"You little brat…"
Evelyn cut in, "Edmund, aren't you going to be on my side?"
"You're definitely on Mommy's side, which means we're on the same team."
"You little slicker." Evelyn reached out to grab his neck, her hand still cold with leftover snow. Edmund flinched, but he was grinning.
"Go on, get more snow. Let's turn Miles into a snowman."
"Okay!"
Miles, unable to move, howled at the sky. "No, please, have mercy! I was wrong, I was really wrong!"
"We're joining in!" Amanda arrived with Leo, setting down the insulated bag she was carrying and immediately jumping into the fray.
Leo automatically went to Edmund's side, and together they pushed snow up against Miles.
"Well, look at you all having fun." Julian had come down at some point. He was sitting in his wheelchair, unusually dressed in a light-colored winter coat.
A cigarette dangled from his lips as he looked down at them from the top of the steps.
"That's a nice snowman. First time I've seen one that looks so real."
Miles cursed at him good-naturedly. "Get lost! Aren't you going to come save me?"
Julian threw up his hands. Before he could speak, Isabel walked over, plucked the cigarette from his mouth, extinguished it, and tossed it into a nearby trash can.
He looked back at Miles. "Can't help you. You see how it is. I'm under my wife's thumb."
Miles was about to retort when Evelyn stuffed his mouth with snow.
"Don't put it in my mouth! What if a dog peed here?"
"You should be so lucky, my friend."
***
On the steps, Isabel was checking Julian's pulse. "Why aren't you sleeping more? What are you doing out here? It's freezing."
Julian replied, "I'm tired of lying down. That medicine of yours is good stuff. I know my body. It's been through a lot over the years, it's tough."
Isabel gently tapped his shoulder, her eyes holding a warning.
Julian chuckled. "You're getting pretty comfortable ordering me around. It's making me lose face."
But Isabel just said, "I'm sorry."


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