Sweet as Sugar Cookies | The Santa Clause Trilogy | Bernard

1.1 You're Late

*Third POV*

It was winter, December, and it was Christmas Eve. Families were carolling, children were enjoying snowball battles, and families were cooking a feast and eating together on Christmas Eve. But there was one residence in particular that was occupied solely by a young girl. It was a newly built brick two-story home on a block of similar homes, with a string of Christmas lights on the door frame and a wreath hanging in the centre.

The girl inside the house appeared to be around 16 years old, clothed in a huge beige sweater with braided motifs down the front, blue high-waisted flare-leg jeans, and fuzzy red socks. When her phone rang from its place on the counter, she was standing in the kitchen making cookie dough in a bowl. She set the bowl down and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" She answered the caller.

"Abby, it's me," Her father, Scott Calvin, replied, "The Christmas party ran late, I need you to stall you're mother and Neil for me."

Abby, whose full name is Abigail, groaned, "You better hurry up, you know I don't feel very comfortable around Neil," she replied just as she heard a car pull up out front of her house, "They're here now, hurry," she hung up the phone just as the doorbell rang.

She ran to open it, greeted by her mother, Laura Miller, and her younger brother Charlie, with a bright smile. Laura wore a sweater with a long beige coat, dress pants, and heeled boots and had dark black hair in a bob cut that stopped just below her jaw. Charlie wore trousers, a t-shirt, a festive sweater, and boots while sporting a mop of brown hair cropped into a bowl cut. "Abby!" Charlie exclaimed as he dashed into his sister's arms.

"Oh!" Abigail cried out happily, "I've missed you so much Char-Char."

"Hi baby girl," Laura sighed blissfully into her only daughter's hair, "Where's your father?" she inquired as she drew away.

Abigail bit her lip softly, "He's...stuck in traffic," she lied, hoping her mother would believe her.

Laura nodded and walked away to call her ex-husband; not barely five minutes later, Dad pulled up behind Neil's car and approached Abigail, Charlie, and Laura. "Oh, sorry I'm late," Scott apologised to Laura as he ran up the slick driveway, before putting a kiss on Charlie's head and properly greeting Laura. "Hi."

"Hi," she replied dryly as she stared at her ex before handing Charlie his Christmas gift.

"Did you want to come in for a minute?" Scott asked.

Laura sighed, "Neil's waiting in the car," she gestured to the impatient man in the driver's seat of the car pointing at his watch for her to hurry up.

Charlie came up the stairs to stand next to Abigail and held her hand as they both watched Scott lean forward to see into the car, "Oh why doesn't he come in?" he questioned with a smile and a slight sarcastic gesture. Abigail could see Neil giving her father a tight-lipped smile and a half-hearted wave from their porch perch.

"Cause Daddy," Charlie said. "He says you'll end up saying something snobby," Abigail snorted, trying to hide her laughter before coughing gently into her fist. Abigail took a large intake of chilly air and drew out her inhaler, taking two puffs before putting it away, seeing her brother's concerned expression.

"Not necessarily," Scott defended completely ignorant to the looks between the two siblings, "It could be rude or sarcastic, whatever it takes," he joked and waved to the man once again.

Neil then honked his horn impatiently causing Mom to look over at him, "See," Laura exaggerated gesturing to Neil, "I have to go."

As she went to walk away, Scott stopped her, "Oh, come on," he said, "It's Christmas Eve," Laura thought for a moment before turning to her husband in the car and lifting her shoulders up in a shrug before following Scott and her children up the stairs, "Watch those steps, they're real slippery," Scott warned only for Laura to slip but easily caught her footing, "Told ya."