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“Actually, I’m staying this time. I bought a little house on Dragonfly Street just yesterday. Did Brent not tell you? He was my lawyer during the sale.”
When Sally looks at Brent, no words are needed. Her narrowed eyes scream at him. “Oh really? Nope, he didn’t tell me.” Her eyes stay glued to Brent’s face, and she presses her lips firmly together.
Well, if looks could kill.
“Yep, I’m excited about it,” Dominick says. “I’m sick of all the traveling and staying in hotels. I need somewhere to call home and what better place to do that than Winterberry.”
Bang, bang, bang.
“Is this thing on?” Someone’s voice blares into the loudspeaker. Everyone turns, and I notice the mayor standing on the steps of the gazebo. In front of him is a podium with lots of wires coming out of it, a microphone, and a huge red button.
“Oh boy, who gave that man a mic,” Dominick mutters, elbowing Brent in the side. The two chuckle.
“Residents of Winterberry, who’s ready to light this Christmas tree?”
The crowd cheers around me. Everyone seems to move at once, making their way closer to the gazebo in anticipation of the ceremony. The elementary school chorus belts out Christmas tunes from where they stand to the right of the gazebo.
“Shall we?” Brent asks as he throws our trash in the garbage can, grabs Nora’s hand, and puts his hand on the small of my back as we walk through the crowd. It strikes me how natural this interaction is and I’m instantly filled with joy.
Glancing behind me, I catch Dominick trying to steer Sally through the throngs of people. She slaps his hand away and I shake my head.
She’s honestly one of my favorite people.
“Dad, Dad, can we get close so I can see?” Nora tugs on Brent’s hand.
“Hold on, my love, we’re going to get as close as we can.”
As we approach the gazebo, I stop and take in the scene around me. I’m speechless at the Christmas spirit that this tiny town has.
Brent notices me stop and bends down to whisper in my ear. “Are you okay?”
“Sorry, just taking it all in,” I say, as a wave of emotion washes over me and threatens to pull me under.
“It’s a lot, I know. If it’s too much, we can leave.”
“No, I love it. Yeah, it’s definitely a lot.” I pause. “But I love it.”
I can’t stop the smile from spreading across my face, and when I glance at Brent, he’s also smiling. It isn’t often this man smiles, he’s normally stoic or frowning, but tonight, even amongst all this Christmas cheer and people, he seems happy.
“And a partridge in a pear tree…”
The chorus sings their last song, and everyone erupts in cheers. The students take a bow and then one by one, step down from the steps to find their parents.
“Thank you to the Winterberry Elementary School chorus for the beautiful song,” Mayor Young says to the crowd. “And thank you, to each and every one of you for coming out tonight, braving the cold, and celebrating this joyous season together as a town. Tonight, we come together to light the Christmas tree which will stay lit on the green until after the new year. It’s a symbol of not only this holiday, but of the beauty of our town. Now, without further ado, can we all count down from 10 so we can see this gorgeous tree all lit up?”
“Yay! It’s almost time, Dad! Youbettercount,” Nora says to her dad, pointing at him with a very serious look on her face. I try as hard as I can to hold back a laugh.
“I promise, cross my heart, I will count,” Brent says.
“Yeah, you said that last year but I caught you, Dad.”
“Can I count, too?” I ask, breaking the moment between dad and daughter.
“Yes! Let’s all count,” Nora says. “Sally, Uncle D, Grandma, and Pop, you too!”
I am so entranced by the crowd that I don’t even notice Brent’s parents coming up behind us, holding hands with Suzanne’s empty hand wrapped around Tom’s arm. They’re relationship goals. “We’re ready to count Nora!”
“Ready? 10… 9… 8… 7…” Everyone in the park counts together, our voices ringing out in unison. “6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1!”
