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“See you later,” I told Jackson as I made my way down the sidewalk.
Christmas carols piped through the air as I got closer, and an elf opened the door for me to come inside. I glanced around the lobby and saw the double doors open with red, white, and green balloons floating around a life-size gingerbread house and Santa Claus sitting on a throne.
He caught my gaze and winked at me, and I winked back.
Several tables had been covered in baked goods, so I made my way and set my trays down next to a mountain of Christmas sugar cookies before wandering out to find the vendor tables in one of the other rooms.
The scents of pine and chocolate drifted down the hall, and I decided my best bet was to head down the hall until I hit the largest room.
The scene in front of me looked like a living, breathing Christmas card come to life. Twinkling lights covered every post and beam possible. Festive music floated through the air as vendors hurriedly worked to finish decorating their booths.
I unzipped my coat and unwrapped my red scarf, but I kept my knit hat on. A booth with hand-crafted scarves in every color imaginable caught my eye in the corner. An elderly lady whom I didn’t recognize sat on a stool, crocheting away, when her eyes caught mine. A red and green scarf pooled next to her as she continued crocheting.
“How are you, dear?”
I nodded with a smile. “I’m doing great, but I’m in awe of your talent. I’ve never been able to get beyond a simple chain.”
She smiled. “It just takes practice and patience.”
“And talent,” I chimed in as she went back to focusing on her current project.
I scanned the room for Millie, but I hadn’t seen her yet. Instead, I found a stall covered in gingerbread ornaments. Each design was ornate and filled with sparkling beads and glitter to make each tiny house, gingerbread person, and animal stand out from one another. Two kids came toddling from that booth and smiled at me before dashing away from the ornaments.
Laughter and murmurs filled the air as I wandered through the holiday bazaar, realizing what a sense of community Buttercup Lake embraced. Neighbors, friends, and family greeted one another with hugs and good cheer while embracing new visitors to our tiny town on the lake.
As I kept walking through the booths, I’d catch snippets of conversations about school plays, family visits, and holiday recipes. It was such a sweet reminder about the connections and traditions weaving themselves through our lives.
I thought about Hunter and the incredible speech he gave that night at the tree-lighting ceremony. And all the money he donated to the Children’s Hospital. The thought alone made my heart squeeze with admiration for him. He had a way with words, but the way I felt the moment his eyes connected with mine through the crowd made me feel like I was the only one in his world.
With a smile touching my lips from the memory, I nearly ran over Millie, who’d stepped out in front of me from the hot chocolate stand. Her eyes landed on mine, and she flashed a huge grin.
“Where’s the fudge?” she asked, clapping her hands together. “The auction is going live in ten minutes when we open the doors to the public.”
“Oh, I put it with the other baked goods down the hall.”
Millie frowned. “What other baked goods?”
“Wasn’t that room with Santa where I was supposed to put the fudge?”
Millie’s arms flew to her slender hips. “What do you mean, Santa?”
“I swear I’m not making things up. Santa is down the hall, an elf opened the door for me, and there were tables of cookies, candies, and everything in between.”
Millie turned around with a scowl. “We need to get to the bottom of this.”
Without a second lost, Millie marched out of the bazaar with me on her tail when I spotted a long line of kids and their parents coming from the room with Santa.
“See? There.” I pointed to the open set of double doors, revealing Santa and all of the sweets.
“That’s not part of the bazaar.” She shook her head as we headed over to the reader board for the day’s events.
Millie pulled out her reading glasses and narrowed her eyes as she scanned the sign. “That’s for an auction tonight after Santa.”
“Oh, no,” I hissed with my eyes wide. “We need that fudge back.”
I’d only gotten three hours of sleep because of that fudge. I would not let the Sunshine Breakfast Club down.
I darted toward the room with Millie calling from behind. “Don’t do it. Grace already…” I couldn’t hear what she was saying because several kids started making a fuss as I worked my way through the line to get into the room.
