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Seth’s planhad blown up in his face. How could he get through to Kayla?Couldhe get through to her? Sitting on a stool at the Inn’s empty bar, he pondered through two fingers of bourbon, wishing with all his heart that things weren’t so messed up.
The ornament was proof that he’d intended to be with her that first year. Proof that he’d still loved her and wanted to spend his life with her, despite their being apart. But all it seemed to do was reinforce that he’d let her down at the worst point in her life.
Seth had a job to do here in Cherry Creek, so maybe he should resist his constant craving to see Kayla and concentrate on the renovation instead. Hard to do, but he still had some time here to try and figure things out.
Seth paid his tab. The bartender must be the only person in town not out hanging ornaments on the Cherry Creek Christmas tree. “Sorry, you’re stuck behind the bar while everyone celebrates outside.”
He smiled and pointed to his nametag, which read Jason Weinstein.
“Ah.”
Being here at Christmas time brought back more than memories of Kayla. He recalled the loneliness of not having a loving, nurturing family. He’d relied on Kayla’s family for a sense of home, where they discussed things openly, and nobody got stinking drunk to help deal with their problems. He laughed at the irony as he looked down at the bourbon still in his glass. Despite the current drink, he’d not gone that route. It would’ve been easy, but having Mr. and Mrs. Doyle as role models at a crucial time in his life had deterred such destructive behavior.
His parents had finally divorced and lived a continent apart from each other before his dad’s heart attack. Not having had siblings or parents to count on emotionally, his life had become about his career. Sure, he had friends and dated some, but returning here made him realize how much he’d missed Cherry Creek. With Kayla, he’d been happy. He’d been content here in this tiny Tennessee town without much to do besides hang out with her and eating Sunday dinner with the Doyle family. And there was no better place to be during the Christmas season.
Setting the drink on the bar, he stood and slapped a generous tip for Justin Weinstein. “Thanks, buddy.”
“You have a good one, sir.”
Seth nodded and took the elevator up to his room on the third floor. His window faced the town square, and as he stared outside, he saw the enormous tree with its thousands of colored lights. Something shifted within him. After a decade of moving around and never feeling like he belonged, he did tonight. Even if Kayla didn’t want him back.
* * *
I deboned the second turkey from yesterday’s feast, reheated the large pot of cranberry sauce, and pulled out three loaves of fresh bread. The special today would be turkey-cranberry sandwiches with a side of sweet potato casserole. The second enormous pan of sweet potatoes was untouched. It should last most of the day—certainly through the lunch crowd.
Business was brisk, with folks coming in and out of the cold to warm up and grab coffee, a snack, or hot cocoa. It was tradition for all the shops and restaurants in town to put up their Christmas décor today. The place would transform by the end of the day into a winter wonderland that rivaled any Hallmark movie set. The snow was due later this evening, right on schedule for the finishing touch.
My student employees had pulled out the bins and boxes of Christmas stuff from the storage room and were busy pulling down Thanksgiving artwork and replacing it with all the shiny tinsel, greenery, and red bows we’d gathered over the years. Since the diner boasted huge plate-glass windows, the center one was the perfect place for a painted holiday mural. Brett, a senior art student at CCA, had shown me a mock-up he’d done with jolly reindeer, snow, and a big fat Santa Clause surrounded by holly and jingle bells.
I’d commissioned him to paint it across the windows in front, and he was currently unwrapping the window paints and brushes I’d bought the last time I’d gone to the arts and crafts store the next town over.
Daddy cranked up the local radio station that played non-stop Christmas music from now until the new year. A similar scene was being set all over town. One day, the movie people would stumble upon us and stare in wide-eyed wonder at the perfection of our little Christmas town.
“Wow, things are looking fantastic.” Seth spoke from behind me. My surprise wasn’t as great as when he'd shown up the first couple of times. Despite what I’d said to him last night, my insides still quivered a little at the sound of his voice.
“Thanks.” When I turned around to address him, I noticed something different in his eyes. Where before, he’d seemed a little sad and defeated. Today, his eyes seemed brighter and happier. I decided I should apologize for making things uncomfortable and weird. “Hey, listen, I’m sorry about last night. Your gift caught me off guard.”
He shook his head and smiled. “All forgiven. If you have any left, I came here for one of those turkey-cranberry sandwiches.” It seems a good night’s sleep did us both some good.
My relief at his not holding a grudge for my behavior last night lifted a giant burden from my heart. I’d been pushing him away so hard that I couldn’t just enjoy that the best friend I’d ever had was back in Cherry Creek for now. Because, despite how crazy in love we were, he’d been my person. Despite all my reasons for shutting him down, I wouldn't look beyond today. I smiled and pointed toward the bar. “Have a seat, sir, and I’ll see what we can do for you.”
He grinned even bigger then as if my response thrilled him. “You bet.”
A hush fell throughout the diner when someone shouted, “Look, it’s snowing.”
We stared out the window at the fat snowflakes falling softly outside. With the temperature below freezing, the snow would coat everything in no time.
After he’d polished off two sandwiches and a tall Diet Coke, Seth offered to salt our sidewalk out front. I hadn’t thought we would need to do it until tonight for tomorrow’s business day. But the snow had come in earlier than was forecast.
I pointed to the back of the diner. “Thanks so much. The salt is in the storage room.”
“I remember.”
It snowed the rest of the afternoon as everyone in Cherry Creek continued their holiday prep. The town was like a Christmas snow globe as far as the eye could see with large green wreaths with red bows gracing the lampposts all over town. But, unlike a snow globe, there were real things to worry about with this much snow coming down so quickly. We had a lot of elderly folks in town who would need to be checked on, along with making sure the roadways were clear for emergencies considering the blast of arctic air that had come with the sudden snow.
Daddy emerged from the back office, his heavy down coat zipped up. “It’s time to go out and check on the folks. You gonna be okay without me this evening?” he asked.
I nodded. “Do you want me to go with you?” This was something we always did together when the cold hit. I imagined the police, fire, emergency services, and many community members were already gathering at the fire station.
