Mistletoe Reunion. Anna Schmidt

Чтение книги онлайн.

      By late afternoon Norah had called her parents and Tom had spoken to his sisters. They whiled away the endless waiting by reading, working, or—in Isabella’s case—listening to music. Around five, Tom shut his laptop, stood and stretched. “Come on, girls, let’s go for a walk and see about getting something hot for supper.”

      It had been several hours since the announcement had come through that the airport would close. Airport personnel had put the contingency plan for such situations into operation. But as night came on and the storm gathered force, it became clear that no one was going anywhere at least until morning and maybe not then.

      The first thing to hit Norah as they entered the concourse was the sheer level of the noise—people shouting at each other, babies crying, toddlers and their siblings fighting in loud shrieks over some toy or snack, bleary-eyed parents slumped on the floor or on chairs ignoring their children’s pleas for mediation. In spite of the fact that shopkeepers and other airport employees were as stranded as the passengers, several restaurants and shops had shut their doors. The desks at every gate stood empty of airport personnel and the arrival and departure boards had simply been turned off.

      “Dad?” Isabella edged closer to Tom’s side and put her hand in his. “Everybody’s so mad.”

      Norah put her arm around Isabella’s shoulder as she looked up at Tom. “This place is turning into a powder keg.”

      “It’ll be fine. The governor has declared a state of emergency and the National Guard is handling things along with airport security.”

      “Still, maybe we could organize some child care. These parents need a break.”

      “A camp,” Izzy suggested. “Camp Stuck-in-the-Snow.”

      “It’s not a bad idea,” Norah told Tom. “We could take over the play areas along the concourse—there are slides and blocks and all sorts of activities.”

      “And don’t they have coloring books and stuff on the planes to keep the kids entertained?” Izzy asked, scooting closer to her parents so that the three of them formed a tight ring.

      “We could have the kids bring their blankets and pillows for nap time,” Norah said, her voice growing with enthusiasm for the idea.

      Tom looked from his wife to his daughter and back to Norah. “Aren’t you exhausted?”

      “I could sleep,” she admitted.

      “But, Dad,” Izzy said, “this is Mom’s thing. I mean she is practically an expert when it comes to setting up stuff for helping others. Right, Mom?”

      “Right.” Norah raised her eyes to Tom’s. “A regular wizard.”

      “Well, I guess it beats wearing the turkey costume I’m sure my sisters have waiting for me back home at Mom’s,” he said.

      “Don’t underestimate me,” Norah told him with a shy grin. “I’ve been known to come up with a turkey costume myself.”

      Izzy threw her arms around Tom’s neck and squealed, “This is such a cool adventure we’re on.”

      Norah saw Tom glance at her over the top of their daughter’s head as he said, “Yeah. Pretty cool.”