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“It’s like a schedule of events for the day,” Holly explained as Chace returned to the kitchen with their empty plates.
For the next few minutes, Holly scrolled through the Christmas in Hickory Ridge website. She mentally took notes on everything on the schedule for the next fourteen days, concentrating primarily on the weekend events since she and the girls still had school that precluded staying out past bedtime.
“So, what did you find out?” Chace asked, setting the twins’ breakfast in front of them.
“A lot,” Holly answered as he returned to the kitchen to grab the girls’ milk. “It looks like on both weekends, there’s a petting zoo, live nativity, caroling, an assortment of musical performances in varying locations, and horse-drawn carriage rides around town to start.”
“Is the parade today?” Emme asked.
“Yes. At eleven,” Holly replied, and thanked Chace for the fresh mug of coffee he set in front of her. “Around two, there’s a cookie decorating contest at Sugar Rush, face painting, balloon art, ornament making in the community center, and the tree lighting in front of the town hall at dusk. And that’s not including everything I mentioned earlier.” She sipped her coffee, noting it was exactly how she liked it.
Warmth that had nothing to do with the heat from her cup o’ joe swirled through Holly’s chest and stomach, completely unnerving her for a few too many seconds.
In the lull, Chace began to outline their itinerary. “Okay. How about we leave here in about an hour? That’ll give us enough time to scope out the perfect spot to watch the parade, explore the souvenir carts, and grab a snack while we wait. Does that sound good so far?”
Both girls nodded.
“Awesome.” He took a sip of his coffee. “Once the parade is over, we can grab some lunch before or after we hit up the community center for face painting and crafts. By then, it should be time for the cookie decorating contest if you want to participate.”
“Of course,” Emme confirmed in a tone that screamedDuh!
Holly did her best to keep from laughing at Emme’s response and Chace's sidelong glance shot in his niece’s direction.
“Depending on when the contest finishes, we’ll decide what, if anything, we have time to do before the tree lighting.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Holly concurred with his quick rundown of the schedule for the day. “While everyone is getting ready, I’ll wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen.”
Shrieking their agreement, the twins darted off in the direction of their bedroom. Wren quickly skidded to a halt, turning back toward Chace and Holly. “What if Mommy calls while we’re at the festival?”
Holly’s stomach dropped at her goddaughter’s question. The solemn look on Wren’s little face broke her heart. Though Holly completely understood how much they missed their mom, her inexperience as a parent hindered her ability to discern the overall effect Lyss’s absence was having on the girls. She also didn’t want to run the risk of saying anything that might give them cause for worry and concern either.
Holly dropped to her knee so they were on eye level. She clasped both Wren’s hands. “We’ll have Uncle Chace text her to let her know about our plans and set up a call for when we get back home. How’s that?”
Wren nodded. “That works.”
“Good.” Smiling, Holly pulled her in for a big hug.
As they disengaged, the glimmer of excitement returned to Wren’s blue eyes. “I better go get ready.”
“Remember, we’ll be outside most of the day, so dress warmly.”
“I will,” Wren promised. “And I’ll remind Emme too,” she added, skipping off to deliver the message to her sister.
Standing, Holly turned around and found Chace watching her from the kitchen, his hands braced on the island. She couldn’t read the expression on his face to determine what he was thinking. Or feeling. If he was satisfied with how she’d answered Wren’s question… Or if he might be having second thoughts about…well, everything.
The silence stretched between them for a few more awkward seconds until Chace pushed away from the counter. “Guess I’d better get ready too,” he declared, the smile back in his beautiful eyes.
“I can text Lyss if you want.” Holly wasn’t sure why she’d told Wren he would contact her mother rather than assigning herself.
Chace shook his head. “No. I can take care of it.”
“Great.” Not that she didn’t want to call or text Lyss, but rather because she didn’t know when Chace had last spoken to his sister. Most likely before he left Egypt, considering he’d asked last night if she’d heard anything since Lyss had left for Germany. No doubt he wanted to touch base himself.
Chace hooked a thumb toward the staircase. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Nodding, Holly grabbed her coffee mug and started for the kitchen to begin cleanup.
“And Holly,” Chace’s voice sounded from the top of the landing. “I promise to dress warmly too,” he added, a grin evident in his tone.
