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I WAS GOING TO NEED to invest in some soundproofing for one of the easily accessible downstairs rooms at the bed-and-breakfast. When I was having a day like the one I was having, shouting out “sugar plum fairies!” didn’t have quite the zip I was looking for. I needed an escape room where I could lock myself for brief periods of time to flail around and say all the things I really didn’t want my guests to hear me spouting off.
After hearing the scathing review of the inn from those guests, I decided I really did need to get a move on with the whole preparing for the holidays thing. I couldn’t let my first season also be my last. This might not have been the very best idea I’d ever come up with in regards to my future, but it definitely wasn’t the worst, either. At least this had some chance of viability if I could get myself together enough to make it work.
That was the thought that made me head back outside after leaving Lawson in his room. These lights weren’t going to win. A strand of multicolored light bulbs wasn’t the boss of me. I was the boss of them. They were going to get in place on the house, light up like a magical freaking wonderland, and give these people the holiday of their dreams.
As determined as I was when I marched back out there, all the mantras in the world weren’t going to save me from the lights. I was back to fighting with them as if they somehow knew I was a traitor who couldn’t wait for this whole thing to be over when Lawson came out onto the porch. None of my other guests seemed to notice I was in a battle for my soul against some twinkle lights. Or they just didn’t care. Which wasn’t very Christmassy of them. But Lawson looked concerned.
“I thought you’d given up on the lights,” he said.
“I didn’t give up on them,” I said. “I fell away from them. But I still need to get them up.”
Glaring at the ladder, I decided getting that standing properly could be the first step in an effective light-hanging strategy. I dropped the lights and went over to the ladder to get it back in place.
“Would you like some help?” Lawson offered.
“Nope,” I said. It came out as somewhat of a grunt as I wrestled the ladder into place. “You aren’t here to work. You’re here to relax and enjoy your holidays.”
I got the ladder into place and let out a breath, brushing my hair back over my forehead.
“No,” he said, coming down the steps toward me. “Actually, I’m here to visit my mother. Besides, you look like you’re having a rough time, and I’m taller. I have more of a reach without having to lean. And I even have some experience hanging lights. Just let me help you.”
He reached down for the lights, and I watched as he started untangling them and wrapping them into a large loop around his hand and elbow. Maybe my mantra had drifted into the house and gotten to him, because he was certainly determined not to let me be the only one messing with the lights that day.
“You know, not for nothing, but the last two people who tried to wrangle those lights ended up falling off the ladder,” I said.
He grinned at me. “Clark Griswold did, too.”
I shook my head. “That is not really an argument in favor of your side. He isn’t really the ultimate in Christmas success icons.”
“But his house ended up being the best one on the block, right?” Lawson said. “And by the end, he had everyone in the front yard, singing and celebrating, and they thought it was the best old-fashioned family Christmas they ever had.”
“It was the only old-fashioned family they ever had,” I said. “That was kind of the entire purpose behind the movie.”
“And the point of the Grinch isn’t that he stole Christmas, is it?” he asked.
Damn. That was a good one.
“Alright,” I said. “Go ahead.”
He grinned and headed up the ladder with the lights slung over his shoulder. I braced myself, not sure if he fell I would be able to return the favor of rescuing him. But he didn’t seem to need my help. He got right to the top step of the ladder, obediently respecting the note on the very top that said it wasn’t a step, and started stringing up the lights. I’d managed to spend enough time on the ladder that I’d gotten the staple gun up on the roof, so he snagged it, and within what seemed like a few seconds, he already had the whole distance he could reach to either side securely strung.
“Tell me you have more lights than this,” he called down to me.
“Oh,” I said, nodding. “Yeah. I have plenty.”
I gestured over to the stacks of plastic totes Hank brought but that had never gotten as far as to be unloaded.
“Perfect. Bring me some,” he said. “Not going up and down dramatically reduces the risk of falling off the ladder.”
He chuckled, and I flashed him a thumbs-up.
“Good tip.” I went to the stack of totes and disassembled it so it was just a row across the grass. I popped the tops off all of them so I could look inside and see what I was working with. “What kind do you want?”
“What do you mean?”
“It looks like I have white ones and colored ones and little ones and big ones.”
“Well, options are always useful. But I think we should probably go with the same kind that I’ve already strung if you want to go for a traditional look. If you want to get avant-garde with it...”
“No,” I said, shaking my head as I pulled out several more coils of lights and handed them up to him. He looped a couple over his shoulder and set the rest on the roof. “No, I do not. I am going for real Christmas. You are familiar.” I made a swirling gesture with one hand to encompass the entire building. “Just do... that.” I started inside, then scurried back down the steps. “Are you okay out here by yourself for a minute? You don’t need me to hold on to the ladder or hand you more lights or anything?”
“No, I’m good. It’s a good, stable ladder. I should be able to handle it,” he said. I was at too far of a distance to be positive, but I was pretty sure I saw a twinkle in his eye when he said it.
“Okay, because I was just going to go inside and set out some apple cider and snack mix in the parlor. But if you need me to be here to... assist in any way, I’ll stay,” I said.
Lawson shook his head. “You go ahead. I have enough lights here to handle the rest of the porch and probably at least one side of the house. Then I’ll move over to the other and the back.”
“That sounds like a lot of work. You really don’t have to do it,” I said. “I could probably find another handyman somewhere. There has to be a Harold or a Henrich or something around here or maybe in the next town.”
He laughed, continuing to put up the lights with no sign of instability or potential falling. “Don’t worry about it. I’m having fun.”
I hesitated, waiting for him to change his mind. When he didn’t, I went in and headed for the kitchen to get out the snack for the afternoon. I hauled a slow cooker into the parlor and set it up on a card table rather than putting it on one of the pieces of antique furniture. Plugging it in, I filled it with apple cider and spices, then went back for the snack mix. I put it in a large ceramic bowl decorated with snowflakes and set it out on another table with napkins, ramekins, and cups.
When I was finished, I filled a cup with the cider and a ramekin with the mix. The cider hadn’t had a chance to warm up yet, so I brought it back into the kitchen for a zap in the microwave before carrying it outside to Lawson. He was coming down the ladder as I walked out, and I held the snack out to him.
“Here you go,” I said.
He smiled as he accepted it. “Thank you. Is this my version of room service?”
“You’re taking all this time to string my lights for me. I figured the least I can do is bring you a snack.”
He took off his gloves and filled his palm with the snack mix. Tossing it back into his mouth, he chewed for a second, then gave a nod of approval.
“This is delicious,” he said.
I shrugged. “It’s just various cereals mixed with copious amounts of butter and packets of seasoning I get at the grocery store. But just the smell of it reminds me of Christmas. It’s one of the few things that does that to me that I actually don’t mind so much. My grandmother used to make it every season. Technically, the recipe includes pretzels and peanuts, but she always used to say she didn’t have time for all that mess. She was straight-up cereal, and that was just the way it was.”
Lawson chuckled and ate another handful before sipping his cider. He finished his snack, then headed back up the ladder to finish up. He made quick work of the rest of the lights, and soon we were standing back to admire the lights. Albeit unlit lights, but lights nonetheless.
“They’ll look better in the dark,” he said.
“I’m just glad they’re there now,” I said. “Thank you. Really. I appreciate it a lot.”
“It wasn’t a problem. I was glad to be able to do it for you.”
We started inside, and just as I was closing the door, the big grandfather clock in the foyer chimed. Lawson’s eyes snapped to it.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said, digging his phone out of his pocket to compare the time on the clock and the one on the screen. “I just didn’t realize what time it was. I need to get over and see my mom before it’s too late in the day.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later,” I said.
He smiled. “See you later.
I watched him leave. Why was I just now noticing this man? Why couldn’t I have just noticed him while we were in high school rather than wasting all my time on the jerk quarterback who monopolized me all four years and then dropped me as fast as he could when something he thought was better came along.
The sound of the smoke alarm blaring inside again broke my musings. My head fell back, and I closed my eyes, hoping for a moment of serenity. It didn’t come, so I settled for a few more creative Christmas-themed curses as I rushed inside. I found Mrs. Greene standing in front of the oven again. This time, the smoke was spiced cereal-scented.
“Hi, Mrs. Greene,” I said. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“I thought it would be nice for the snack mix to be warm,” she said. “Do you think I put it up high enough?”
She had it on the high broil setting.
I shooed her out of the kitchen as diplomatically as I could and worked on getting the smoke out as I contemplated the merit of a padlock on the kitchen door. I was sure I could come up with a creative way to make it look less foreboding.
