Epilogue

epilogue

SYDNEY

Dennis is trying to play it cool while he sits at my kitchen table, flipping through a magazine while I clean. Not that I don’t think he’s capable of cleaning because he has been, but I’m trying to rile him up and it’s working. For the eighteenth time in five minutes, I see him refresh the Pictogram for Evergreen Lake so he can catch snippets of activities that he’s missing.

“What do you say we walk over to your house and start putting away some of the decorations?” I offer, folding up the rag I was using to dry the counter before tossing it in the direction of my laundry room. It lands with a thwap against the floor, and I have to try not to laugh as Dennis follows the trajectory of the fabric.

The look on his face is what can only be described as a brave face. It’s a little watery and a lot crestfallen. “We could do that.” He points at the rag. “Kinda defeats the purpose of cleaning, no?”

I wave my hand dismissively. “It’s not a big deal. Let me change. I think I got something on this and I don’t want to dirty your terrifying dancing and singing Santa. ”

“You sure you want to walk? We could take your car.”

I see right through him. Walking to his house would mean walking past the special last day of the festival. The one that he doesn’t think he’s going to.

“Yeah. I spent too many days cooped up. I want to get out and soak up the fresh air.”

Dennis reluctantly pushes up to his feet. “Go get changed, and we’ll go.”

I try to walk calmly into my bedroom, where my outfit is ready to go. I try to be as fast as I can, pulling my legwarmers up higher than they go so they cover my leggings. I shove a beanie into my hoodie pouch and then I slide back out with a big smile.

I’m the worst at secrets. This is the real reason I could never be a criminal. I’m trying not to bounce with excitement, excitement that Dennis is trying not to pout about.

“I know you hate Christmas, but usually I give myself until the Epiphany on January sixth to take down my decorations.” He’s full-on grumbling as we get closer and closer to the fairgrounds, where Christmas music and chatter are filtering to us even while we’re still blocks away.

“It’s really just the creepy Santa I want to put away. I’ll gladly stay overnight with you once he’s gone, but even Wishbone hates him.”

“It is an easier commute for you, and I own my house.” He casts a look in my direction out of the corner of his eye like I don’t see exactly what he’s trying to do.

“Oh, wow, look at you Mr. Homeowner.”

“That’s Deputy Homeowner, miss.”

I pinch his butt, which with gloves and his jeans is more like a poke. “That’s madam to you.”

“Are those the kinds of games you want to play, Miss Perkins?” He stops walking to lean close to kiss me .

I push up to my toes so I can reach his lips. “You know I like it better when you tie me up.”

There is a cough from an older man as he drops a bag of trash in his can next to his house. Too bad if he heard us, but I can see Dennis turning even pinker under the cold burn of exposure.

I take his hand and lead him on, going straight toward the festival.

“Sydney, could we take a different route? I’m trying to be respectful of your feelings here, but I think I deserve the same consideration.”

I stop dragging him so I can look at him. “You absolutely do, which is why we’re going to the festival. I want to see it all in the light of day with you by my side. I want to really get your love of Christmas. I think I’m ready to embrace your favorite holiday.”

With clumsy fingers, I pull down my coat’s zipper so I can whip out the green beanie I bought. Of course, calling it a beanie is a disservice to what it actually is. It’s practically a full ski mask, except it doesn’t protect my cheeks or neck. The green fabric fits just under my chin so my entire face is surrounded by the crocheted wreath.

I can’t decide if it’s amazing or terrifying, but it’s definitely artistic and totally can be both. There are even little lights that go along the edge of the wreath.

“I…” Dennis is at a complete loss of words, and who can blame him?

“I know. It’s silly, but I can’t make you smaller in our relationship. You love this holiday and I may not, but I want to. I want to experience the same joy you do when the holiday comes around. Making you diminish your feelings is only going to ruin what we have, and you matter more to me than my feelings about this holiday. So…” I raise my arms and drop them dramatically.

“I love you.” A smile is taking over his face as he says it, like it can’t be contained the way my love for him can’t be contained.

“I love you too. I draw the line at the frozen eggnog, but I will drink my weight in hot chocolate, and we need to eat cookies from Noah’s. I don’t want it to be like the first weekend for him.”

“If I have to buy him out of his stand just to make you smile, I will.”

“Unnecessary, but let’s get my public embarrassment over with.”

The town is even more crowded than before. Tourists who are still in town are laughing over hot drinks about being snowed in while kids are being yelled at for throwing snowballs. It’s the perfect kind of chaos that you want to see at a festival.

When I turn toward Noah’s booth, I’m pleased to see a crowd around him as he and Violet try to manage the demands being made of them.

In fact, everywhere I turn, it seems people have coupled up like animals headed for the ark. For some of them, it’s about damn time. When Mary sends a wink my way, I guess she’s thinking the same as me.

It’s a simple act, trying to show Dennis that I want to love the things he does just because of my feelings for him. He’s made it so easy to love him, I know I’ll get there with the holiday. He’s so accepting of every part of me. How could I not fall in love with all the things he loves?

The only thing missing from today is Wishbone, but knowing this was my plan, I didn’t want to keep her out in the cold unnecessarily .

As Dennis and I spend the day wandering and chatting with friends, I’m barely affected by the cold because I know there is nowhere else I would rather be than by his side.

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Ready for the next book in the Evergreen Lake: Under the Mistletoe series? Check out Sprinkle All The Way by Kayla Martin.

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