by Tonya Kappes
Since he was mayor, he had to make the rounds to make sure everything was in place. He feared the extra snowfall might keep folks at home a little longer than usual, so he had called in the snow plows to get an early jump on the roads.
The city workers had already turned on the lights on the Christmas tree in the middle of the courthouse lawn. The lights that wrapped around the railing in front of the waterfall were twinkling. All the decorated store windows gave the old time Christmas Grandberry Falls was known for.
Mamie was clearing the sidewalk off in front of The Fatted Pig. “I guess you didn’t go over to the Greenlee’s for an apple last night, did ya?”
Mitch shut his car door and walked over to her. He took the broom and finished brushing off the snow that still remained.
“I’d love to know how Hazel handled that fancy boy.” Mamie clapped her gloved hands together and threw her head back in laughter.
“What happened?” Mitch hadn’t even asked Grady about why he was on Hazel’s bad side. He wished he had.
“You missed it.” Mamie’s eyes lit up like the lights on a Christmas tree. “That city slicker came in here and wouldn’t take part in any of Hazel’s rituals. It was a sight to behold. He even grabbed up Maggie like he owned her and drove off.”
Mamie continued to tell him about the cornbread, the spilled salt, and the ornaments.
No wonder Grady had been drinking at The Thirsty Turtle. Mitch couldn’t help but smile. Hazel Greenlee was still on his side.
Only the most important person wasn’t.
Maggie.
Mitch worked his way around Main Street helping everyone set up. The outdoor stage, where a favorite local band would play, was surrounded by kerosene lamps and a few tables, but most people would be inside the stores sampling good food, talking to neighbors, and spreading Christmas cheer.
Strings of big Christmas tree light bulbs were strung between the carriage lights along both sides of the cobblestone street.
Mitch looked down Main Street with pride.
His cell phone began to ring. “Hello?”
“I’m so sick.” Wendy sniffled on the other end. “I’m not going to be able to make it today or tonight. I have a terrible fever.”
“Can I bring you something?” Mitch asked.
“No. I’m just going to go back to bed.” Wendy coughed. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Please call me if you need anything. I’ll be happy to do whatever you need.” He assured her before he hung up.
He’d really wanted her to be here. He didn’t want to be all alone at the hoedown. But if he must face Maggie and Grady alone, he would.
The old smoke house grills were fired up and the meat was slowly turning. The band was warming up, while carolers strolled around singing the usual Christmas classics. Mitch greeted everyone he passed.
He might not have slept well the night before, but he was going to on this night. He never realized how exhausting being mayor could be.
“Come on in.” Tommy waved Mitch over to The Thirsty Turtle. “We’re getting ready for the Christmas toast.”
The gang was bellied up to the bar, minus him and Wendy, ready to let loose for the night.
“I’ve got to see to my duties for the fine citizens folks. Go on without me.” Mitch said.
“Alright.” Tommy let Mitch go on about his business.
“Merry Christmas.” Hazel Greenlee wrapped her arms around Mitch as soon as he turned around.
“Merry Christmas.” Mitch’s heart sank. He hadn’t seen the Greenlees pull up and he wasn’t prepared to see Maggie together with Grady just yet
“We missed you last night.” Hazel said and planted a big kiss on Mitch’s cheek.
Her long silver hair flowed out from under her headscarf and down her shoulders. He was sure the bright red lipstick she was wearing had left a kiss-shaped mark on his face.
“Have you seen Maggie?” Hazel’s head bobbed from side to side so she could see around him.
“No. Is she here?” Mitch asked.
If she had been there, he would’ve seen her (by now). He glanced towards The Thirsty Turtle. Surely she wasn’t in there with the gang
“She’s here somewhere. I asked her to bring the tea.” Hazel waved a jingling arm in the direction of The Trembling Cup.
Every year, Hazel donated her time and her secret-recipe eggnog tea to the hoedown. She made more and more every year, using the equipment at The Trembling Cup. And every year, there was still a line out the door just for citizens to get a sample.
“Tell her to come help me when you do see her.” Hazel held some mistletoe above her head and winked. “Here. You might need this tonight.”
Mitch took it from her.
“Doubtful.” He twirled the small twig between his fingers.
Hazel smiled her wicked smile and turned to cross the street. The music was blaring and some people were already dancing.
Liz Day walked past with her son. “Thank goodness the snow stopped.”
“Yes. Merry Christmas.” Mitch tipped his John Deere cap. “Hayes, did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?”
“Yes, sir.” Hayes waved and ran off to join a group of boys that stood next to the caramel apple stand.
“It might be cold out here, but there’s plenty of good cheer to warm everyone up.” Liz waved goodbye before joining Jenna Greenlee on the other side of the street. They both waved at Mitch.
Mitch waved back at Liz and Jenna.
He slipped away, walking along the stream below the falls, at the back of the buildings. No one would notice him there, and he could take in a little joy from watching everyone else.
Everything was going smoothly. Santa was walking around handing out small trinkets to the kids and coins to the adults to throw into the waterfall.
“I remember us running all over to find Santa so we’d get our gift.” A voice spoke from behind him.
Mitch jumped and turned to see Maggie standing nearby. Her smile faded as he looked at her.
Chapter Fourteen
She wasn’t going to say anything to him, but she couldn’t resist. She had seen that he was watching their small town just as she was. What harm could there be in remembering good times.
A few times during the day, she had packed to leave early, but each time she decided that Grady was right and unpacked her things. She needed to stay in Grandberry Falls. They would have the rest of their lives together and Hazel was just going to have to accept that.
“Maggie, you startled me.” Mitch said.
She bit her lip to stifle a grin. She did love how Mitch was Mitch, always and forever under that damn John Deere hat. Even having the title of mayor hadn’t caused him to clean up his appearance.
“I’m sorry. I had to get away from Granny.” She could feel her engagement ring under her mitten.
She wanted so badly to tell Mitch about Grady, but she wasn’t even sure where they stood anymore. If Grady had been there, she’d have been uncomfortable.
“Listen, I’m sorry about the cemetery.” A muscle quivered at his jaw. “I just think its best we stop holding each other to those silly pinky swears we made when we were kids.”
But what about the one pinky promise we made to each other about getting married? She wasn’t going to remind him how they’d made a promise to get married if they were thirty and still single. That promise was soon to be null and void.
“Yeah, silly.” Maggie pulled out two of the coins Santa had handed her earlier and handed one of them to Mitch. “But we can still be friends.”
She held the coin close to her heart. She opened her eyes to find him watching her. For a moment, she was glad Grady wasn’t there.
“I. . .”She hesitated, torn by conflicting emotions. “I’m going to make my wish for you.”
She tossed the coin into the creek that leads into the waterfall.
But she’d lied.
Please let my confusion go away. She was conflicted abo
ut what she should do. She knew it the moment she realized Grady had driven back to New York without her and she hadn’t jumped on a plane right then.
She hadn’t even confronted Hazel or returned any of Grady’s calls.
She was sure that if she called him it would have resulted in an argument, and she didn’t want that this Christmas.
Maybe it was time to face her past so she could move on with her future.
She was standing face to face with her past.
Damn town. She wanted to blame the atmosphere for her mix of emotions, but she knew her life was coming full circle.
“And my wish is for you to be happy, Maggie Greenlee.” Mitch tossed the coin in after her.
She glanced at him and caught his gaze. The light from one of the lanterns twinkled in his eyes as he looked back at her.
She looked down at the mistletoe he was still twirling.
“Mistletoe,” she whispered.
Maggie was well aware of the legend of the mistletoe.
“How long have you had it?”
They both knew that there was no getting around it. They were going to have to kiss. It was part of another Greenlee superstition that also required the mistletoe to be burned on the twelfth day after the kiss.
“Today.” He held it up on the air.
“Hazel?” Maggie could have just killed her.
Hazel knew if she gave Mitch the mistletoe and he saw Maggie, Maggie would have to kiss him. The superstition was that if the girl remains unkissed, she could not expect to marry the following year.
With her wedding planned for the spring, Maggie was going to do everything in her power to make sure her wedding went off without a hitch, even kissing Mitch Dozier.
“I’m sorry, Maggie.” Mitch said with a grin
“Come on.” She smiled back. “Let’s get this over with.”
This was the last straw she was going to take from Hazel this Christmas. She would give Mitch a friendly kiss and then get back in the old Ford. She’d call a taxi from Hazel’s and no matter the extra expense, exchange her ticket for a flight today. She’d be in Grady’s arms where she belongs.
And next year, they’d come back to Grandberry Falls as a married couple.
If she remembered correctly, Mitch wasn’t that great of a kisser.
She couldn’t help but smile and feel embarrassed as he walked over and held the mistletoe over her head. The closer he came, the more handsome she realized he’d become over the years.
He’s enjoying this. There was a touch of humor around his mouth and near his eyes.
She wasn’t going to give Mitch the satisfaction of pointing out how much he enjoyed Hazel’s games.
She stood her ground as he bent down.
His lips slowly descended to meet hers. Her eyes closed. He pressed his lips to hers, caressing her mouth more than kissing it.
His arms wrapped around her like a warm blanket. For a moment, she forgot where she was.
He finally pulled away and stepped back. Her eyes were still closed and she felt weak in the knees.
She touched her lips and slowly opened her eyes to look into his. She couldn’t deny the spark that still clearly existed between them.
A knot caught in her throat. “Be sure to burn that in twelve days,” she whispered, and with her head bowed, she ran toward the truck.
Damn, Hazel. She wrapped her scarf tight around her neck. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hazel staring out of the back windows of The Trembling Cup.
She was sure Hazel had seen it all. It was clear that things had played out exactly how Hazel had planned it.
***
The airplane was packed. She looked down at the ticket she held in her hand. Grady had upgraded her ticket to first class.
“Hi, honey,” Maggie said into her cell. “I miss you. Can you pick me up? I’m on my way home.”
Maggie held her five-carat ring up in the air. She felt the cabin pressure against her chest. As her plane left the runway, she took a deep breath and looked out the window.
“Goodbye, Mitch.”
To be continued. . .
Note from Tonya
What a wonderful time of year it is! It’s a great time for giving, sharing, and being with the ones you love. I love reading Christmas stories and knew I had to write one set in my fictitious cozy town of Grandberry Falls. Thank you so much for spending a little of your holiday in Grandberry Falls. I hope you enjoy it as much as I loved writing it.
And if you think Hazel Greenlee is done, think again. Be sure to watch for Never Tell Your Dreams Before Breakfast, the follow up novel to A Superstitious Christmas coming in the spring of 2012.
Happy Holidays!
About The Author
Tonya Kappes an Amazon Mover and Shaker bestselling author in the United States and an International bestseller. Her novels include Carpe Bead 'Em, The Grandberry Falls Series, and The Olivia Davis Series. She writes about quirky characters in quirky situations.
Anthologies where you can find Tonya Kappes short stories:
Something Spooky This Way Comes, Masked Souls short story
Believe, Another Quirky Christmas short story prequel to Carpe Bead 'em
Madness Under The Mistletoe
She is co-founder of The Writer's Guide to E Publishing (thewritersguidetoepublishing.com) and a member of the elite bloggers at The Women’s Literary Café (http://womensliterarycafe.com/).
When she's not writing, she's busy being the princess, queen and jester of her domain which includes her BFF husband, her three teenage boys and two dogs.
Be sure to find Tonya on the web. She loves to hear from readers.
Tonyakappes.blogspot.com
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Click on the titles below to read more books by Tonya Kappes
Carpe Bead’em
Splitsville.com
The Ladybug Jinx
Happy New Life
Madness Under the Mistletoe