Michelle and Thomas walked out of the church right behind David and Hannah after choir practice. Thomas’s hand grazed Michelle’s and stole her breath. Her knees wobbled as if they were made of gelatin. So this is what getting swept off of your feet is like.
The snow fell around them and the air held an icy nip to it. A splendid winter evening.
Just ahead, Nick crossed their path, and stopped in front of David and Hannah. “How’s that key search going?”
“We’ve tried everywhere.” David held the key in the air. The poor kid hadn’t set that key down except to eat for the last few days.
“He’s right.” Hannah shrugged. “I’m starting to think that key doesn’t go to anything in Evergreen.”
Nick looked shocked. “Don’t lose heart.” He glanced up at the church tower for more than a fleeting glance. “I’m sure you’re closer than you think.” Nick turned and went on his jolly way with a little jig in his jog.
David looked like he was tiring of the mystery. “Maybe we can try again after ice skating.”
“Sure we can.” Hannah hugged him closer to her. “Let’s go have some fun. Will we see you over there, Michelle?”
“I’m on hot cocoa duty,” Michelle said. “Of course you will.”
“Great.” Hannah and David took off toward the ice skating rink.
“I’ll catch up,” Thomas called after Hannah.
She turned around with a broad smile and gave him a thumbs up. “No hurry.”
Michelle watched David take Hannah’s hand and run toward the old wooden bridge. She swallowed and took a deep breath.
“Thank you for coming to hear the choir. We’re better in performance than we are in rehearsal.” Michelle’s nerves seemed to vibrate. She didn’t even really know what to talk about, but she loved that he’d shown up and it hadn’t taken long for her to realize he wasn’t there to just be a supportive brother to Hannah. With him watching, she’d almost forgotten the words to “The First Noel.” Not that she was complaining.
He took her hand. “You were very good in rehearsal. I really enjoyed listening.”
Her hand in his only made talking that much harder. “It’s always good to have an audience. It changes it up. You hear it differently. So, anytime you want to come listen—”
Abruptly, Michelle quit babbling. She reached up and kissed him softly on the lips. Just a peck, but she’d done it.
She touched her lips. Why did I just do that? I should apologize. But nothing came out of her mouth.
He looked surprised, but he didn’t look unhappy. Maybe if she could say something. Anything. He would just forget it.
Thomas leaned forward and returned the kiss, but he didn’t just give her a little peck.
He kissed her like she’d always wanted to be kissed.
She pulled away. Yes, she’d started this, but maybe she shouldn’t have. She’d just met him. He didn’t even live in this town, and he might have said he was considering opening up a branch of his business here, but that wasn’t a done deal, either. And there was David. Although he was such a great kid, that made things more complicated.
“So. That,” Michelle pointed to his lips and smiled.
“Exactly. That.”
They both laughed, and that calmed her down. She finally gathered the strength to just open up. “Is it… is this fast?” Michelle wrapped her arm around his. “Does it feel fast to you?”
“It feels nice to me, but we can go at whatever pace you’d like. I’m in no hurry. I’m really liking getting to know you.”
Michelle smiled at him. He’s such a good man. She’d never complain about Carol’s matchmaking again.
“I really like getting to know you too. You and David.” She sank into his shoulder, still clinging to his arm as they walked over the old wooden bridge to the skating rink.
The bridge shone under the holiday lights, and the skaters below looked like they belonged in a miniature Christmas village. She could picture the three of them spending time together there one day.
Lisa and Oliver had spent the last two hours moving boxes of arts and crafts from the basement of the church to the first floor, and then used the handcart to truck them around the corner to Daisy’s. She had more than enough to fill Daisy’s Country Store with merchandise now, and the items were beautiful and colorful and handcrafted. It was going to look amazing.
Lisa walked over to the shelves near the front window of the store. “I’m thinking we can use this area over here for the pillows, and then the maple syrup over there, or wait…maybe we do all the food-related items up on the second level.” She held a finger to her lips.
“I like that. All food stuffs together. Plus the old Hoosier cabinet lends itself to kitchen-related goods.” Oliver moved a couple of boxes. “Here it is. There’s a whole box of embroidered flour sack towels. These could really soften up the display of the recipes in a jar and the maple syrup.”
“Nice. It’s all coming together. I’m so glad you’re here to help.” She raised her hands in the air. “We’ve got this, Daisy. Polly is going to be wowed.”
“I think you’re right. These arts and crafts are a notch above what you’d expect at a festival. This is great,” Oliver agreed.
They made decisions on where each box of things would go. Moving the boxes in front of the cases and then marking them with what shelves or details so that other people could help them unload the boxes and fill the spaces.
“I’m exhausted,” Lisa admitted. “Let’s go back to the inn and take a little break. After dinner we can come back and get a few things done and then really get down to business tomorrow.”
“Sure thing.”
She tossed her keys to him. “You drive.”
They zipped around the corner and went inside. Megan greeted them with a hello. “Good to see you two. I have mulled wine in the kitchen. Help yourselves.”
Lisa closed her eyes, then opened them and looked to Oliver. “See why I love this place?”
“Mulled wine for two,” Oliver said as he headed to the kitchen.
“Just half a cup for me,” Lisa said. “Then we need to go grab some dinner at the Kringle Kitchen and get back to work.” Lisa sat down on the loveseat near the front window, looking at the Christmas tree they’d been working on. Megan had finished it and it looked beautiful. Lisa kicked off her boots and put her aching feet, in red and white striped socks, up on the coffee table.
Oliver came back into the room with two Christmas mugs. “I get the feeling you almost don’t want to leave Evergreen. What changed?”
“Well, it’s not just this town. It’s the people.” Could she even explain it? “It sounds crazy. But it feels like magic to me.” Not magic, but magical. Her heart was at peace here. “It feels like home.” The fire snapped and crackled beside them. “And then there’s—”
“Kevin.” Oliver completed her sentence.
“Am I that obvious?”
He gave a hearty laugh. “Just a little.”
She couldn’t deny it. “I mean, he’s smart. He’s driven, and he’s super talented. He makes me laugh.” She looked over to Oliver. “On more than one occasion, too.”
“Well, you do love that.”
“Yeah, I do love that.” Even just talking about Kevin warmed Lisa’s heart.
Lisa looked into the fire. She’d really given this some thought and it was now coming out like it always did when she was with Oliver. He was truly her best friend. She was so thankful for him.
“It’d be different if I was going to be in one place for more than a while, but—”
“You’re still holding onto that grab-a-bag-and-go thing, huh?” Oliver said.
“I’m just not sure I want to stop traveling,” Lisa said, but she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, either. She loved her job, and traveling for it had always been so enjoyable. But being here. In Evergreen. It had been so much. In so many ways. She liked the way it felt.
“We have some time, but I’d really like to open a store with you in Boston,” Oliver said. “And we have a good amount of savings, but Boston is definitely more expensive than other places. I’m wondering if it’s really that you love the traveling, or that you’re starting to change your mind about Boston being the place you’ll eventually put down roots.”
She hadn’t really considered that, but now that he’d laid it out there, he had a good point. But that was the good thing about their friendship. They could say or do anything and know that there’d be no judgment or hurt feelings.
“Oliver, I’m glad you said that. I hadn’t realized it, but maybe this has been in the back of my mind, or my heart, all along.”
“You know I don’t believe in coincidences. I think everything happens for a reason.”
She nodded.
“And when I said I thought you’d be wearing an elves’ costume and helping Santa, I was only half-joking.”
“I haven’t signed up to do that yet, but making this store a focal point of the Christmas holiday is a good second to that.”