One of the trombones in the Serenity Landing Middle School band hit the kid in front of him when he marched a bit too fast. One of the sousaphones from the Trumanville Middle School band looked like someone had taken a slice of pizza out of it after a high schooler tripped on it the summer before. This was the only time of year it would be used, though, so it wasn’t worth replacing.
Several of the dogs in the parade howled every time the police cruiser sounded the siren, but overall, things went very well.
Brittany made sure the elves, hired from the high school drama department as recommended by Mia’s sister who ran it, were ready. The line would open in less than fifteen minutes. The “pre-line” had already started near the entrance to the queue.
She could understand it. When Mattison was younger, she’d tried to be near the front, too, then they could be done and home for the day. Much easier than going back later.
“The day is almost perfect.” Cole stepped to her side. “I was afraid the wind was going to make it a little too cold, but it hasn’t.”
The temperature hovered in the low-forties, where it would stay all day. “Much nicer than the last parade we were at.”
He chuckled. “It won’t take nearly as long to warm up this time.” He leaned closer. “How about dinner on Tuesday?”
“Two days before Christmas?” She thought about her schedule. “That should work. We don’t have school at all this week, so I can get some sleep and still be here when I need to be. At least one of us will have to be here early for the VIPs that day, though. I’ll have the camera all set up and take the photos myself. No one else will need to be there.”
“Good plan.”
She checked her watch. Five minutes. “Wait. You won’t be heading home? The Workshop runs itself basically. You don’t need to be here until it’s done Christmas Eve.”
Cole shrugged. “I don’t have any plans anyway. My in-house employees are just glad they’re getting a couple of lighter days and off early because the boss is out of town.”
“And on Christmas?” She gaped at him. “Please tell me you don’t spend Christmas alone.”
Cole knew he needed to play it of like it was no big deal.
Because usually it wasn’t.
“My parents go out of the country for the holiday. They always have. When I was younger, I went with them but eventually stopped. I have a meal delivered the day before and other meals prepped for me by my housekeeper. I usually work out and watch movies all day. Usually it’s movies that have come out on DVD or digital since the Christmas before, but I never got around to watching.” He’d already chartered a flight home. That way he wouldn’t have to go with the million other travelers heading out Christmas Eve night.
“That has to be one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard.” She hesitated for a second then went on. “You know you’re more than welcome to stay here and spend Christmas with us. We spend the morning just us then go over to Mama Beach’s house later in the day.”
Cole had met the formidable semi-retired judge several times in the last month. She’d always welcomed him with a hug and smile that competed with each other to see which was bigger. Brittany confided in him that the other woman was often referred to as the Hug Lady, or sometimes the Crazy Hug Lady. He could believe it.
“I wouldn’t want to impose on them,” he told her. “They’re not expecting me.”
“There’s always plenty, and we’re always told to bring anyone we know who needs somewhere to be.” She looked at her watch again. “Time to get this show on the road.” She hollered at one of the girls working as an elf. The girl unhooked the rope blocking the entrance to see Santa. He wouldn’t appear for another fifteen minutes but the line was officially open.
The two of them stood back and watched as the queue filled in, Brittany clutching her clipboard to her chest like it was a lifeline. He’d made fun of her for it at first but then admitted it was handy not to have to use technology the whole time.
Once the Santa thing seemed settled in, they went for a walk around the square to check on the booths. Everything appeared to be going smoothly, though they did get a couple of glares from people who still weren’t happy about their designated location.
“How much longer is this?” Brittany muttered as Mr. Lotson glared then pointedly turned away.
“Just a few more hours. If you want to go grab a bite to eat, I can hold down the fort.” He was hungry, but she was likely starving. She never ate much for breakfast. He wasn’t allowed to leave the B&B without a big one, even as early as he’d left this morning.
She shook her head. “You go.”
His next suggestion wasn’t his first choice, but it seemed to be the only one. “Why don’t we both go? There’s not really anything for us to do but wander around right now anyway.”
Brittany thought it over for a second, then nodded. “All right.”
They made their way through the crowd, though it took much longer than it should have. People stopped them to say hello, or congratulate them on Winterfest and how well it was going. Eventually, they made it to the diner only to find quite a line for tables.
“Brit!” Her friend Mia called her up to the front of the line. “We’re getting a table for four but my brothers aren’t here yet. They can fend for themselves.”
“That would be wonderful.” She gave her friend a hug. “We don’t have a ton of time but need food.”
“Mia? Is your group here?” The hostess asked her.
“We’re here.”
A minute later, they were seated in the same booth where Cole had been sitting when Brittany handed everything over to him.
“I think this morning was an unqualified success,” Mia told her. “Mom was even happy with how her booth came out, even if it wasn’t where she’s always been. She probably won’t tell you that, but she was.”
“Probably not.” If Cole had to guess, Brittany was trying to look like it wouldn’t bother her if Mrs. Beach criticized everything, even if she’d told others she was happy with it, but Cole doubted that was how she really felt.
Mrs. Beach rarely gave praise to anyone. It was one of her trademarks. From what Brittany told Cole a couple of weeks earlier, he doubted she even said much positive to her children. Mia was the fourth of five children, or so he’d been told. He’d also gathered that she often felt overlooked. Mia had joined them several times, after giving Mattison saxophone lessons, to help with planning and putting together the event, so he’d gotten to know her a little bit. She was quite capable but didn’t seem to believe in herself as much as she probably should.
Lunch went by quickly as they conducted a bit of a postmortem on the parade and set-up of Winterfest. They’d do a more thorough one on Monday after cleanup had been completely finished Sunday.
They were back outside far sooner than Cole would have liked. Several other people stopped them to say how much they were enjoying the festival and how good the parade had been.
“Cole Holmes?”
Cole turned when he heard someone call his name. The man hurrying over looked familiar, but he couldn’t place him right away. “Yes?”
“I thought that was you.” He held out his hand. “Travis Harders. We worked together at Coffees of the World in New York.”
Cole blinked as he held out his hand. “Travis?” The guy he’d been on the way to work to cover for on 9/11.
No. He wasn’t going there. Not today.
Today was a day for celebration.
Cole grinned. “Travis Harders. I’ve thought about you a number of times over the years and wondered why I never saw you on Broadway.”
Travis laughed. “I moved back here that Christmas.” He pointed toward a teenage girl walking with a young man about her age. “Found out I had a daughter, and sole custody, so I came home, but I’ve seen you on the occasional magazine cover. I teach theater at Serenity Landing High School. Married her mom a couple of years ago. We’ve got a toddler boy and a baby girl on the w
ay.”
“That’s awesome.” Cole was genuinely happy for the guy. Travis was one of the few who’d known about Cole’s money and hadn’t cared. He saw Brittany talking to Mrs. Beach and looking stressed. “I’d love to catch up, but I’m one of the ones in charge of this thing and need to get to my partner in crime.”
Travis pulled a card out of his wallet. “My email is on there. Let me know if you have time before you leave town, or whenever you’re back.”
Cole took it and tucked it safely in his own wallet. “I’ll do that.”
Because if dinner with Brittany in a couple of days went the way he hoped it would, Cole planned to be back in the Ozarks on a regular basis.
Chapter 8
The last time Brittany had been this nervous about a meal was well over fifteen years earlier.
She still didn’t know where they were going, but when she’d discovered Cole was wearing a suit and tie, she’d opted for her best - only - little black dress and heels.
“I thought this wasn’t a date.” Mattison’s smirk made Brittany want to roll her eyes.
“It’s not. But he’s wearing a suit. We’re probably going to that nice restaurant at the resort. I can’t show up in jeans and a sweater if we’re going somewhere he has to wear a suit. He’s from New York and has some money. This is probably a normal Tuesday for him.”
She’d told her daughter Cole was well off but not how well off. They could be going almost anywhere.
The crunch of tires in the driveway told her it was time whether she was ready or not. A minute later, Cole knocked on the door. After giving Mattison one of her best mom-glare-so-you’ll-behave looks, Brittany opened the door.
Cole stood there in a suit that likely would have cost Brittany a month’s salary or more, with a long overcoat that likely cost just as much. She suddenly felt underdressed even in her best clothes.
“Please, come in.” She stood to the side to let him do just that.
“Thank you.” He separated what had appeared to be one bouquet of flowers into two and held the larger one out to her. “For you.” He turned to Mattison after Brittany took the bouquet. “And for you.”
Mattison’s eyebrows shot up. “For me? Really? This is a date or you wouldn’t bother buttering up the kid.”
“Mattison,” Brittany hissed. So much for the mom glare. “Will you please put both of these in a vase in the kitchen?” She handed her bouquet over as her daughter smirked.
“Sure, Mom.” She headed into the kitchen.
“Let’s go before she gets back.” Brittany grabbed her coat and put it on before Cole could offer to help her.
He did hold her door open at the car.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” he told her as he closed the door.
“Where are we going?” she asked as they drove out of the neighborhood.
“Savarino’s. Jonathan recommended it this morning.”
Right. Brittany had seen Cole talking to Jonathan while she took pictures of not one but two royal families, and Santa Claus.
Because that was who wanted to come in that morning, in secret. They were all very kind, though a couple clearly had something on their mind, mainly the twin adult women from the northern of the two countries. They smiled happily along with everyone else, but something still seemed a bit off somehow, especially with the one who hadn’t just married superstar Pete Barker. Brittany was more tongue tied around him than the others. She’d even recorded the wedding since it coincided with the Winterfest kickoff, but she hadn’t had a chance to watch it yet.
She also wasn’t sure she was dressed nicely enough for Savarino’s and told Cole that.
“You’ll be fine, I promise.” He looked over at her and winked. “You look fantastic, but I didn’t want to say that in front of your daughter.”
She could tell her face was turning red even though he likely couldn’t see it.
“How do you think everything’s gone? In your vast event planning experience, how did this measure up?” They drove around the far end of the lake and back towards Springfield.
“Nope. Not talking about Winterfest tonight. We did our postmortem yesterday. We’ll do more of one after the first, but tonight, no business.” Cole reached over and took her hand.
Without gloves, she could feel the warmth of his skin on hers.
And liked it.
Too much.
Far more than she should when he was leaving for New York in twenty-four hours.
She hadn’t mentioned the gathering at Mama Beach’s again, but hoped he knew he was still welcome.
“What are your Christmas traditions?” he asked as they continued down the dark two-lane road toward Serenity Landing.
“We go to Christmas Eve service at church in Trumanville. When we come home, pajamas have magically appeared under the tree. We put them on, watch a Christmas movie, and read three Christmas stories then head to bed.” She stared at the lights of a house in the distance. “Christmas morning, we have cinnamon rolls, bacon, and eggs for breakfast. Mattison opens her stocking before breakfast, so it’s really more of a brunch these days. Then we open presents. She gets one box from me with several things in it, plus whatever the grandparents have sent or friends have dropped off, but usually just a couple of others. Then we go to Mama Beach’s for the afternoon and evening. We eat and watch movies or football or whatever else happens to be on.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
“Do you have any traditions? Besides watching the movies you’ve missed.”
“I usually go to church on Christmas Eve. I won’t get home in time this year.”
“You could always go with us if you’re not leaving too early.” She hadn’t meant to suggest it, but it wasn’t a bad idea.
“Let me see if I can rearrange my schedule, but that sounds nice.” They reached Serenity Landing. It didn’t take long to drive through as they hit every green light. A few minutes later, they pulled up in front of the fanciest restaurant in the area, though it seemed a bit out of place on the east end of Serenity Landing.
Without hesitation, Cole handed his keys over to the valet, something Brittany had never done in her life. Inside, they were asked for their reservation. The place didn’t seem very busy, even for a Tuesday night, two days before Christmas.
They were seated at an intimate table for two. There was a dance floor. Brittany had never even let herself dream of coming here, except maybe as a treat when she’d graduated from college, but by then she had a baby girl and she had no time for such frivolities.
The waiter came by and took their drink order, giving them a few more minutes to decide on their meal. Once they’d placed their order, Cole stared into his glass for a moment.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” Brittany took a sip of her water. “But I can refuse to answer if I feel it’s too invasive.”
“It might be,” he conceded.
“Where Mattison’s father is?” It was the most likely question.
He gave a single nod.
“We dated in college. I got pregnant. He was around for a while but was killed in a car accident before she was born. We weren’t in love but had planned to get married at one point. Eventually, we changed our minds and were going to co-parent, at least that’s the word we’d use today, but it never happened.”
“And you’ve never married?” That puzzled him. “I thought you said you spent more on your new coat than your wedding dress.”
“I had the dress. We realized we were much better as friends and never had the wedding. But since then...” She shook her head. “Never had time when she was younger. Now that she’s older, haven’t found anyone I’m interested in.”
She watched as he took a deep breath then looked up to meet her eyes. “What about now? Have you found someone you could be interested in now?”
That wasn’t the answer Cole had expected when it came to Mattison’s father, but it was one he could live with.
“I don’t know.” She stared at her drink. “I like you. I don’t know if there could be something more between us, but I think there could be. But there’s one big problem.”
“What’s that?” He suspected his money might have something to do with it, but he hoped she could see past that.
“You live in New York. I’m not moving any time soon. I have a job, a life, here.”
He took his time and answered slowly. “I can appreciate that, but if things worked out between us and we were to ever get married, you’d never have to work again. Living in New York wouldn’t require you to have a job.”
She shook her head. “That’s not it. I like my job most of the time. I make a difference with teenagers. I love doing it. Do you not remember how we met?”
“Standing in Times Square.”
“Where I was completely overwhelmed, frozen in my tracks until I was knocked over, because I couldn’t handle it.” She leaned forward. “I don’t think I could handle living in the city. Not permanently. Maybe for a month or two here and there, but I love it in Trumanville. I love my life. Even if I were to marry someone who had enough money for both of us and Mattison, I wouldn’t want to quit. Or if I won the lottery or got an inheritance. That’s just not who I am.”
Cole had been afraid she’d say something like that. “I understand that, but…”
“No buts, Cole.”
“Living in the city with money is very different than staying in the city for a week or so on a budget.”
She shook her head. “It’s not an option for me. Not really. Besides, if we were to become a thing, to get to the point where we wanted to get married, why would I have to be the one to move? Why can’t you move here? Work remotely. How much of your work has to be done in the office? You can fly wherever you want, whenever you want if you need to be somewhere for a meeting, so why not move here instead?”
Love on Parade Page 6