we can wander around for the rest of the day. How is your leg? Are you okay to walk around for a while?"

"It will be fine. I can rest when I get back to LA," Sharon assured her daughter. "It tinges a little here and there if I misstep, but we are here and I am not going to miss anything to nurse a simple bruise. I still mostly work in my office. There will be time to rest it later."

Her daughter smiled at the determination in her mother's voice as they crossed the street at the hotel driveway. When they reached the other side, the two walked along beside the horse drawn carriages awaiting passengers at the park entrance. Some of the drivers had Christmas lights wrapped around their reigns, each one had potted poinsettias on the corners of the carts, and a few of the horses were also dressed for the occasion. The snow around the grey stonewall of the park and old iron light posts gave the whole area a vintage holiday feel. Emily and Sharon admired the setting, but chose to walk into the park rather than to go for a carriage ride.

Once they entered the Park, Emily discreetly checked her phone while her mother continued to stroll along beside her. Noting the time she dropped the phone back into her bag, and guided them along the walkway in the direction of the Central Park Zoo.

"The zoo isn't open today, but we could maybe see some of the animals through the bars of the fence," Emily reasoned, her arm still linked with her mother's. "I really love the area, especially the clock on the other side heading into the petting zoo area. If we hurry we will get there in time to see the statues chime and rotate. My favorite is the penguin, but I mean the bear and the bunny are also fun. I can never remember all six of them. Oh the monkeys on top though, I hope we can get there before it chimes. I want to take some pictures of it as it changes, maybe even a video to send to Ricky when we get back to my place."

Sharon rotated the wrist of their joined arms to check the time on her watch. "Well, it's five 'til so we should be able to -." She cut herself off mid sentence as she lifted her head forward to see a familiar pair walking toward them. She stopped in her tracks and pulled her daughter closer to her side. Sharon lowered her voice to a direct whisper, "Emily Eileen, did you do this?"

Emily feigned confusion, "What do you mean? We just left lunch and you wanted to walk around the Park."

"Emily this is not funny. Seriously, we are friends, nothing that you need to be concerned with. This whole trip has been so far out of the norm I can't even begin to explain." Sharon paused to collect herself. She met her daughter's eyes, "Look, sweetheart, I know you are having fun, but this is my life. I do not need you to push it in any direction. I am an adult and can take care of myself. I have been doing it all on my own for years now, Em. It was all fun at first, but I promise you I have everything under control."

Her daughter bit down on her bottom lip. "I know, Mom. I just thought it would be fun to hang out with them again. I really like Andy, and Liv texted this morning to say he was M.I.A. I assumed it would be all right since you seemed to be missing out there with him. I mean you have already spent so much time together. What is a little more here now? You can always go back to work and pretend this whole thing never happened." Emily shrugged anxiously, still trying to explain her actions. "Where is the harm in a group outing at Central Park on Christmas Day? We are all friends at this point, right?"

Sharon sighed and returned her gaze to the approaching pair. "Just a group outing," she echoed, "with our friends." She glanced back to her daughter, "I would never in a million years have predicted those words would come out of my mouth in regards to anyone with the last name of Flynn. Or that this is where we would be on Christmas Day." She gave her daughter a reluctant smile as Emily squeezed their arms together. She unhooked her elbow from her mother's arm. "But Emily, please-."

"And when the day is over this can all stay here in the city. What happens in New York," Emily smiled stepping to the side, interrupting her mother and directing her free arm forward. "I won't say anything else about it. I am sorry. I see how this could be a little awkward. I mean I did feel like you two enjoyed each other's company, but if not, um this was all Liv's idea."

She rolled her eyes, but gave her daughter a small smile at the all too familiar explanation. "Of course it was."

"Sharon! Emily!" Liv waved from the archway under the Delacorte Clock. "So wonderful to see you both again!" She walked over ad hugged both women while Andy stood off to the side behind her. "We could not have asked for a more perfect Christmas, weather wise," she beamed. "Of course the snowstorm almost ruined it all, but," her voice trailed as she turned to open her body to the path ahead, "it has turned out all right here in the end, I mean it is gorgeous out here today."

"It really is," Sharon smiled as her eyes drifted in Andy's direction. "I would never have expected a snowstorm like that to turn out like this."

Andy stepped forward to join the group, "Me either." He shot his sister a questioning glance, "I guess we are all spending some more time together today, Olivia?"

"I guess we are now that we have run into them out here." Liv smiled, "What are the odds?" She spun on her heel and reached out for Emily. "I mean it is such a large city, and yet here we all are again. Emily, were you saying something about wanting to take some different photos of the snow covered bridges and statues out around the park? Here we can take some of the clock and then head up to the bridge by the Iditarod statue. It is very picturesque at the moment."

Emily snapped a few photos of the bronze clock as the music began to play and the animals rotated along their track. When then chimes ended Liv pulled Emily along with her under the archway and back down the path. As the two walked away Andy rolled his eyes at his sister's excited manner and not so subtle diversion. "I mean, what are the odds?" He groaned under his breath and threw his arms in the air in mock surprise. "Geez, sis, it seems like another one of those Christmas miracles."

Being the only one nearby to catch his grumbling, Sharon smirked and took a step forward to follow the others. Once she was beside Andy she leaned in and sighed, "Who knew we were due for so many?"

A few steps away, Emily glanced back and gave her mother an apologetic shrug. The other woman continued to pull her forward by her hand. She mouthed, "I'm sorry," before she turned completely to walk along beside Liv. Sharon smiled and rolled her eyes. She was not really upset with her daughter; at this point it was somewhat entertaining to see the level of scheming the two had been involved in that morning. This was not the Christmas she had imagined, but it was definitely going to be one of her more memorable holidays.

"So," Andy hummed as they watched Liv and Emily walk off together. "This has been an interesting vacation."

Sharon's eyes trailed along their path as well. She turned her head to her right, "You could say that again."

They walked along, leisurely following Emily and Liv down the path and around toward the statue. "I am sorry my sister has kept this going," Andy broke the silence. "I doubt Emily would have gone along with it if Liv had not been here to egg her on. She's like that sometimes. She does not always know when to stop."

"Sisters," Sharon gave him a sarcastic half-smile, "they can be so fun." He answered with a sigh as she went on, "You don't have to apologize though, Andy. I really do like your sister, even if she and Emily have been meddling a bit too much."

Andy let out a dry chuckle, "Meddling is right." They strolled along, both facing the paved trail ahead. "I, um," Andy stammered trying to think of what to say, "I mean, well, Liv enjoyed the drink you ordered this morning. Thank you for making sure I got it right." He had not expected to see Sharon again this trip after watching her cab drive away, so he was unsure of where to take the conversation. A lot had happened in the short window since their flight had been diverted. Now that they were together again it was a little uncomfortable not knowing if their goodbye that morning was something to address or to ignore. Before he could take the extra time to consider how to address it, he heard Sharon inhale to speak.

She nodded, her eyes fixed ahead of them, "You're welcome. I know it can be overwhelming when you don't know the menu. Luckily, Emily has the same tastes."

"Yes," Andy replied. He glanced down to his left. Sharon was walking along admiring the scenery. The fields and trees were still covered in snow. The sun reflecting from the surfaces gave everything a completely different feel than the normal New York Park. "Liv was right, we did get lucky with this trip. It could have been a lot worse."

Sharon turned to him with a meaningful stare, "Yes, either one of us could have been stuck traveling with your partner or someone like that." She gave an involuntary shutter and the thought. Returning to his statement she sighed, "but lucky? That was definitely not the first thought that came to my mind when the pilot made the announcement. Probably even farther from my mind when we agreed to rent that car together."

"True," Andy chuckled, "but now? I mean an unexpected snowstorm, sure, but here we are." He slowly fanned his arm out in front of him as a gesture to their current location. "I mean, it's a beautiful white Christmas, and maybe the company has not been that bad."

Sharon suppressed a small smile at his comment. "Maybe not," she reiterated, her eye catching a cardinal as he flew across the path and landed on a nearby branch.

Andy's eyes followed along with hers, "It feels like something out of a film; the perfect winter storm and all. I mean it has been a nice couple of days since then. A lot to think about, I guess."

"Mm hmm," Sharon shrugged, pausing to watch the bird along with a couple others who joined him in the tree. "It has been like living in a completely separate world,' she mused. "As if these last couple of days are something separate from our actual lives." Her voice trailed as she continued to observe the birds, allowing her mind to trail back through her memories.

Up ahead, Emily turned around. She stopped at the sight of them staring at the wildlife and placed her hands on either side of her mouth to project her voice, "Hey you two! Are you coming?"

Her daughter's voice pulled her back to the present. She turned her head to the right and waved, "Yes, we will be right there!" Emily smiled and returned to her conversation with Liv. Sharon inhaled calmly and glanced back one final time to the birds chirping on the snowy limb.

Andy stood for a moment as well, and smiled to himself at the quiet winter scene. He looked ahead to see the others rounding the path ahead to the left, and back to Sharon. He reached to her and gently pulled her along the sidewalk with him. "I think they're trying to lose us," he grinned as they restarted their walk.

Sharon's eyes fell to his hand and then back to the path ahead. She followed along beside him, still somewhat lost in her thoughts. As they rounded the next corner the statue came into view. Pausing in front of it, she smiled, "Emily loves this one." She gestured toward the bronze statue of the wolf hybrid. "When I dropped her off at school we walked through the park and she was very happy to stumble across Balto here. It was one of my children's favorites movies growing up, so the fact that the statue was real," her voice trailed as she recalled Emily's excitement at reading the actual plaque, "was a pretty big deal."

"I could see that," Andy exhaled quietly. "I think I may have missed that one though. I know the story, loosely, but not in terms of a children's film. I missed a few things like that back then."

Sharon looked up. His eyes were fixed ahead, momentarily lost in his own memories. Although, judging by his empty stare his were not as positive as hers had been. She bumped his shoulder with hers in what she hoped was a gesture of encouragement. He smiled down to her and without a word from him, they turned to resume their stroll. "Even if you did miss a few things, Andy, there is still time," she whispered. "There is always time to create new memories. You can't go back and make everything better, but making every today meaningful is always an option."

Andy nodded, "Yes, all we can do is to keep trying. To keep moving forward."

"Indeed," Sharon hummed. "That's all we can do. Everyone has their pasts."

Andy nodded again, but said nothing more. They walked along in silence, under the bridge, and to the right to follow Emily and Liv toward the Lake and the Bethesda Fountain.

Sharon glanced down and noticed he was still holding her hand. She thought back to the previous morning, and was struck by all that had changed since the first time she had caught herself holding his hand. However, just like the previous morning she had not noticed this time either, so that part was consistent. She carefully released her hold and tucked her hands into her pockets.

Andy had not realized he had been holding her hand either until she removed hers from his grip. To cover the awkwardness he mirrored her actions, and slipped his hands into the pockets of his coat as well. "Still a little cold out here," he observed trudging along. "Of course not as cold as the other night."

"That's true," Sharon affirmed readjusting her coat around her body. "As your sister said, the weather did take a very pleasant turn. It was rather chilly, even inside the hotel."

Andy nodded, "Yeah, even the heating systems can't always keep up with the bad ones." He chose not to take the topic any further, but still had some things he wanted to discuss with her before they returned to their real lives. He turned toward her, "So, Sharon, when do you fly out? This morning I think you said tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "The afternoon flight, then a cab home, and work the next morning. Just a couple days here and then back to reality."

Andy chuckled nervously, "Reality. Well, I don't know if I mentioned it, but I have enjoyed our little non-reality adventure."

"Me too," Sharon exhaled.

He stopped beside her, "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for being a jerk and for always 'toeing the line.'" He raised his fingers to air quote the last three words, repeating what she has said earlier that morning.

She stopped walking as well and turned to him. "It's fine, Andy. Toeing the line happens from time to time. You're a good cop," she paused, "and a good person. Keep trying with your kids. They will realize how much you care. Simply being present and wanting to be there for them is a big deal. Even if it takes time, and even if they don't seem to realize it now. They will at some point, trust me."

"I mean if I can convince you, I can convince anyone, right?" He joked in an attempt to break the growing tension in the air.

Sharon smirked, "Sure. If that's how you need to think about it."

"So, I've convinced you?" Andy grinned softly in her direction.

She shrugged and turned to return to their walk, "I didn't say that exactly."

"But you kind of did," Andy mused, reaching out to stop her from walking away. "I mean, it seems like you don't mind my company. Maybe there could be something after this trip, something in the real world..."

Sharon pressed her lips together as she met his eyes again. She was not sure how to reply to his comment, or how she wanted to reply. The trip truly had been a surprise, and a growing part of her was sad to know it was about to end. She took a silent step toward him, her eyes dropping to focus on the zipper of his coat.

He stood across from her watching as her expressions changed subtly. He could sense her mind working through their growing friendship. At her prolonged silence, Andy reached out to lift her chin toward his face. He smiled as her eyes met his, and cautiously leaned forward. He hoped his slow movement would allow her plenty of time to step away if he had misread the moment. She did not step back, or turn away. Instead her eyes locked onto his. She watched steadily as he edged closer to her.

With his eyes fixed on hers, his lips curled into a soft smile. Tiny sparkles of light danced through her deep emerald eyes. As he neared he was struck by the way the color shifted to shades of green he did not know existed. Caught off guard by the breathtaking sight, and the potential of the moment, he paused briefly mid movement. At his hesitation Sharon lifted the left side of her mouth into a half grin and leaned in. She met him halfway, her lips pressing softly against his.

At the delicate touch he smiled into the kiss and lifted his right hand to cup her left cheek, his left hand reaching out to pull her closer. They stood together lost in the moment before Sharon gradually pulled her face away from his. A couple inches from him she gently pillowed the side of her face into his open palm. Her eyes glittered up to meet his as she sighed, "Hmm, maybe we can try to make something work in the real world. Maybe there could be some kind of discussion."

Andy let out an airy snort in response and echoed, "Maybe." With a calmness he did not know he possessed, he leaned in to recapture her lips in a deeper kiss.

Behind them the other two had turned to see how far behind Sharon and Andy had fallen. Liv poked Emily in the side, "See, I knew it would be fine. There was definitely something there. They just needed a little more time."

A/N: Okay, all of you lovely people. I really hope this update was all right. I have very rarely tried to write anything that was not a conversation laced with snark. So, trying new things, yay lol. I know it was a little cheesy, but thank you so much for reading! I think this is the end of the cliche Christmas movie story part (and only a couple weeks later than planned haha), but I was going to post a short epilogue in a couple of days. Would that work for you? I also have a decent sized chunk of a deleted conversation from chapter 10 (when they were at the dinner before ice skating) and could tag that to the bottom of the epilogue if anyone was interested in reading that?