(See the first chapter for disclaimer, notes, spoiler, etc.)
Chapter Five: "When the Snow Lay Round About"
Olivia padded into the kitchen, yawning widely as she reached for coffee pot. As she filled her mug, she glanced over her shoulder and said, "You're up early."
"Yes." Lexi peeked over the top of her book and gestured to the small TV on the counter. "I'm waiting for the weather report."
"Oh, I see." With her coffee in hand, she bent and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "You don't need to do that though. I already checked the weather in Miami: sunny and warm, with a ten percent chance of precipitation," she added with a chuckle.
"That's nice, Mommy, but I was waiting for the weather here." She put down her book and turned up the volume. "See?"
Olivia turned to the TV, listening as the meteorologist marveled at the surprise of the impending blizzard and concluded that New York would indeed have a white Christmas. With a frown, she took a sip of her coffee and said, "I hope our flight tomorrow isn't cancelled. You're packed, right?"
"Yes." Lexi raised her book, hiding behind her book as she lied, "And ready to go." She closed her book and set it aside, turning to her mother. "Mommy, can you give me one of my presents early?"
She cocked her head, wrapping her hands around the warmth of the mug. "Which one did you want to open?"
"The one you haven't given me yet."
"You know, it's really not fair to confuse me before I've had my coffee."
She giggled, lifting the lid of her laptop as she turned it to her mother. "Sorry, Mommy." The screen came to life and Lexi pointed at it, opening windows from the taskbar. "I was watching a cooking show earlier and I thought it would be fun if we made Christmas dinner for ourselves."
Olivia groaned, shaking her head instinctively. "Lex, you know I hate to cook."
"But it'll be so much fun, Mommy! I watched the man make everything and it looked so easy!"
"That's his job. He's supposed to make it look easy." She narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she clicked through the recipes, reading them quickly. "What's a 'glug' of oil?"
"Oh, just a really big splash." She turned expectantly, a smile dancing across her face as her eyes flashed mischievously. "Does that mean we can do it?"
"I don't-"
"Please, Mommy? We'll have so much fun cooking together! And, I won't let you burn anything, I promise."
"But, Lex, we don't have all the ingred-"
"Don't worry. I already called the grocery store and placed an order for everything we'll need. It'll be here within the hour."
She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Fine," she said reluctantly, causing the child to excitedly clap her hands. "You think of everything."
Lexi leaned over and kissed her mother's cheek. "I try to," she giggled, closing her eyes as her mother took a fortifying sip of coffee.
Nick closed the taxi door firmly and turned back to the building, just in time to see Gregory come out. He hurried over, taking Gregory's suitcase from him. "Hello, Mr. Richards! Going home for the holiday?"
Gregory grimaced and shook his head. "God, no. I can only handle my parents once a year and I just saw them at Thanksgiving." He gestured to his golf bag and continued, "No, I'm off to south Florida for golf."
"How exciting," Nick said slowly, turning to the street as if to hail a cab. He turned back a moment later and continued, "I suppose you've made alternative travel arrangements?"
"Alternative? What do you mean?"
Nick bit back a grin and said seriously, "The snowstorm, Sir. I've just heard that the area airports have closed due to the snow."
"Snow? What snow?" Gregory glanced up at the bright white sky, missing Nick's knowing smile. At that moment, fat wet snowflakes began to fall from the sky, sticking to everything they touched. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, taking out his BlackBerry to check the status of his flight. After a several moments, he swore and shoved the phone back into its holster. "Cancelled."
"They predict it's going to be quite a messy blizzard," Nick said as a delivery boy with a large box rushed up. He checked the receipt, smiling at Lexi's determination as he confirmed the grocery order for the Blake's. "Go on up," he said to the delivery boy before turning back to Gregory, who was glaring up at the sky. "At least you won't be stuck at the airport," he suggested helpfully.
"I suppose," Gregory muttered, taking his bags and turning back for the building.
Nick hurried after him, opening the door and following him into the lobby. "This might seem awkward, but seeing as how you'll be alone tonight, how would you like to spend Christmas Eve with Mrs. Klaas and I?" He watched Gregory glance over, his face registering surprise. "Of course, you may have plans, but Mrs. Klaas would never forgive me if I let a nice young man like you go hungry."
Gregory smiled, turning to Nick. "Thank you for the offer, but that's alright." He sighed and glanced at the elevator. "I'll probably just call it an early night and be at the airport first thing tomorrow."
"Yes, Sir." Nick watched him leave and began to chuckle to himself.
Olivia set the heavy box of groceries on the counter and grimaced, rubbing her arms. "Lexi, the groceries are here!"
A moment later, a pair of feet thundered through the apartment as Lexi ran in, tying her curls into a messy bun. "I'll pre-heat the oven," she shouted, tearing around the counter.
She smiled and began unloading the box. "By the way, it looks like you're going to get your wish after all."
The little girl jumped, dripping with guilt as she spun around to her mother. "Wish? What do you mean?"
Olivia clucked her tongue, glancing slyly at her daughter. "The delivery man said it just started to snow. All the airports have closed. So," she said grandly, a smirk curling her lips, "it looks like you're going to get a snowy Christmas at home…just like you wished for."
She heaved a sigh of relief and nodded as her mother waited expectantly. She giggled nervously and shrugged. "Just like in the movie last night," she said quickly, peering into the box of groceries.
"Yes. Well, if you think I'm going to sing like in the movie, you're sadly mistaken."
Lexi smiled, neatly spreading out the recipes on the counter. "I won't press my luck," she said. "I'll be right back." She ran out through the dining room and into the living room, stopping abruptly at the large windows. She gasped, taking in the wonderland of snow swirling just past the thick glass. "It's working," she whispered to herself, shivering as a nervous chill crept down her spine.
Olivia came in a moment later, hugging her from behind. "I'm going to call the airline and figure out when we'll be able to fly to Miami,' she whispered in her daughter's ear. "Then, we'll get started cooking. Ok?"
She smiled knowingly, patting her mother's hand. "That's fine. Take your time, Mommy. Take your time."
Nick stepped off the elevator, his hat tucked under his arm. He walked down the hall, his nose sniffing as he passed the Blake's apartment. With a smile to himself, he continued on to Gregory's apartment. He knocked on the door, rocking back on his heels as he waited. After several moments, the door swung open, revealing Gregory. "Don't tell me you're still on shift."
He shook his head, smiling grandly as he held out a large envelope. "My shift ends the moment this is delivered."
Gregory reached out, taking it from him. "You're done. Go home," he joked. "Have dinner with your wife."
Nick smiled and shook his hand. "Thank you, Sir. Are you sure you won't change your mind? Mrs. Klaas delivers a wonderful spread…"
"No, thank you. Really," he insisted when he saw Nick's suspicious expression. "Chinese takeout was already delivered and I've got depositions to review. In the morning, I'm going to be at La Guardia when it reopens so I can be on the first plane to Miami."
"Well, Sir, I wish you safe travels. Merry Christmas again!"
"Thanks, Nick." Gregory closed the door, turning back into his quiet apartment. He slipped his finger into the flap of the envelope, tearing it open. A large card with a picture of holly wreath looked back at him and he opened it, reading the inside. A tiny smile appeared on his face as his eyes moved over the neat typeface. "Christmas dinner with the Blake's," he read aloud, leaning against the column in the foyer.
Olivia collapsed onto the sofa, her arm flung over her eyes as she sighed deeply. Her feet ached and her back was sore, painful reminders from spending the day in the kitchen. In spite of the pain, she sniffed the air and smiled tiredly. At the very least, everything smelled wonderful and Lexi held up her end of the bargain: nothing was burned.
Lexi skipped into the living room, drying her hands on the dish cloth before throwing it onto her shoulder. "You ok, Mommy?"
She groaned as she sat up, wedging one of the throw pillows beneath her head. "I'm spent, Lex. Cooking is exhausting!"
"It sure is." The child lay on the sofa next to her mother and closed her eyes sleepily. "But, doesn't it smell nice in here?"
"Yes, it does." Olivia kissed her forehead and chucked her chin, turning the little face up to hers. "And, we had fun."
"Yup, we did. Thanks, Mommy." She snuggled against her mother, hugging her tight as she took a deep breath. The next phase of the plan was kicking into gear. She leaned up, brushing a wayward curl off her face. "Are you going to get dressed?"
Her blue eyes opened slowly, turning to look at her daughter. "Dressed for what?"
"Dinner. The last dish is in the oven, so we can eat in about an hour. You don't want to eat our delicious dinner in just any old ordinary clothes, do you?"
"Actually, that doesn't sound so bad," she yawned. "A quiet dinner in comfy old clothes sounds pretty nice right now."
"Oh, Mommy," she whined. She smiled sweetly, letting her dimples flash. "I don't want to get all dressed up by myself. Please?"
With a heavy sigh, Olivia pushed herself up and stretched her arms high over her head. "Let it never be said," she muttered, rolling her aching shoulders, "that I never gave you what you asked for."
Lexi sat up, watching her mother shuffle down the hallway with another deep sigh. "You should wear your dark red dress! The pretty one, with all the folds!" She watched her mother glance over her shoulder, an amused look on her face, before she turned the corner. A moment later, she heard the door to the master bedroom close and she counted five beats before she jumped up. With a grimace, she pushed the arm chair aside, leaving enough room in the corner.
The doorbell rang, echoing loudly. She jumped up, running to the hall to listen for her mother. Instead, she heard nothing but the faint hum of the shower from the bedroom. She dashed into the foyer and flung open the door. "Are you Joe?" she asked, peering out at the teenager in the hall.
He gave her a thumbs up and pushed through the doorway. "You know it," he said, setting a large box and two shopping bags on the floor. He turned back to the hall, only to reappear several moments later lugging a Christmas tree.
"You can set all this up quickly right?" Lexi asked, glancing over her shoulder but seeing no one.
"Chill, Tinkerbell." He grinned when the little girl frowned at the nickname as he carried the tree through the apartment. "It'll be done in no time," he assured her, scanning the living room for a place to set it.
Lexi came in behind him and tugged on the sleeve of his jacket. "Will it fit over there?" she asked softly, pointing to the corner between the fireplace and the arm chair.
"Sure thing. Hey, that's a perfect spot." Lexi grinned, watching as he set up the tree stand and pushed the tree in. "By the way," he said over his shoulder as he tightened the screws that would hold the tree in place, "our jolly friend kicked in a bag of decorations for trimming the tree."
"Oh, wow!" Lexi rummaged through the bag, eyeing the boxes of velvet bows, shiny ornaments and multi-colored lights.
"So, is this like your first tree or something?" Joe asked, opening a gallon of water and pouring it into the base. She nodded, watching as he capped the water and draped the tree skirt around the trunk. "Well, better late than never," he said finally, stepping back from the tree to ensure it was straight. "So, you need help stringing the lights?"
She nodded, passing him one of the boxes of lights as she looked at the clock. An hour to finalize everything, she thought to herself. She swallowed the nervous feeling rising in her throat and looked out the windows. A thick blanket of snow continued to fall, covering everything in a layer of white. "So far, so good," she whispered to herself, turning back to the clock.
An hour.