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“So, who lives here now?” he asked.
“This guy who runs helicopter tours up and down the mountains. Apparently, he does pretty well for himself. He pays a company to do all this.”
By “all this,” she meant the winter wonderland happening in the guy’s front yard. Not only was the house outlined in classy white lights, but they’d created a tunnel of lights covering the sidewalk leading up to the front door. On either side of it were lawn decorations—and not the kind that deflated in the morning. These were solid decorations, including an empty sleigh with nine reindeer and a plastic Santa.
“This is fancier than some of the places I take women on dates,” he joked as they approached the tunnel.
Charity said nothing. And as they moved into single file beyond the rest of the group, he second guessed his wording. It sounded like he frequently went on dates when the truth was that he hadn’t been on a date since his wife walked out on him. He knew he had to get back out there eventually if he ever wanted to settle down. But this time, it had to be right.
This time, it had to be forever.
Finally, the tunnel ended, and they spilled out onto the lawn in front of the steps leading up to the porch. He was glad because it meant he could stand next to Charity rather than walking single file behind her. Plus, the slight chill in the air meant everyone huddled close together, which put him snug up against her, his left arm touching her right as they lifted their books.
Pastor Murray rang the doorbell, then turned back to face them. “I’m not sure Mr. Pryce will be home.”
“He doesn’t have a wife or kids,” Mrs. Apple said. “He probably won’t answer.”
Everyone was suddenly staring at Mrs. Apple, which made Nic feel a little better about the confused look he threw in her direction. What did the guy’s marital status have to do with anything? And how did she know so much about him?
“Good evening, everyone.”
Nic faced front and saw a guy emerging from the house. He stepped out onto the porch, pulling the door closed behind him. Under his unzipped coat, he wore a maroon quarter-zip sweater, jeans, and shoes that looked like they must be designer. Nic knew the type. He met with grocery bigwigs occasionally, and they always waltzed in reeking of money.
But this guy didn’t give off the same sort of vibe. He seemed approachable, nice, friendly. And yes, Nic got all that from watching him step out onto his front porch and cross his arms over his chest.
Pastor Murray gave the nod, and they launched into “Silent Night,” but Nic was watching Charity out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly, he was thrown back to the fourteen-year-old version of himself, watching Charity’s friends giggle over some guy. He felt that same pang of jealousy now. It wasn’t even jealousy over something tangible. It was the thinking that this guy was someone Charity could go out with.
It was worse now because clearly there weren’t that many eligible bachelors in Misty Mountain. If this guy was single and had all this money, why wouldn’t Charity go for him? She’d be out of her mind not to.
Maybe he should push her toward him or set the wheels in motion so that someone fixed her up with him when he left. It would be the right thing to do as her friend.
But even thinking about that was the ultimate test of his feelings for her. He couldn’t stomach the thought of her starting a life with someone else. Making this gigantic house a home, having children…
He was better off walking away from here and not paying any attention to what happened after he left. If he tried to think about Charity’s future, he’d make himself crazy and give her false hope in the process.
17
Charity was exhausted. Beyond exhausted. It felt like a lifetime had passed since she stopped by her house for a frozen microwave dinner and a few minutes with Gracie. In truth, though, it’d only been a couple of hours.
“Hope you like marshmallows,” Nic said.
He was walking toward her, a smile on his face and a disposable coffee cup in each hand. They were the same cups from yesterday’s parade. Charity donated the extra cups to this church. It was a thank you for letting them borrow the hot cocoa machine.
“You know I do.” She smiled but didn’t get up from her seat. Instead, she reached out, and he brought the cup to where she sat. “Oh. Whoa.”
That was her automatic reaction at the sight of the pile of marshmallows in her cup. Was there cocoa underneath all that?
“That was an interesting tour of my hometown.” Nic slid onto the seat next to her with a sigh. “It was like I saw all the people I’ve been avoiding in one go.”
She hid her frown behind her cocoa cup. The pile of marshmallows bumped against the skin of her upper lip, threatening to create a big mess.
She couldn’t imagine a single person he might want to avoid. Everyone was so friendly here. Even the super rich guy who’d taken over Penny Pincher’s mega-mansion had seemed like a down-to-earth guy.
“Don’t get me wrong, I can see the appeal of small-town life.” He gestured toward Lauren and Jeff, a young couple exiting the building after having grabbed their cocoa. “It was a great place to grow up.”
Charity nodded. “It was, and it’s a great place tobegrown up. Tourism is booming, which means more jobs around here. Plus, you never have to worry about crime. Everyone has your back. Not that there’s crime where you live.”
“Not really,” he said. “But I lock my door at night.”
