by Nancy Naigle
“Excellent.”
“So, let’s get started. What do we need to set the oven to?”
“Three hundred,” he answered from memory.
“Are you sure? I don’t think I’ve ever baked anything in my oven at less than three twenty-five.”
“Trust me.”
“Okay!” She set the temperature on the oven then went back over to the island. There were only three ingredients on the paper. Sugar, butter and flour. “Is this all there is to the whole recipe? Three ingredients?”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t believe you have a laminated recipe card for a three-ingredient recipe. It can’t possibly be this simple.”
“Believe it.” He turned, then slowly, softly, said, “You know, the best things in life don’t have to be all that complex.”
She turned toward him to respond, just as he stepped forward. “Oh!” She stumbled, nearly falling into his arms, but he caught her by the waist, his hand grazing her lower back. Her breath hitched. “I believe that.”
He pushed her hair back from her face. “Good.”
The oven started beeping, indicating it’d reached the desired temperature. She touched her forehead and turned around to get a glass of ice water.
Before the night was over, they’d made sixty shortbread cookies using the cookie cutters from the time capsule. The stars were her favorite.
The next afternoon, she was working on her article when Ben walked in.
“How’s it going?”
“Okay. Added the thing about Eisenhower being credited with inventing the Christmas advent calendar, and that gave me an opening to talk about the time capsule. I like that. I also mentioned that in addition to tourism growth, there’s been population growth. I think—”
“You’re done?”
Katie shook her head and leaned forward on her elbows. “No. I mean, maybe. It’s gotten hard to write. It’s a business magazine, so while I know what they want, more and more I feel like I’m missing something. The word count is there, and it’s due tomorrow, but something about it isn’t…quite…”
“What? Are you afraid they’re not going to like it?”
“No. Not really. I love freelancing. And I’ve been able to do it for a while now, but that’s not what I want to do. I think I’m more worried they will.”
“Them liking it is a bad thing?”
“I want to write my second novel. It’s harder. Takes longer. And there are no guarantees.”
“Well, when are you going to start working on that?”
“I guess as soon as I turn this in.” She looked at the stack of paper she’d accumulated about this town over the past couple of weeks. “So many people have told me so many wonderful stories about this town. I just want it to be wonderful.”
“It will be. And hey, look at it this way. You’re probably now more of an expert on Evergreen than any of us who live here are.”
She wadded up a piece of paper and tossed it at him.
He ducked playfully.
“So, I guess I’ll just have to do a final pass on it in the morning on the train.”
“Tomorrow?”
“That’s the plan, yeah.” But she wasn’t ready to leave. She looked at him. Say something. Ask me to stay.
But he didn’t; he simply nodded with no clear expression on his face. This was it. Was this all there was meant to be for her in Evergreen?
“So, I guess I should go. I’ve got to get packed and—” Katie caught Nan from the corner of her eye as she came down the stairs, dressed in a forest-green wool coat and a beautiful scarf. “Wow, look at this.”
Nan walked into the room. “Well, this was my mother’s caroling scarf, and her angel pin.” She ran her fingers over the lovely red-and-green plaid. Gold threads woven into the design picked up on the shiny gold of the pin fastened to her left shoulder. The pride of tradition showed in Nan’s eyes. “The Christmas calendar has everyone so excited about our old traditions, we’ve even fired up a few from long ago.”
“Really? Like what?” Katie asked.
Ben looked on, and although Nan wasn’t his mother, Katie could feel the special bond between them.
“Caroling tonight.”
“Well, you look—and that sounds—amazing. All of it.” Katie scanned the room. She would definitely miss Evergreen. “I should get back to the inn.”
“Oh, we’re about to go caroling out that way. Why don’t you come and join us?”
Ben lit up. “You should come! It really is a lot of fun. I bring my guitar.”
“You play the guitar?”
“I do.”
Smart, creative and musical too? “I can’t miss that. I mean, that does sound fun. Okay, yes. Do I need to know all the words or—”
“No, we know all the words very well. You can even just hum along,” Nan said.
In a whoosh of excitement, Katie swept all of her research materials into one stack. “Great, I’ll meet you two outside in just a minute. I just need to re-shelve these.”
As Katie eased the books back on the shelves in their respective spots, she overheard Nan talking to Ben. “I almost forgot. You know how finicky that old printer is. I found this jammed inside. I wanted to make sure you had it.”
He took the page and looked at it. “It’s just a job posting in New York. Yeah, that wasn’t anything.”
Katie heard the paper crumple, and the balled-up dream hit the trash can just before the door opened and they walked outside.
What would it be like if Ben worked in the city? Maybe meeting up for lunch occasionally? They could catch the train down here to Evergreen at the holidays. She could see herself spending more time with him.
She grabbed her coat and went out to meet up with them for her first time caroling.
Chapter Twenty
Hannah had dressed in her caroling attire, a green sweater, before going to meet Elliott. She was due to catch up with the others in front Daisy’s Country Store here shortly.
She leaned over the counter in the Tinker Shop, watching Elliott fill the new glass globe with liquid. He looked so handsome dressed in a button-down shirt tonight. He was wearing a fun Christmas tie, kind of out of character for him, but she liked this side of him.
Shivering in anticipation, she said, “It’s really going to be okay, isn’t it?”
“Oh, yes.” Elliott kept his hands and eyes focused on his work. “This snow globe will be as good as new.”
“I sure hope it still has the old magic.”
“That…I have no control of.” He gave her a playful grin. “It takes just the right mixture of water and oil.” He picked up a sterling silver decanter that looked like a genie lamp, then tipped the tiny spout into the globe slowly to add the glycerin.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him. The way he worked, so slow, methodical and patient. He was the most patient person she’d ever known.
He let one more drop fall into the globe. “I think this looks just about right. Oh yeah, we’ll need glitter for the snow.”
“White glitter,” she corrected.
“I saw some somewhere around here. It was in a glass jar. It was in all the stuff that was already here. Would you mind looking in the bottom cabinet over there?”
“Sure.” She tore herself away from him and rummaged through a few of the lower cabinets behind the counter. It seemed like old times, poking around back here where she’d spent so many years as a kid. “Oh, gosh. Some of this stuff has to be decades old.”
“Wait. Do we think glitter goes bad?” Elliott asked.
“Ha-ha. No.” She dug around a little more, kneeling on the floor to get a better look into the back of the cabinet. She popped up from behind the counter. “Here it is.” She carried a vintage canning jar with a bail lid over to him. “My mom used to store everything i
n these jars.”
“When I took over the place, I definitely kept a lot of the supplies. It’s kind of fun to think that this glitter that we’re getting ready to use, you might have used years ago on some project.”
“I know. Right?” It was so sweet how he cared about her history with the Tinker Shop. Almost to the point of embarrassing that he seemed to think he needed to keep that tie. It was his shop now. He could do what he wanted. She also knew Elliott well enough to know that he’d make it a success in his way. “It’s kind of crazy. My mom used to use the glitter for snow on the Christmas Village. Every year she’d add a new building. It was really quite elaborate. I have no idea whatever happened to all of that.” Hannah opened the jar and dipped her fingers into the glitter. She sprinkled a little into the globe.
“Yeah. That looks good.” Elliott took the wooden end of a paint brush and gave it a swirl.
“Right. We want it to look like a real storm, not a light dusting. It’s so peaceful to watch.”
“Nice. I think just a little bit more. Don’t you?”
“I do.” Hannah reached into the jar again, but her fingers hit a clump. Assuming something wet had once gotten into the container, she twisted it between her fingers but realized it wasn’t just glitter. “Elliot?” She pulled her hand out of the jar and tipped her fingers up slowly. “Whoa. Look.” Between her fingers and thumb, a ring covered in shiny glitter sparkled. She blew the glitter from the gem with a hefty puff.
Elliott looked up, momentarily confused. “Wait. Whoa.”
“We just found my mother’s wedding ring. It must have been lost in this jar all those years ago! Oh my gosh, oh wow, I can’t believe it!” She clutched the ring with both hands. “We just found my mother’s wedding ring. I can’t believe it!”
Swept up at the moment, she threw herself into Elliott’s arms, hugging him close and feeling closer to her mother at this moment than she had in so long. She squealed and held him tight.
He wrapped his arms around her.
“I have to go tell my brother about this. I—” She hugged him again, this time his arms drawing comfort, and she took a breath and relaxed into the safety, the feeling of him so close. Not wanting it to end, her hands softly grazed his shoulders as she came off tiptoes to a stand in front of him. Her forehead tipped toward his, her lashes lowered, and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her. Their faces were just inches apart, but he didn’t move.
As if in slow motion, she pulled her hands back, looking into his face. “Well, I…” Unsure of all the feelings rushing through her…was it the ring? Or was it Elliott? “I’ve got to go.” She shook her head, not really wanting to, but so wrapped up, swept away by the excitement of finding the long-lost treasure.
He wrapped his arms around her, pressing his chin to the nape of her neck.
“I…” Then, Hannah quickly looked at her watch. “I’ve got to go lead the caroling.”
“What?”
“The caroling. I’m late. You should come with me.”
“No. Oh, you don’t want to hear me sing.”
“Please come.” But she did want to hear him sing, to feel him close. “That’s all right. It’s just for fun and Christmas, and all this time I’ve spent with you again, I’ve—”
Elliott hesitated only a moment. “I’ll come.”
“Good!” She danced in place. “Come on. Get your coat.” She pulled hers on. “It’ll be fun.”
“Wait a second. Let me see the ring.”
She opened her hand, still full of glitter.
He took the ring to his workbench, sprayed it with canned air and swept the remaining resistant pieces of glitter from the white gold, then shined it with a soft cloth. “Here.” He handed it back to her. “Put it on.”
“You think I should?”
“Why not?”
She slid it on her finger and smiled, then balled her hand into a fist and pulled it to her heart.
He grabbed his coat and opened the door, waiting for her. He locked up behind them, reaching for her hand. They took the stairs and walked around the corner to meet the others in front of Daisy’s Country Store.
Everyone was dressed in red and green, Katie and Ben included. Michelle was rounding everyone up and doing a head count.
“I’m here,” Hannah called out. “Everyone warmed up?”
“I was getting worried about you! You’re never late for caroling. I’m so glad you brought Elliott. The more, the merrier. We are warmed up, and we even practiced that song about wassailing, yes.”
“My favorite!” Hannah squeezed Elliott’s hand. “Come on, everyone!”
Michelle swept a white-gloved hand in the air above her head. “First stop, the retirement center, and the last, Barbara’s Country Inn. Let’s go!”
“Dashing,” Hannah called out, and every voice, soprano, bass, on pitch, off-key, belted a hearty dashing through the snow as they began walking down Main Street, and it sounded as merry as if they’d been classically trained.
Some old timers didn’t bother singing at all, choosing to ring leather straps of jingle bells at just the right moments instead, and of course there was always Henry, who brought his kazoo. Every year without fail, and although it was a running joke in the town, it wouldn’t be the same if he didn’t.
Folks on Main Street came out of the shops and watched, applauding as they walked by, some abandoning their last-minute Christmas shopping to join in the fun.
Chapter Twenty-One
They’d caroled the retirement center, Main Street, the gazebo, three houses where people couldn’t get out of the house, and now stood in front of Barbara’s Country Inn.
Ben leaned in to Katie. “We’re the surprise guests tonight.”
She clapped her gloved hands. “Fun.”
Ben loved how Katie had enthusiastically jumped right in like she’d been an Evergreenian forever. He’d miss her when she left. Things would be a little lackluster once she moved on, and he wasn’t ready for that.
They all gathered at the bottom of the front steps of the inn.
Fanned out around the front porch area, Hannah stepped in front of them and gave them a note, then raised her hands in the air as ever so softly they began singing “Silent Night,” taking it louder with each round. Hannah’s hand motions led them until finally the heavy wooden door of the inn opened.
Megan stood there, wearing a shiny green dress. Couples held glass cups of punch and moved toward the commotion. “Everyone! Come in and get warm!” Megan gave them room to enter. She already had treats and a hot chocolate bar all set up for them.
The carolers flowed into the inn, still singing, with Ben playing his guitar and leading them inside. They switched gears into a fast-paced “Up on the Housetop,” and everyone joined in.
With songbooks in hand, the carolers sang with heart and animation that was contagious. Even people who’d already retired to their rooms were coming downstairs to see what was going on and ended up joining in from the steps in their pjs.
Megan jumped in between songs. “I have the new firepit out there putting off a toasty warmth, and all the fixins for Christmas s’mores!”
Katie and Ben looked at each other. “S’mores?”
“Oh, heck yeah.” He put his hand on the small of her back and followed closely behind her to the firepit. And that was it for the caroling that night.
Snow fell sizzling against the firepit, and Christmas lights twinkled behind them.
Katie and Ben sipped cocoa by the firepit, laughing. “I’m so glad you came with us tonight,” he said.
“Me too. I’ve never been caroling before.”
“You did great.”
“And you are quite talented with that guitar, I must say.”
“Thanks. Ha, would you look at those two?” He pointed over to Elliot, who was feeding Hann
ah a perfectly brown toasted marshmallow.
“They are so great together,” Katie mused. She patted her hand to her heart. “Sweet.”
It was, and he could almost picture himself in that situation with Katie. Something he hadn’t really given much thought to after the divorce. Those wounds were old. Sure, he was over it now, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t a little anxious about being in that situation again.
Thomas didn’t mind being in charge of making the marshmallows for anyone who was game. “You want yours crispy?” he asked Michelle.
“That one looks perfect.”
He pulled it from the fire and slid a marshmallow onto her plate.
Katie held her hot cocoa with both hands. “So many people I interviewed said the same thing. They came here for Christmas, and Evergreen captured their hearts.”
“Wait. That didn’t happen to you?” Ben teased.
“Are you kidding?” Katie made a face, but there was that playful edge again.
She was capturing his heart. Was that possible? “Really. If not, maybe you should stay a day or two longer,” he said. “You could stick around too, ya know.”
“I’m looking forward to Christmas with my mom. It’s our tradition, and if we start skipping them, do they then become less special?”
Family was important to her too. He felt the same way about tradition. “Not as long as you keep some of them alive. The ones you really love.”
“Our traditions are simple, but amazing. Just me and her. You know, we watch the old Christmas movies. We have these blueberry pancakes from this restaurant in town. They’re amazing. We have them all season long. They’re so good.” She sat quiet, thoughtful. “Back when I lived at home, we used to get a tree at the lot on Seventh Avenue. We haven’t done that in years. Now that we both live in apartments, we can only have fake ones.”
“Oh, I remember walking through the city and smelling the trees being sold.”
“Yes! It’s so great!”
“Because it’s out of place, I think. It always reminded me of home.”
“I can see how that would remind you of this place.”