Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

By the time the day of the fundraiser rolled around, the butterflies in Margo's stomach still hadn't stopped flapping around.

She felt giddy and light, floating on the happiness of having told Spencer that she loved him and hearing it in return, and it had infused everything she'd done. For the past few days, getting everything ready, she'd felt as if nothing could possibly go wrong, ever again.

It had been a long time since she'd felt that way.

The event center, where they'd set up for the fundraiser, was the most Christmas-y thing she'd ever done. But she had to admit, it was perfection. Nora had handled a lot of the decisions when it came to decorating, so of course, it was stunning, and Caroline had handled the behind-the-scenes, paperwork stuff that Margo found horribly boring and impossible to concentrate on. She'd put it all into motion, arranged and delegated and pieced it all together, which was her strong suit— doing instead of planning, which had worked out perfectly in this instance.

In fact, if anyone had asked her a month ago if she and her sisters would have been able to work together almost effortlessly on a project, especially one this big, she would have laughed in their face. But it had brought them closer together, instead of pushing them apart, the way she previously would have thought.

The outside of the event center was set up with the booths she'd arranged, a pancake station and build-your-own hot cocoa and hot apple cider bars, surrounding a big fire pit with Adirondack chairs assembled around it. Twinkling garlands were hung around the outside of the building, with a holly arch in front of the door, leading into the interior, where it smelled thickly of pine and glittered everywhere with lights.

The rafters were strung with lights, the fireplace at the far end decorated, complete with stockings hung, and the Christmas trees that everyone had decorated and entered were lined up on one side of the building, each with a small tag with the names of the person or family who had entered it. On the other side, there was a buffet table filled with food, a few tables with handmade crafts, as well as pies, jerky and other food items for sale, the proceeds of which would all be donated to go toward fixing the roof of The Mistletoe Inn.

Margo pressed a hand to her chest as she took it all in, overwhelmed by what everyone had done for her family. She had always known that Evergreen Hollow residents supposedly took care of each other, but she hadn't really believed in it, hadn't fully understood what it meant until right then. That her parents would be taken care of, supported, just the way they'd done for the community their whole lives. She had no doubt that this would be a success, and that, by the end of the evening, the roof would no longer be a worry.

The event center was filling up, everyone milling around to look at the trees, clutching mugs of cocoa and cider. Margo could hear the sound of kids outside, laughing and playing in the snow, and she thought wistfully of Nora's baby, who would be there with the family the following Christmas. A Christmas she would be in Evergreen Hollow to see, now that her plans had changed.

Spencer walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and she jumped a little, then relaxed back against him.

"Everyone is so excited," she said, feeling a hum of satisfaction at how clearly happy everyone was with the event.

The residents of Evergreen Hollow were all talking excitedly about which tree they thought would win, commenting on the different ornaments, browsing the tables. She could feel the hushed anticipation in the air as they waited for the appointed judges, Sabrina Burns from the Gazette and her husband, to go around and survey the trees, and announce who had won first, second, and third place.

Sabrina, with her puffy red hair and cat's eye glasses, finally walked to stand in front of the fireplace, her husband standing next to her in his khakis and sweater vest. "Third place," she said, drawing it out as she surveyed the excited crowd, "goes to the Stoker family tree."

Margo gasped, thrilled, and she heard Nora let out a small squeak of excitement next to her. Even Caroline had a broad smile on her face, and Jay was jumping up and down, clapping his hands.

"Second place," Sabrina continued, "goes to the fire department's tree."

Jay squealed again, clapping his hands. He had loved that tree in particular, Margo knew, even more than the Stoker tree. It had been spray-painted red, something he'd gotten to help with under Rhett's watchful eye and was fire-truck themed.

"Caroline and Dad won!" he enthused, and Margo laughed.

"Well, placed," Caroline said, but she was grinning, and so was Rhett.

"And first place…" Sabrina drew out the last word, adding extra emphasis, clearly thrilled to be the one presiding over the event. "Goes to the Kennedy's tree!"

Margo heard Bethany let out a squeak of glee, saw her kiss Leon enthusiastically before going up with Rhonda and the fire chief to collect their prizes. She'd seen Bethany's secret tree that morning when she'd brought it in, a ridiculously sparkly Grinch-themed tree, and she wasn't at all surprised that it had won. It had been a lot of fun, and absolutely over the top in the best way.

"I'm sorry your tree didn't place," she said, turning to look at Spencer, and he shrugged, a smile on his lips nonetheless.

"It's more than all right," he said. "After all," he added, looping an arm around her waist and bringing her in for a kiss, "I got the girl. That's the best prize." He tapped her nose with the tip of one finger, giving her a quick kiss there as well. "And the best Christmas present ever."

Margo went up on her tiptoes, kissing him again, the scent of pine and homemade pies and the crackling fireplace filling her senses, making her feel warm and cozy all the way through. "Want to get some cider?" she asked, and Spencer nodded.

"Of course I do."

They walked outside into the frigid afternoon, Spencer sweetly tucking her scarf in a little more closely around the collar of her coat, and headed over to the apple cider station. Margo ladled some into a mug, adding cinnamon and whipped cream, and turned to see Sabrina standing just behind her, in her bright green peacoat.

"I heard you might be staying in town," Sabrina said as Margo took a sip of her cider, and she stifled a smile. If anyone would have heard that particular tidbit of gossip, it would be Sabrina. She was sure that Sabrina had heard the rest too, about Spencer chewing Chris out in the middle of Rockridge Grill, but Sabrina tactfully didn't mention it. Not that Margo would have cared if she had.

"Yes," Margo said, nodding. "I'm going to be sticking around for a while."

"Well, unless you've found any other employment opportunities, I have an offer to make you." Sabrina beamed. "Your mother told me all about your degree in journalism, and that you're adept at photography too. What would you think of coming to work at the Gazette?"

Margo stared at her for a brief second, before nodding enthusiastically. "Yes!" she said quickly. "Absolutely. I would love that—thank you!"

"You can start on Monday, if you like?" Sabrina smiled. "We can get you set up in an office and go over everything, give you a tour and let you get settled in. Not as exciting as I'm sure you're used to, but we stay steady."

"That sounds great," Margo assured her. "Monday is perfect. I'll be there."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Spencer beaming at her, a smile wreathing his face from ear to ear. He stepped up next to her, squeezing her mittened hand as Sabrina walked away, and she could feel his support, how happy he was for her, how perfectly all of the pieces had fallen into place.

She would never have believed this was possible. It hadn't been all that long ago that it had felt like everything was falling apart. But now she felt happy and content, down to her bones, as if her life were better than it had ever been before. She had a new job, an amazing boyfriend, and her family close by for the first time in a long time. And just in time for Christmas.

It was all perfect.

It was the start of her new life.