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She didn’t regret that, even for a second. Yes, both her sisters had moved away, but they weren’t like her. Misty Mountain was in her blood. Besides, her parents were still in town. As long as they were around, she wasn’t going anywhere.
Finally, she realized she was just standing there, letting the coffees and cocoa go cold while he waited for some sort of response. So she gave him a nod and said, “Thank you,” then gathered her courage and started toward the square.
It was a short walk, but she actually breathed a sigh of relief when she decided Nic could no longer see her. Of course, she doubted very seriously he was still standing there. He’d surely headed into the café seconds after she’d walked away. But now she could focus on work, which was what she needed to be doing anyway.
“Coffee!” her best friend Noelle called out with a clap as Charity approached. Matt, the town’s mayor, was standing next to her. They were both at the bottom of the steps that led to the raised platform that held the gigantic Christmas tree.
The platform stayed up throughout the Christmas season, and they used it to host various events. The local high school band played one night, a church choir sang, and there was even a play put on by the local dinner theater. It was all part of what made Misty Mountain the best town in the world—in her very biased opinion, anyway.
“Hopefully, it’s still warm,” Charity said, sliding the cup holder toward Matt.
He grabbed two cups—one for himself and one for the town administrator. Tonight, the administrator was climbing up on that makeshift stage, along with some people from the city council, to officially light the tree.
Noelle took her cup and sipped. “Perfect. Here, let me toss that for you.”
She reached out for the cup holder, which now held only Charity’s peppermint hot cocoa. Joe only did those during the holiday season. She’d been looking forward to it but running into her ex had ruined that for her.
“It’s go time,” Matt said as soon as Noelle returned from a trip to the nearby garbage can.
With a nod, Noelle slipped into place behind the group, and Charity took a deep breath and started up the steps, peppermint hot chocolate in her left hand. All she had to do was introduce the mayor, then she could slip back down the steps and slink into the background where she liked to stay.
She set her cup near the steps so she could grab it on her way down. She’d do this one quick thing and be gone. It would take only an extra half-second or so.
But as she grabbed the microphone, her eyes were busy scanning the crowd for signs of that head of wavy auburn hair. Her ex had gotten so handsome in the years since she had last seen him. Movie star-level good looks. It seemed patently unfair, since he’d dumped her.
“Good afternoon, Misty Mountain.”
Her voice seemed unnaturally loud—obnoxious, even. Could they turn this thing down?
But her voice had the effect of quieting the crowd. Within seconds, all eyes were on her. Only a few murmurings and a couple of crying babies remained.
“Misty Mountain’s tree lighting is a tradition,” she said. “It goes all the way back to the 1970s when the mayor at the time decided this town was the perfect place to spend the holiday season. Today, we have tons of tourists, as well as seasonal residents, and some of them are here today. And then there are the lifetimers like me who were born and raised here and will be here the rest of our days.”
She had written this introduction last night. At the time, she couldn’t have even dreamed that Nic Winters might be somewhere nearby. Hopefully, he was still behind the door of that coffee shop, well out of earshot. But if he was outdoors and nearby, he would hear every word.
And she’d made it clear, once again, that she had no plans of ever leaving. Nothing had changed in that regard.
Not that it mattered. He was in town for another day at most. No way would she let him near her heart so he could stomp on it before he left town.
“The man I’m up here to introduce needs no introduction.” She let out a nervous laugh. “But I’m going to introduce him, anyway. Put your hands together for our mayor, Matt North.”
The audience began clapping, even though she’d bet at least half of them had no clue who the mayor of this town was. Even if some vacationed here every year, this was a new mayor.
Matt appeared on stage, followed by his entourage. Noelle breezed past her best friend just as Charity was handing the microphone over to him. She swooped down and grabbed the cocoa cup, continuing down the steps before anyone could stop her. Nobody had specified whether she should stay on the stage or leave.
She didn’t have a choice. She had stuff to do. She was the one who’d put this event together. She’d made sure the white lights were functioning and the vendors were set up on the outskirts of the crowd. Until it was over, she had to hover and make sure nothing went wrong.
But as she headed to the area behind the stage where the production crew was set up, she saw a small crowd gathered. Her assistant, Jayne, was on the outskirts of the group. She caught Charity’s eye as she approached.
“Charity!” she called out, rushing toward her boss. “We have a situation.”
2
Nic Winters stood near the most famous structure in Misty Mountain. It was a tacky bronze statue of the town’s founder, Louis Ames. It’d rested back here, mostly forgotten, since its dedication in the seventies.
But right now, it threatened to steal the show from the forty-foot tree in the center of Town Square. All because of the mistletoe someone had hung on the statue’s hand.
Charity’s voice cut through the air. “Good afternoon, Misty Mountain.”
