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"Okay. No problem. I think we can handle that. Don't you?"
She nodded her head but still wouldn't look my way. I turned the radio up whenAllan Jackson's “Let it Be Christmas”came onto the radio. I couldn't help but glance over at Lexi as she started humming along and then finally breaking into song. Her voice was pure heaven to listen to, always had been. I remembered when she had been the lead in the church choir one Christmas. She thought she sounded awful, but I could have listened to her sing forever, and I tried to assure her of that, but she didn't believe me.
"Do you remember the year you were head of the choir at the church?" I asked.
"Oh God, don't remind me! That was awful. I sounded horrid."
"No, you didn't. Out of all the Christmas performances I have been to with your family, you were by far the best."
"Ha-ha, then you, my friend, are completely deaf." She giggled, going back to looking out the window.
I smiled to myself at her response. That was Lexi, always afraid to admit that she was good at something.
"So tell me, where was your most interesting shoot done this year?" I asked as I continued driving down the snow-covered road.
Lexi had always amazed me. When she said she was going to freelance for a year or two, we all figured that she would be home within three months; however, she had succeeded, getting constant contracts and being able to make ends meet without once having to call her parents or brother for help. She had what it took to succeed, along with the drive and passion to go out and look for it when things weren't coming her way. I admired that about her. Most people would take the easy road and get out.
"Honestly, it won't be what you think. It would have to be the time I spent in Rome doing architecture photos for a travel magazine. Just getting to tour around the city, look at amazing and beautiful things, and admire them through my camera lens. It's indescribable."
Soon I was lost in her words. She had always had a way of filling quiet time with amazing stories.
I pulled the truck into the town square and parked near the tree lot, both of us climbing out of the truck. She met me around the front of the vehicle. "I figured maybe we could grab a hot chocolate and take a walk around before getting a tree."
"Perfect. I'd love that," she grumbled. She was trying to get the strap of her camera over the hood of her jacket, which kept getting stuck.
"Here, let me." I reached around behind her and pulled her soft, long hair out of the way and fixed the strap under her hood. Her eyes rose to meet mine. We stared at one another for a minute, neither saying anything, and then I cleared my throat and rested her hair on her shoulder. "We should go get that hot chocolate."
Her lips parted slightly, and she nodded her head as she continued staring into my eyes. I had to look away. I could feel the pull of her stare and knew if I didn't turn away now, there would be no turning away.
We walked over to the little diner on the corner. I opened the door and held it for her as she slipped inside. I walked over to the counter and ordered us each a hot chocolate, marshmallows loaded into hers, while she used the washroom.
"Here you go!" I held out the cup of hot chocolate to Lex as she came out of the washroom.
"Thank you." Taking a sip, her eyes lit up. "You remembered!"
I winked. "How could I have forgotten! You'd steal those marshmallows from me every single time."
"Well, that is only because I knew you didn't really like them," she said, nudging into my shoulder with hers.
"Well, that is true. What do you say we get going?"
* * *
We had spentthe afternoon wandering around town, in and out of stores, stopping to look up at the ski hills and watch as people made their way down. I watched as Lexi took pictures, her creative spark ignited when she was behind the lens of her camera. She had finally dropped the camera and looked over at me, smiling.
"We should probably make our way back to the tree lot and pick a tree before they close," she put the lens cap on her camera and then placed the camera into her bag.
"Yeah, you're probably right. Your mother won’t be very happy with us if we don't come home with a tree will she?" I said, gently bumping her shoulder. I really hadn't wanted today to end; I had enjoyed walking, taking in the sights of the town, and just being with Lexi. "Would you ever come back to the area? You really seem to love it here," I asked the question that had been burning in my mind all afternoon as I had watched her.
She pulled her gloves from her pocket and slid her hands into them, tilting her head in a thoughtful way. She shrugged. "I guess it would depend."
"On?"
"If I had a good reason to or not."
I couldn't help but stare at the look in her eyes as the words fell from her lips. There was something up with her, and I bit my tongue and struggled not to ask her. I was about to say something when she grabbed my arm.
"Come on, let’s get in there before they close up for the night," She began pulling me across the street toward the tree lot. Their business hours posted on their sign indicated they would be closing in an hour.
