Chapter 19Jason was about to put on his jacket and join Ben in the backyard, raking the last of the leaves, when the mail truck pulled up in front of the house. He shoved his arms into the sleeves and shrugged his jacket over his shoulders. Then he grabbed up the envelope with their mailperson’s Christmas gift, let himself out, and jogged down the walk to the curb.
“Hi, Cherry. Merry Christmas.” He handed her the envelope.
“Same to you, and thanks. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”
“You’re welcome.” His grandfather used to be a letter carrier, and he would tell all the grandkids about how he would deliver the mail through drifts of snow waist deep, trudging six miles uphill both ways. When they were little they would listen with awe, but as they grew older they’d realized he
