“But I thought you were staying in town to keep her company,” Myrtle said.
“Oh, I am. I’m staying at my mom’s now, but I want to get my own place. One can only live with their mother for so long,” Kristen joked, and everyone laughed.
“What about your brother?” Ivy asked.
“Well, for one, he’s not much company. And for two, he lives in that log cabin way in the back of the property. He checks in on Mom almost every day, but still, it’s not the same. So George will really keep her from being lonely.”
While they were talking, the sleigh had left the Main Street and started down a trail in the woods. The trail was lined with tall evergreens, their boughs laden with clumps of snow.
“Oh, look, people are skating!” Ivy pointed to a big pond up ahead.
Was that the skating pond he’d volunteered to submit a decorating proposal for? He’d only seen it on a map and probably should have visited it in person before.
The pond was bigger than he’d thought. Skaters dressed in winter clothes twirled on the ice. It was lit with several old-fashioned streetlights, and there were firepits around one side and little food stations that looked like tiny log cabins on the other. It was devoid of Christmas decor but still looked festive.
“It’ll be a lot nicer once it’s decorated.” Myrtle leaned forward and tapped on his knee. “Did I hear you were submitting a plan to decorate it?”
Beside him, Kristen stiffened.
“My dad thought it might be a good idea to show off some of the things from our store, but I’m not really so sure…”
“Actually, we’re in a little bit of competition,” Kristen said.
“Competition?” Myrtle’s brows rose. “But your dad always did such a great job on it.”
“I know, but Mason’s dad wanted to try his hand at it this year, and Irene thought the best thing was to have a competition. I’ve been looking at my dad’s designs, and I’ve come up with something fresh and new.” Kristen glanced at him, a hint of triumph sparking in her eyes. Clearly, she thought she had the better design.
Mason half hoped that she did. He hadn’t thought much about his design, to be honest. He just figured he’d put up some trees and string some lights, but now that he’d seen the area, he realized there might be more to it.
Kristen had an advantage: she knew the scale and shape of the area. After the sleigh ride, he needed to make a visit to the skating pond so he could assess it up close and in person to come up with the best possible plan.
Chapter 13
Cozy Holly Inn was much the same as Dorothy remembered it from the times she’d attended Christmas Eve parties there. She hadn’t attended the one last year, as she’d still been deep in grief over Charlie, and the inn had been closed for years before that.
As soon as she walked in, memories of those parties flooded back. She’d always had so much fun. She could still picture Charlie dressed in his suit with a colorful Christmas-themed tie. The memories were mostly happy with a tinge of sadness. She set her mind to pushing the sadness away and focused on the happy thoughts. She was getting good at that.
“Welcome!” Ida ushered her to an overstuffed chair near the roaring fireplace in the main room. It was just as warm and welcoming as ever, with hardwood floors and antiques dotted about.
Four other women were present, including Ida, Marsha Smithers, and Naomi Pike, whom Dorothy knew from town. She wasn’t familiar with the fourth, a tall woman about her own age with red hair.
“This is Delores Meyers.” Ida introduced them. “Delores is a guest at the inn. I invite all my guests to the knitting club.”
“Pleased to meet you. Where are you from?” Dorothy got settled in her chair and opened her bag, taking out the ball of purple yarn and several sets of knitting needles. The truth was that she hadn’t knitted in years and wasn’t really sure where to start.
“Florida, if you can believe that. My husband wanted to come up and have an old-fashioned Vermont Christmas. Our kids are in New Hampshire, and we’ll visit them on Christmas Day. I love to knit, so I was excited to accept Ida’s invitation to join in.”
Dorothy admired the tiny but elaborate cable-stitch sweater that Delores was making. “That pattern is gorgeous.”
Delores beamed. “Thank you. It’s for my granddaughter. She’s turning two. What will you be knitting?” She glanced at Dorothy’s ball of yarn.
“Good question. I actually haven’t knitted in a while. Maybe I should start with something basic.” She glanced at Ida for her input.
“Why don’t you start with a scarf, dear?” Ida frowned at the assortment of knitting needles in Dorothy’s hand. “Maybe you need a little refresher.”
Ida came over and selected one set of needles then unwound the yarn and looped one end around one of the needles. Dorothy watched as she deftly completed a few stitches.
“See, you just push the needle through the stitch, wrap the yarn around, and pull under. It’s easy.” Ida handed the needles back to Dorothy.
