Bridey shut off the lights and posted the sign in the window that indicated the shop would open at noon on Monday. She’d planned to close for the day, but Fiona had offered to cover for her. It would be her first time handling the shop by herself, but Bridey wasn’t worried about how she’d do.
Seth was on his way, setting off a flurry of butterflies inside her chest. It wasn’t that she was having second thoughts, but this was a big step for the two of them. A huge step. Was he as nervous as she was? She hoped so.
Although she’d gone out with a few men since her divorce, this was first time she’d met someone she wanted to get involved with beyond a few casual dates. Seth made her feel appreciated, something she’d been missing in her life since long before her marriage had ended.
She peeked outside where everything glistened with new snowfall. The deep green boughs on the fir trees were already tipped with a heavy layer of white. An artist couldn’t have painted a prettier picture. Across the street, a young father was pulling two small children on a plastic toboggan. The kids were having a fine time as they held out their mittens and tried to catch snowflakes as they fell.
It was nice that nature had cooperated with the mayor’s plans by dropping five inches of new snow on the ground since noon. As pretty as it was, it was a relief that it wasn’t sticking to the roads.
She wanted nothing to interfere with their plans for the night. A glance at the small suitcase sitting by the door had her smiling. Ever since she’d told Seth about the black lace, he’d been pestering her with questions, wanting details, but she’d held strong. A woman was entitled to her secrets. He’d see the negligee soon enough, and a little mystery only added to the anticipation.
Someone knocked at the rear entrance of the shop. She hurried through to the kitchen and unlocked the door. “Sorry, I was watching for you out front.”
Seth stomped his feet to knock off the snow before coming inside. “All the close parking was taken. I left the car on the next street over and walked.”
He studied her attire. “I’m glad you’re dressed warm. It’s cold out there.”
His cheeks were rosy and his stocking cap was dusted with melting snowflakes. “Do you need something to warm you up?”
She’d been thinking about a tall coffee, but Seth obviously had a different idea. He swept her up in his arms for a big hug and a long kiss.
When he released her, she asked, “Did that help?”
His smile was a tad wicked. “I can honestly say that it fanned the flames. Are you sure we need to hang around for the light show?”
“Yes, but we can leave as soon as the mayor flips the switch.” She checked the time. “The ceremony starts in twenty minutes. Allowing for the mayor giving a short speech and a ten-minute walk back to your car, I’m thinking we’ll be on the road to Seattle in forty-five minutes tops.”
Seth’s smile faded as he followed her back out into the shop to retrieve her suitcase. “A speech? Seriously?”
Bridey shrugged. “She’s a politician. Mayor McKay won’t simply turn on the lights and walk away. She’s also been asked to remind folks donations are still needed for the fund-raiser to refurbish the playground at the elementary school next spring. I thought I’d donate a gift certificate for a cake for a birthday party.”
Seth frowned. “What’s wrong with the playground?”
Bridey zipped her parka and turned out the lights. “The equipment is old and doesn’t meet current safety standards.”
He took the bag from her. “Sounds like a good cause. Can anyone donate?”
“I think they’d appreciate anything you could do to help out. With the city’s budget so tight, there’s just not any money left over for extras.”
She shivered as they stepped outside. “You’re right about it being chilly. Maybe that will encourage the mayor to keep it short.”
Seth wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked. “We can only hope.”
• • •
Outside, they hurried down to where the crowd was gathering near the bandstand in the park. As they crossed the street, a snowball came flying from out of nowhere to hit Seth in the middle of his chest. It didn’t take long for him to spot Nick and Callie approaching from the other direction. The former soldier already had another snowball ready to launch. Not to be outdone, Seth gathered up a double handful of the stuff and prepared to return fire. Bridey tried to stay out of it, but Callie wasn’t having any of that. She lobbed a snowball at Seth and then a second one at Bridey. Seth defended his woman’s honor, but she did her own fair share of fighting back.
As both couples continued their attack, other grown-ups and a bunch of children chose sides and joined in the impromptu battle with a lot of good-spirited name-calling and jeering when someone missed their target. Seth whooped and hollered along with the rest of the crowd, having a great time ducking and weaving to avoid incoming fire from the other side. When he saw one heading straight at Bridey, he jumped in front of her to take the blow himself.
She threw her arms around him for a quick hug. “My hero!”
“Damn straight!”
Then he gave her a quick kiss and rejoined the battle. The flurry of snowballs slowed down only when someone over by the bandstand started ringing jingle bells to get everyone’s attention, signaling it was time for the lighting ceremony. The snowball fight broke up, and everyone made their way down to gather in a circle around the steps of the bandstand. Callie and Nick fell into step with Seth and Bridey. The four of them found a spot where they could see the podium that had been set up. There was a group of people already gathered in the bandstand.
Nick nodded in their direction. “I see the town council is out in full force.”
The mayor must be a believer in promptness because she stepped up to the podium right at six o’clock. The crowd fell silent as she started to speak. “I want to thank everyone for coming tonight, especially those who pitched in to make this night possible. . . .”
Seth only pretended to listen to what she was saying. Right now all he could think about was how good it felt to have Bridey tucked into his side. Anyone who saw them standing together would know they were a couple. It had been a long time since he’d had this sense of belonging not just to someone, but also somewhere.
He’d always been a homebody, finding it easier to keep to his own company than constantly worry about his stuttering. But right now, in this place, he was part of something larger, and he liked how it felt. All those hours he’d put in stringing lights gave him part ownership in tonight’s event. It was more than having Bridey in his life, but she certainly played a large role in anchoring him here in Snowberry Creek.
Meanwhile, the mayor had moved on to talking about the auction, which would be held on December 23. Maybe he could donate a sculpture or two to the cause. His artwork was sold under his legal name of Geoffrey Kyser rather than Seth. He could always have his agent handle the donation to distance himself from the process.
Eventually, though, he needed to tell Bridey what he did for a living, but he wasn’t ready for that. Far too often in the past people had treated him differently once they found out who he was. It would devastate him if that happened when she learned he was a famous artist, and not just Seth, the guy who built her shelves. His last girlfriend had walked away because of what she saw as his obsession with his art, and what he’d felt for her paled in comparison to how much Bridey meant to him.
Once he finished her Christmas present, he’d use it to explain the artist was the same down-to-earth man she knew, the one who wore jeans and flannel. Geoffrey was the persona who filled out the professional uniform of well-tailored suits.
“Is everything okay, Seth? You look worried.”
Bridey’s question dragged him back into the moment. He smiled down at her. “I’m fine, and it sounds like she’s about done talking.”
The crowd grew silent when Mayor McKay held up a switch box. Then she called out, “Start the countdown!”
Everyone chanted the numbers, their voices growing louder as they approached zero. When the last number rang out, the mayor threw the switch, and the night was transformed into a winter wonderland. The trees in the park had been festooned with white lights, and the bandstand had been decked out in the traditional red, green, and blue. Behind them, the drifting snowflakes softened the bright lights along Main Street into a gentle glow.
He wanted to capture the moment somehow. A photograph would work, and he could certainly snap one with his cell phone like so many of the others in the crowd were doing. That would record the details but not the spirit of the moment, with its richness and warmth despite the cold nip in the air.
“This was worth waiting for.”
Seth could only nod, although he was thinking of something other than the twinkling lights and the crisp beauty of the snow. And from the heat in the depths of Bridey’s eyes, he wasn’t the only one.
“Should we head straight back to my car or take the scenic route and admire more of the lights along the way?”
She stared down the street briefly and then rose up on her toes to kiss him. “Let’s go light up the night ourselves.”
He wished like hell that he had a gift for fancy talk, but his relationship with the spoken word was adversarial at best. He settled for simply kissing her again in the hope she knew what he was trying to say.
And maybe she did because, as she took his hand and set off down the street toward the car, her sweet smile added to the wonder of the night.