by ID Johnson
“Not really,” Delaney said, though she was sure it would be a good time. “Who would rather go stand outside in the cold to watch a parade than see the great Lindel Hurst on stage, live and in person?”
“You do have a point,” he laughed. “I just hope his performance is as good as last year’s. The local newspaper described it as, ‘a treasure to behold.’”
“That will be hard to top,” Delaney giggled. “No, the parade is a big deal, but the bigger deal is the Christmas Festival, which happens every year on Christmas Eve. If you really want to have a good time in small town Charles Town, that is the place to be.”
“Oh, yeah?” he asked, glancing at her briefly before returning his attention to the road. It was dark by now, but there was a bit of traffic, and Delaney could easily see the winding highway in front of them. The mountains on either side still had a dusting of snow which was illuminated by the starlight.
“Every year, the Baptist church in town hosts the Festival, but everyone participates. Practically the whole town comes to the booths during the day to shop and eat way too much food. We always have a ton of customers that day. And then there’s a performance in the evening with lots of different choirs and musicians. The children’s choir is always adorable.”
Josh ran a hand through his hair. “That does sound like a lot of fun. I might be being a bit presumptuous, but if you can stand me after tonight, maybe we could go together.”
Delaney felt a rush of warmth to her face. They hadn’t even been on this date for an hour and he was already asking her out again. “That sounds like a lot of fun,” she said.
“Unless of course, you already have plans.”
She laughed. “No, this time of year, I don’t have a lot of time. Nana and I usually go together, and my parents meet us there.”
“I would love it if Nana went with us. She is… a gem.”
“She really is,” Delaney agreed. Thinking of her grandmother warmed her heart, and she was so happy that Josh could see how precious she was in just the few minutes he’d spent with her. She was certain they would be fast friends in no time at all.
“Do you think things will slow down after the holidays?” he asked, slowing behind a big truck.
Delaney sighed. “I don’t know. Part of me hopes so, but it’s been nice not to have to worry about any of my expenses this month.”
He nodded. “I can imagine. Running a family business is so difficult.”
“Is your dad ready for a break?” she asked, straightening her hair.
“I think so,” Josh replied. “He would never admit it, though.”
She studied his profile for a moment before she said, “I bet they hate for the holidays to end because they know you’ll be leaving soon.”
Slowly, Josh nodded. “I try to come and visit them a couple of times each month, but it’s not the same as being home.”
Not sure she wanted to hear the answer, she took a deep breath and asked, “When will you go back to Washington?”
He checked his mirrors before answering, surely a sign he was stalling. Eventually, he said, “I’m supposed to be back at work January fifth. I usually go back the Saturday before.”
Delaney didn’t say anything. Thoughts of Josh being so far away made her sadder than they should since she hadn’t even known him that long. She had no idea at this point if he’d want to see her after the holidays or not. She hoped so, but she also knew how difficult long distance relationships could be. The last one she’d attempted hadn’t lasted, and even though she already felt her connection with Josh was very different than what she’d had with Bradley, being apart was never easy.
They began to enter the outskirts of Winchester, so she said nothing in response. A few minutes later, they were pulling into a parking lot outside of the local auditorium. It wasn’t big, but it was larger than any performance center in Charles Town for certain. The snow was coming down softly, and Delaney made sure her coat was secured before she reached for the door handle.
She didn’t get a chance to open it. Josh quickly moved around the front of the car and pulled the door open for her, offering her his hand. With a beaming smile, he said, “Are you ready to see some community theater?”
Giggling, Delaney slipped her hand in his. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” They walked hand in hand into the auditorium, and Delaney pushed thoughts of what might happen in January aside. She was here with Josh now, and that’s all that mattered.
The auditorium was decorated with Christmas wreaths, garlands, and dozens of twinkling trees of various sizes. Delaney loved the red velvet bows and the gold ornaments that sparkled in the dim light. Josh presented his tickets, and they were ushered to their seats, which were toward the front in the center. The plush red matched the décor, and Delaney took her coat and draped it across her lap on top of her handbag, realizing she’d inadvertently worn a dress that also matched the seats.
Josh didn’t seem to notice. “What do you think?” he asked, hanging his own coat over the back of his seat.
“It’s nice,” she replied. “Great seats.”
“Well, you know, if you’re going to see a production of this caliber, you’ve got to be willing to spend a little cash.”
She giggled. “I really love A Christmas Carol,” she said. “I read it when I was younger, and I think I’ve seen every version of the movie ever made.”
“Even the Muppets version?”
“Oh, yes. That’s one of my favorites,” she replied, grinning. “I love the song Kermit sings with the little frog guy. What’s his name?”
Josh thought for a second. “I believe his real name is Robin, but he’s playing Tiny Tim.”
“Well, yes, I knew he was playing Tiny Tim. Robin. That’s right. Why do you know that?”
Letting out a sigh, Josh said, “I have nieces remember. They love that movie, too.”
“It’s so cool that they’ve watched it. It’s older than we are.”
“True. I like for them to watch the classics,” he nodded. “Muppets, Charlie Brown, the original Grinch—not that Jim Carrey nightmare.”
Delaney giggled again and didn’t bother to mention she actually liked the remake. “I love that you spend so much time with them.”
He tipped his head back and smiled. “I miss them a lot when I’m at home. They’re growing up so quickly.”
Nodding, Delaney said, “I can imagine it must be hard to leave them.”
Josh slowly nodded but didn’t say anything more. A few minutes later, the house lights dimmed, and Delaney turned her attention to the stage, hoping that this small town performance was entertaining. She knew these weren’t professional actors, per se, but she admired anyone who was willing to get up on stage in front of this many strangers. She had her fingers crossed that Lindel Hurst and company would give the performance of their lives.
Delaney wasn’t disappointed. Despite the sets being a bit amateurish and the actor playing Bob Cratchit forgetting a line that required a prompt from Scrooge, the performance was actually very good, and Lindel Hurst made the old geezer quite believable, particularly when he transformed into a benevolent, generous soul at the end. The cast earned a standing ovation, and the little boy playing Tiny Tim was so adorable, when he came out to bow everyone cheered even louder. By the end of the production, Delaney’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
Before they made their way out of the hall, Josh leaned over and whispered into her ear, “See, I told you Lindel Hurst wouldn’t let us down.”
“He was wonderful!” Delaney proclaimed, absolutely meaning it. “I really think he was just about as good as Michael Cain.”
“I don’t know about that,” Josh replied as they began to make their way out of the row of seats to the aisle. “But he was definitely better than Jim Carrey.”
Delaney laughed so hard, the person in front of her glanced back to see if she was okay. “You really have something against Ace Ventura, don’t you?” she asked.
“
I guess I’ve just never been a fan,” he admitted with a shrug.
“Well, I am a fan of Lindel Hurst’s for sure,” Delaney said, and though part of her was exaggerating for humor’s sake, she really did think the actor had done a phenomenal job.
“Maybe he’ll repeat his performance next year, and we can make this a tradition,” Josh offered.
Delaney felt her cheeks turning red, and she was glad he was behind her and might not be able to see. Was he really that comfortable with her that he thought they might be together at this time next year? Without turning completely around, she said, “I hope so. If he doesn’t get signed by some major production company between now and then.”
They were out of the auditorium now, and Josh led her to the side so he could take her coat and hold it open for her to slip into. “That’s a possibility,” he admitted, smiling. “Would you like to go get a bite to eat? I saw a little Italian place that looked promising when I was picking up the tickets the other day.”
“That sounds amazing,” Delaney replied. Once her coat was on, he took her hand and smiling, led her out into the falling snow. Even though it was cold and windy, snowflakes dancing down from the heavens and collecting in her long brown tresses, Delaney felt just as warm as she did when she was home by the fireplace.
The restaurant was nearby, but it wasn’t as crowded as Delaney thought it might be considering the crowd leaving the auditorium all at the same time. It was quaint inside, with pendulum lights hanging over each table. They sat in a booth with a window, a red and white checkered tablecloth and a faux candle setting the ambiance, and Delaney enjoyed watching the snow falling outside as she sat cozy in Josh’s company.
She ordered the lasagna, her very favorite Italian dish, and was nibbling on her salad, trying to wait until her entrée arrived to dig into the fresh bread, but it smelled heavenly and she wasn’t sure how long she could wait. Josh was not waiting for his spaghetti to sample the steaming breadsticks, and when he let out a groan of satisfaction, she gave up and reached for one herself. “This is melt-in-your-mouth good,” she said between bites. “Why was I trying to wait?”
He laughed. “I have no idea. The bread is the best part.”
She shook her head. “I know. But as a baker, I have to be extra careful about calories. Someone has to eat that thirteenth treat every time to make sure they’re right, you know?”
“Ha, I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” he said, and Delaney felt her face flush. He was quiet for a moment before he said, “How is it that you don’t have a boyfriend?”
She felt her face turn even redder. She set what was left of her breadstick aside and let out a sigh. “I did. His name was Bradley, and he lived in Baltimore. It was just… too hard living so far away from each other. We lasted about a year, but six months ago, he said it was too much. And I haven’t heard from him since.”
Josh’s expression was very sympathetic, as the corner of one side of his mouth creased and he began to slowly shake his head. “I’m sorry to hear that, Delaney.”
“No, it’s okay,” she assured him. “I mean… he was right. It was hard. And he was a lawyer, which meant he was busy a lot of the time. I couldn’t drive over every weekend because of the bakery. We were better off calling it quits before it got too serious.”
“Still, it’s never easy to end a serious relationship,” Josh replied, offering her a smile.
Delaney shrugged. “No, it wasn’t. But I’m definitely past it now.” She pulled off another hunk of bread, but before she took a bite, she asked, “What about you? When was your last serious relationship?”
He ran a hand through his hair and seemed to think for a second. “Honestly? College. I mean… I’ve been so busy at work I haven’t gone on more than a date or two with any woman in the last four or five years. There have been a couple of girls I thought I might want a relationship with, but they’re never quite who I think they are.”
Though she was surprised to hear that, Delaney quickly brought her raised eyebrows into check. “Dating is hard,” she admitted. “I never make it a priority. It’s just been easier to focus on work and assume I have years ahead of me to worry about it.”
“I agree,” he said with a chuckle. “But…” he looked up at her, “when the right person comes along, it doesn’t seem so hard anymore.”
Delaney felt the heat rising in her cheeks again as she stared into his hazel eyes, and if it hadn’t been for the waitress bringing their food right then, she thought she might be caught in his spell forever. She turned her attention to the lasagna, but she couldn’t help but smile between bites, her heart flittering in her chest. Every time she glanced up at him, he was smiling back at her. Josh definitely had a point; there was nothing difficult about this date at all. Of course, things might change when he went back to Washington. For now, she’d try to stay in the moment and fully enjoy the time they had to spend together, even if it might only be a few more weeks.
They chatted over dinner about anything and nothing, including more favorite movies, such as White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life. They discussed favorite Christmas carols and who sang the best rendition of “Oh, Holy Night” on the Christmas radio station they were listening to. On the way back to the car, Josh held her hand and only let it go long enough to run around to the driver’s side and climb in, reaching for it again as soon as his seatbelt was buckled.
The ride home was relatively quiet as they enjoyed Christmas carols on the radio and the gentle lull of the falling snow tinkling against the windshield. Delaney loved the feel of his strong hand in hers, and she could imagine many, many more such drives in their future. Hopefully, the distance they had to travel to see each other would just be between Shepherdstown and Charles Town and not on to Washington, but Delaney knew that if Josh was as committed to her already as she was to him, they would find a way to make it work.
Eventually, they reached the road that wound its way up to Nana’s house, and Delaney let out a deep breath, sad to see the night end. The snow was falling faster now, and Josh put the car in park and gave her hand a squeeze before coming around to open her car door.
Delaney stepped out into the snow and hooked her arm through his as he led her to the front porch. The light was on, but she could see through the window that the fire was low and the house lights were all off, a sign Nana had gone to bed. Turning to Josh, she said, “Thank you so much for such a wonderful evening.”
He smiled down at her, the tips of his shoes just in front of hers. “Thank you. I really had a great time.”
“Me, too,” she assured him, looking up into his hazel eyes.
“I hope we can go out again sometime really soon.”
“Me, too,” she repeated. She realized her eyes had fallen from his eyes to his lips, and she quickly raised her gaze, hoping he hadn’t noticed.
He must have, though, because when she looked up, his eyes were locked on her mouth instead of her eyes. She broke into a giggle. “You know, I don’t usually kiss on the first date,” she said, a teasing tone to her voice.
His face contorted into a crooked grin. “Oh, yeah, right. I just….”
“Of course, if you wanted to count this as a second date…. I mean, technically, you did ask me to go on a tour of the farm with you, so….”
Before she could finish the statement, he leaned forward and caught her lips with his. His mouth was as warm and soft as she had imagined it would be, and Delaney inhaled the comforting scent of pine and mint. He pulled away almost as suddenly as he had kissed her, but he was smiling, and taking a step back toward the car, he said, “Goodnight, Delaney. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Goodnight,” Delaney replied, certain her face must match her dress. She watched him bound away and continued to stand on the front porch watching his car until he’d turned and disappeared down the lane out of sight.
She took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh December air, and took a few steps off of the porch so she was stand
ing in the yard. She spread her arms, and slowly began to twirl, the dancing snowflakes accumulating on her black coat, on her handbag, and in her hair. Tipping her head back, she opened her mouth and caught some of those flakes on her tongue as she gazed up into the starlit skies. She knew up there, the God of the heavens was smiling down at her, and she finally felt He’d answered her prayers and sent her a love to last a lifetime.
Chapter 18
It was the last Saturday before Christmas, which meant the tree lot was busier than ever, and once Josh had the cocoa set up for his mom, he was busy all day bringing in trees and helping customers. He’d only had a few minutes to check on his mother, but she said the hot cocoa was a huge hit, and she felt so relieved knowing that the customers had absolutely nothing to complain about. Everyone was having a wonderful time.
While Josh drove the tractor, his mind returned continuously to his date with Delaney. He knew they’d have fun no matter where they went, but Delaney had watched the performance with a sense of wonder he usually only saw in small children, such as his nieces, and he loved how she grabbed life with gusto. Everything she did was full of joy, and he absolutely loved every moment he spent in her company. When he’d mentioned going out again and potentially making a tradition out of watching A Christmas Carol, he’d done so because he couldn’t help himself; he wanted to be with her for every Christmas to come.
Hearing the specifics about her last relationship had made his heart heavy. He knew she was leery of starting another long distance relationship, and he couldn’t blame her. They often didn’t last. But he was certain he would find a way to make it work, even if he had to commute to Charles Town every weekend, maybe even in the middle of the week. Regardless of whether or not he decided to take over the farm, he’d still have to go back to work at the firm for at least another year. It wouldn’t be that long, would it? Hopefully, he could spend the next few weeks solidifying their relationship so that by the time he had to go back, Delaney would be just as enthralled with him as he was with her—if that were possible. He did know for sure that when he’d kissed her, he’d felt electric tingles like he’d never felt before, and when he glanced down at her smiling face, she seemed to be feeling it, too.