“How was the knitting circle?” Kristen nodded toward the bag.
Dorothy put the cat down and took the knitted thing out of the bag.
“Look, I started a scarf!”
Her mother’s face was lit up with excitement, and Kristen didn’t have the heart to point out that it was crooked and had holes in it. Hopefully, her skills would improve before she knitted anything that she would expect Kristen to wear.
“Oh, that looks great. It’s a nice start.”
“I think so.”
George ran over to his dish and meowed, and Dorothy hurried to the cabinet to get some cat food and feed him.
“I’m going to head out to the skating pond.” Kristen gestured toward the plans. “I’ve taken some pictures of Dad’s plans, and I want to go refresh my memory about where everything is situated.”
“That’s a good idea. I saw people have been skating on it already, but it’s going to look much nicer with your decorations up.” Dorothy spoke as if Kristen had already won the competition.
Kristen didn’t remind her that the winner had yet to be decided. Mason had all but admitted that he hadn’t even done any planning toward the decorations, and their plans were due in three days, so there was a pretty good chance she would win.
She shrugged on her warm puffer jacket, pulled a hat onto her head, and put on thermal gloves. “I won’t be long.”
“Okay, dear. I might be in bed when you get home.”
Kristen let herself out. She couldn’t help but glance across the street, but the lights were all out in Mason’s house. She wondered if he was home or if he’d gone out with the others after the sleigh ride. When they’d invited him, he’d seemed just as hesitant as she had been.
As she drove away, she felt happy. She was glad her mom had joined the knitting club and was obviously quite pleased with her creation. Her mom was getting back to a productive life, and that was a good thing. Now she just needed to ensure this Christmas season was a success for the tree farm, and everything would be perfect.
Chapter 14
By the time Kristen got to the skating pond, most of the skaters had left. There was one couple twirling in the middle and a roaring fire in one of the firepits. Someone was sitting in front of the fire, and Kristen’s heart jolted when she realized it was Mason.
Her knee-jerk reaction was to run in the opposite direction, but her feet didn’t comply. Besides, she had come here to check out the area for her plans, and she intended to do just that.
As she stood there wavering, he looked up, and their eyes met. He smiled, the fire casting warm shadows on his face and highlighting the crinkles at the corners of his eyes.
“Fancy meeting you here.” He stood and gestured toward one of the chairs around the fire. “Have a seat. The fire’s nice.”
Kristen ventured farther and held her hands out to the fire. It was cold out, and during the short walk from the car to the skating pond, her fingertips had almost frozen. But even with the chilly air, the night was fantastic. She loved these nights. The stars seemed much brighter in a dark winter sky, and the blanket of snow made everything much cozier.
“What brings you here?” Kristen nodded toward the pond. “Do you skate?”
Mason laughed. “No. You wouldn’t want to see that unless you like to see someone fall down.” He sat back in his chair. “I just wanted to come and see the area in person. When we rode by it on the sleigh ride, I realized I should probably come and get a sense for the scale of what I’m going to be trying to decorate.”
Interesting. So they’d come for the same reason.
Kristen took a seat. Mason threw another log on the fire, causing sparks to fly up like winter fireflies. She should’ve been nervous, maybe even a bit standoffish, since he was her competitor, but she didn’t feel that way at all. Maybe it was the way her mother had said Kent wasn’t so bad or how Mason had helped Myrtle at the wreath making or how he’d given her the blanket on the sleigh ride even though she could tell he was cold. Either way, she was starting to think that maybe he wasn’t so bad either.
“What brings you here?” Mason asked.
“Same as you.” Kristen surveyed the area. “Scoping out the pond and the surrounding area. I have my father’s drawings, but there’s nothing like seeing things in person.”
“Yeah, it does make a difference. I didn’t realize it was that big an area.”
Kristen took a stick and poked at the fire, causing new sparks to fly out. “So your dad really wants the advertising sign from winning this contest, doesn’t he?”
Mason sat back and thought about that. “I guess so. Honestly, it’s the first thing I’ve seen him get excited about since Mom left.”
Kristen glanced up at him. His mom had left? She knew the big hole her dad passing away had left in their family, and she imagined it might be similar for his dad. “Oh, I’m sorry. My dad died two years ago, and I know it’s unsettling when both your parents aren’t together.”
