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He nodded again, letting her lead the way farther into the festival. He noted gratefully that she mostly kept to the outer edge of the crowd, never once putting them directly in the center of a group of people. And the farther into the aisles of vendors they got, the more he realized that she’d been right.
Noah had become so used to the crowded farmers markets of Boston and New York City, or the pop-up street festivals that they so often had, that he had never stopped to consider how different those types of events might be in other areas. But the tree lighting ceremony, while definitely well-attended, wasn’t so densely packed that he felt like it was too congested. And the longer they walked, taking in the sights and the sounds around them, the more Noah began to feel himself relax.
They came across one booth where a familiar woman stood behind the table. He racked his mind, trying to figure out where he knew her from, and when he spotted a group of huskies playing in the snow behind her, it jogged his memory.
“You’re one of the dogsled people!” Noah exclaimed, excited that he’d remembered, and Mindy and the woman laughed.
“This is Lacy,” Mindy corrected, gesturing to the woman with the stylish brown bob. “And her husband, Derek.”
He followed where Mindy pointed to next, spotting a man a bit off to the side throwing tennis balls for the dogs to chase.
“But you are right,” Lacy said with a grin. “We are the dogsledding people.”
“They’re feeling better, then?” Noah asked as he nodded toward the dogs.
“Yup! They were only feeling iffy for about a day. And they’ve all been given a clean bill of health by the vet.”
“That’s great news,” Mindy chimed in. “I’m glad they’re back to their usual selves. I know you’ve got a lot on your plate with planning the party at St. Nick’s Place, and I’m sure taking care of sick dogs wasn’t in your plans.”
Lacy chuckled. “No, it really wasn’t. But luckily, between me and Derek, we were able to manage it okay.”
They chatted for a few more minutes, until a small group of people approached the booth behind them, taking up Lacy and Derek’s attention. Not wanting to distract the couple, Noah and Mindy said a quick goodbye and moved on. They began walking toward the tree, and Noah spotted a gazebo on the other side of it. There was also a massive digital clock to the right of the huge fir, counting down the minutes until the tree lighting.
“Only five minutes to go,” he said, stopping in his tracks and looking at Mindy. “Want to wait here so we don’t miss it?”
“Be careful, Henderson.” She grinned, stopping beside him as their shoulders brushed against one another. “Keep talking like that, and I might start to think you’re excited for the Christmas lights.”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” he answered, making her laugh.
They talked quietly, their breath puffing in the air in front of their faces, as the time on the clock continued to dwindle. When the final ten seconds showed on the clock, the entire crowd began yelling out, counting down with it until the clock struck zero.
The tree before them blazed suddenly with shining, twinkling lights. Whoever set up the lights must have had them programmed, because they began blinking in and out in intricate patterns, seeming to almost dance along with the music playing from the speakers beside the gazebo.
Noah stared at the lights in awe, a rush of air leaving him the moment the tree came to life. He had never expected something quite this beautiful, and it took his breath away.
“Was that a gasp I heard?” Mindy grinned up at him, and Noah shook his head.
“I was yawning,” he answered, keeping his eyes fixed on the tree and continuing to watch the blinking lights make their way around it.
“You’re smiling,” she pointed out, and he could hear the happiness in her voice. “It’s the first time you’ve really smiled since you’ve been here.”
He blinked in confusion as he tore his gaze from the tree and turned to look at her. “I’ve smiled before.”
“Nope. You’ve grinned or smirked. But you haven’t actually smiled.”
“There’s a difference?” He arched a brow, and Mindy nodded.
“Grinning and smirking are usually sarcastic, especially where you’re concerned,” she explained. “But this?” She pointed to his face. “This is pure happiness, my friend.”
He rolled his eyes. “I don’t get happy over Christmas trees.”
“That’s strange, considering the fact that you are totally happy over a Christmas tree right this second.”
“I am not,” he insisted, but his words were undercut by the smile that was still affixed to his face.
“Sure,” Mindy answered with a laugh. “I guess that means I’ll just have to keep trying to impress you.”
He stared down at her lovely face, the Christmas lights shining in her eyes as she grinned up at him. He held her gaze, not daring to look away as he said, “You already impress me.”
