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“When is it?” I ask.

“The day before Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve Eve.”

“Christmas Eve Eve,” I repeat.

“The best day of the holiday season. It’s that time when anticipation is at the perfect pitch.” She squees.

I take another look around the garden. “That’s a lot to accomplish in three weeks.”

“I know. It’s going to be a feat to pull it off. I’m hoping that, together, we can make it an event to remember.”

She folds her hands together under her chin and sets her pleading eyes on me.

“Hannah Whitmar does not back down from a challenge. Hannah Whitmar is a problem solver. Hannah Whitmar will pull this off,” I say, giving myself a little pep talk in the process.

“Hannah Whitmar is freaking me out, speaking in third person. Is that a yes?”

“I’m at your disposal,” I say, and she does a little happy dance before enveloping me in a hug.

“I’m sorry I’m hijacking your Christmas vacation.”

“It’s the least I can do for breaking your inn,” I say.

“We can start brainstorming over dinner. Bob is throwing some ribs on the barbecue, and his ribs are the best you’ll ever eat. Sammy and Norah and Donna’s family are coming. I’ll call Keller and Bran too. This is going to be so much fun,” she cries as she lets me go.

She has a lot to learn about event planning.

“I hope you still think that once we get started,” I say.

Bran

We finish our workday and close the shop. Keller informed me that we were invited to the inn for dinner. Bob is making his famous smoked ribs, and the girls are doing all the fixings and dessert.

I never turn down an invitation to be fed, especially one that comes from Willa or Trixie.

Keller and I agreed to help his dad do a construction job at the inn, starting next week. Evidently, he had a hard time finding subcontractors at a reasonable price this late in the season, and Willa didn’t want to wait until after the first of the year to begin.

Impatient woman.

So, I let Keller talk me into taking the job. I could use the extra cash for Christmas, and I’m a sucker for making a woman happy myself.

Apparently, Bob wants to go over the specifics with us this evening.

Not sure how much help I’ll be until the doctor removes the splint on my wrist; hopefully, that will be within a week.

I drive myself home to freshen up before Keller swings by to pick me up in his truck.

My driveway is only a quarter of a mile from his. I purchased the land from Keller’s sister, Donna, and her husband, Barry. They have a large homestead that has been in Barry’s family for generations, and their acreage backs up to the home that Keller inherited from his grandfather.

When I was looking to move back to Lake Mistletoe, they wanted to add on to their cottage, so they sold me an acre and a half of wooded land they weren’t making use of.

Once I cleared some of the trees and leveled a plot on the side of the mountain for building, I found myself with the best view in town. High above the lake and nestled in the privacy of the forest, it’s a little slice of heaven.

My father and mother, Norris and Linden Prince, live in the Lake View condo community right on the water. They sold my childhood home and downsized when my younger sister, Sela, graduated high school and moved to Boise to attend college.

Dad enjoys the fact that he doesn’t have a yard to keep up any longer and can dedicate all his newfound free time to perfecting his golf game while Mom spends her days walking the lake and playing in a bunco league with the other ladies in the condos.

Keller pulls in and honks his horn, and I lock up and climb into the passenger seat.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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