“She’s busy. Maybe later?”
Daniel nodded. “Which way now?”
She pointed right. “To the hardware store we go.” She glanced at her companion. “So tell me. Did you enjoy last night’s Wassail?”
“I did,” he said without hesitation. “It was a fun event. Gabe and Holly brought together a good crowd.”
“I was worried a couple of folks might have been a bit … forward.”
He chuckled. “You mean Eva? And Mabel?”
“The two of them came to mind, yes.”
He shrugged. “Eva’s young and enthusiastic. She means well. Figuring out boundaries is part of growing up.”
“Agree.”
“And Mabel is….” He paused, weighing his words. “She’s one of those people who doesn’t hold back. I respect that about her because she isn’t doing it to be mean or to gain advantage. Her intentions are good.”
“She can be a bit blunt at times, but you’re right, she means well. She apologized to me afterward.”
“To me as well.”
“I should warn you, she and Eva aren’t the only ones like that. Poking and prodding and pushing are part of the culture up here. Heartsprings Valley may be a small town, but its meddling energy isbig.”
Daniel smiled. “So I should expect more?”
“Forewarned is forearmed.”
“Understood.”
They’d reached their destination, Cane Hardware. With Christmas fast approaching, the store was busy, with folks hurrying in and out.
Penny turned to face Daniel. “Now that I’ve given you fair warning, can I do a bit of poking of my own?”
“Poke away.”
“I’ve been thinking about what Ed and Ike said about your Christmas essay.”
His eyes flickered with curiosity. “Specifically?”
“They called it ‘an opening salvo.’”
He nodded. “Ah.”
“I wasn’t sure what they meant by that, but then I remembered what you said during our conference call with Nigel. Your wording with him was careful.”
“Which words are you referring to?”
“You promised Nigel that you’d participate in the Christmas tour fully and without reservation —which you’ve done, by the way.”
He nodded.
“You also said that you’ll decide what you’ll say about Christmasafteryou finish immersing yourself in Christmas. At first, I thought you said that because you wanted to experience everything before deciding how you’ll describe it.”
“But now?”
“I’m pretty sure your words were a reminder.”
