Beach Blanket Santa

petite Sarah hoisting his large frame across the room and depositing it in bed, and chuckled out loud.
    “I know,” she said, smiling softly. “Pretty hard to imagine, huh?”
    “Yeah.”
    “How do you think the roads will look tomorrow?”
    “I’ll check at first light.”

Chapter Four

    The next morning, Matt bent toward the washed-out road, wearing his rain slicker. Water streamed from the front of his hood, cascading down his nose. It was still pouring. Somehow it seemed twice as hard as yesterday. Nobody could get traction on this stretch of beach now. Not even a ranger’s four-wheel drive could do it. He was here for the duration. Another day or two at least. He supposed he’d have to break the news to Sarah but hoped she wouldn’t take it badly. She’d seemed more at ease in his company this morning, after they’d cleared the air about Elaine’s wedding last night. Perhaps her appearing on edge before had to do with her misunderstanding what had really happened. Matt felt a whole lot better fully knowing what had happened as well.
    He glanced back toward the house through a curtain of rain as thunder rumbled above. Bright light burned through each window, like warming lanterns speckling the storm. If things looked this bad here, they could be even worse down at the docks. He’d need to call and check on the status of the ferry. He figured Sarah would want to make it home for Christmas Day with her family, and he’d more or less promised Robert he’d share it with him and his wife. For the moment, though, he’d just need to make his way indoors to keep from getting further drenched.

    “How does it look?” she asked when Matt stepped inside.
    Matt removed his dripping coat and held it outside the door, shaking it hard. “Not good. That road won’t be passable today.”
    “Oh.” Sarah tried to frame her response as mild disappointment, but inwardly her mood lightened. All night long, she’d relived Matt’s words telling her he wasn’t taken, as if he’d been hinting he wanted to give things with her another go. It was possible she’d misread his signals. There was an equal chance that, even if she hadn’t, she wasn’t fully ready. Ready to take the risk of telling the truth to yet another man.
    Matt picked up the landline mounted on the kitchen wall and started to dial. “I think I’d better call the ferry and see what the status of things is there.”
    While Sarah couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, she could imagine as Matt creased his brow and said, “Uh-huh. Um-hmm. I see.
    “I’m sorry, Sarah,” he told her, hanging up the phone. “It seems the docks took quite a beating. They don’t think the boat will be running again before the end of the week.”
    “End of the week? But that means—”
    “Looks like we’re stuck here for Christmas.” He shrugged apologetically. “I’m sure that’s the last thing you had in mind.”
    Actually, the only plans that she had involved spending another uncomfortable holiday with her mom and her mom’s new boyfriend. Not that they tried to make her feel in the way. It was just that it was pretty clear they enjoyed spending time alone, making Sarah feel like a third wheel. A lovely fantasy began unfolding before her… Just her and Matt, and a big, wonderful Christmas tree, dotted with shiny lights… Then reality sank in, and Sarah realized they had no tree or presents or stockings to hang from the mantel. And here she was acting like she’d already had three hits of eggnog. With bourbon! “Are you sure?” she asked, trying not to sound overly hopeful.
    Matt studied her with a frown. “You’re pretty disappointed. I can understand that. You probably have family plans.”
    Her mom didn’t even decorate for Christmas and had never really believed in the holiday for myriad reasons. So, they typically ordered take-out Chinese and watched a movie in front of the fake fire. That was the only sort of family holiday Sarah was used to.
    “My family’s plans will likely go on without me,” she answered truthfully. “But what about yours?”
    Matt laughed, stepping out of his drenched boots. “Oh, I think Robert, Margaret, and their new baby will manage just fine.”
    “You weren’t planning to go to Chicago?” she asked, remembering the large, happy family she’d met at Elaine’s first wedding.
    “My brother and sisters and I sent our folks on an anniversary trip to Tuscany this year. It’s their fortieth