Chapter Seventeen

Eve

Hand in hand, we make our way through the crowd gathered in the middle of the square. The entire town is out tonight to see the big pine tree in the center of town be lit. Of course, it’s been on all month, but they also do a formal lighting on Christmas Eve. Plus, the choir will sing hymns, and we’re all encouraged to join in. Tomorrow, while the lights will remain on and the skating rink open for those who want to partake, the booths will all be shut down so everyone can spend time with their family and friends.

Spotting my mom over by the big oak tree, we head in her direction. I wave as soon as Dad notices our approach. “Merry Christmas Eve, pumpkin,” Dad greets with a kiss on my cheek and a warm hug.

“Merry Christmas Eve,” I boast, excited for tonight’s events. After the town square ceremony, many will head off to the Methodist church for their candlelight service, but not me. I’ll be heading home with John. We decided, since we have two big meals tomorrow with our families, we’d exchange gifts tonight under the glow of Christmas lights.

After hugging my mom and sister, we turn our attention to the stage in front of the pavilion. “Good evening, residents of Snowflake Falls,” Mayor Tom Watson says into the microphone. “I am happy to see so many smiling, friendly faces tonight.

“We began the annual tradition of the Snowflake Falls Festival more than five decades ago. Our great festival has grown over the years, as has our fine town. From the Miss Snowflake Falls Pageant at the start of the month to the tree lighting ceremony tonight, we have come together as friends, family, and townsfolk to celebrate the season. I hope you’ve all enjoyed the festivities so many have spent countless hours planning and executing, and I’m certain next year’s festival will be bigger and better than before. Please join me in giving a hearty round of applause to those folks who make this event happen.”

The crowd erupts into cheers and celebration. The moment it starts to quiet down, the mayor continues, “Tonight, we celebrate the season. I’m honored to be standing here as your mayor, to help with the annual lighting of the Snowflake Falls Christmas Tree. Miss Snowflake Falls,” he says, as the winner from this year’s pageant steps forward, a blinding smile on her face.

“Merry Christmas, Snowflake Falls,” he says as he and the princess pull down a lever that lights up the tree. Bright colors of red, yellow, blue, and green fill the night sky as we all applaud once more.

“Warm enough?” John asks, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me close.

“I am now,” I tell him, snaking my own arm around his waist.

Leaflets and battery-operated candlesticks are passed out as the choir takes their places on the stage. Goosebumps pepper my skin, but it has nothing to do with the temperature. There’s something magical about the entire town gathering to sing Christmas carols together beneath the starry sky and the glow of twinkling lights.

We start off singing “Jingle Bells” and follow it up with “Deck the Halls.” After finishing “Silent Night,” we round out the evening with “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” When the singing has ended, we all turn in our candles and start dispersing.

“We will see you both tomorrow?” Mom asks, even though she knows she will.

“Yes, we should be there around ten thirty or so,” I tell her. Mom will have a small spread of appetizers before the turkey meal is served around noon. Then, after we eat, we’ll open gifts and watch holiday movies for the rest of the afternoon.

But this year, I’ll be leaving a little earlier than normal to go to John’s mom’s house. I attended Christmas dinner with her one other time, our senior year of high school, and if I’m being honest, I’m excited to do it again. Patti and Glenda are amazing women, and I look forward to a little low-key family time that doesn’t include finding me hiding naked in the bathroom.

“Wanna grab some cocoa for the walk back?” John asks after my family leaves.

“Love some,” I reply, noticing the line. “Oh, but that line,” I add with a groan.

“It’ll move fast. Most of those people will be heading to the candlelight church service soon. Plus, we don’t have anything pressing to get back to, right?”

“Nope,” I agree, taking his offered hand and walking over toward the line.

Since they’re only serving cocoa and coffee tonight, it does move rather quickly. I’m standing beside John, my head leaning against his arm, when I hear a sniffle behind me. On instinct, I turn around, surprised to find Roxie there. Her eyes are glassy and her nose red. She doesn’t appear sick as much as she looks like she’s been crying.

“Hey, Roxie, are you all right?” I ask, turning around and giving her my full attention.

She lifts her shoulders, her whole body radiating sadness. “I guess.” She eyes John, as if she doesn’t want to say anything in front of him.

Stepping closer, I place a gentle hand on her arm. “Do you need to talk?”

At my question, she promptly bursts into tears. I guide her away from the crowd, glancing back at a helpless John. I hold up my fingers, indicating three, and he instantly realizes what I’m saying. He stays in line, while I take Roxie away from the line so we can talk in private.

“Are you sick? Someone in your family?” Even as I ask the questions, something niggles in the back of my mind, and I feel like I already know the answer.

She huffs out a deep breath. “Andrew cheated on me!”

Yep. That’s what I was afraid of.

“Oh, Roxie,” I start, giving her arm a gentle, supportive squeeze.

She swipes angrily at her tears and blinks hard to push them away. “You’re probably thinking I’m a stupid girl.”

“No, I wouldn’t think that,” I tell her, even though I did always wonder why she’d want to date a man who was engaged and cheated on his fiancée.

She barks a humorless laugh. “It’s okay, you can say it. I’m a stupid girl.” She sniffles hard. “I heard the rumors, you know? About you and him, but when I asked him what happened, he insisted the rumors weren’t true. He said you two broke up because you didn’t like dogs.” Again, she gives me a humorless snort of laughter.

“Umm, okay. First off, I don’t mind dogs, even though I’m more of a cat person. But as far as the rumors go, I can tell you he cheated on me with the former administrative assistant at the funeral home. She was several years older than we were, married, and had kids. She was prepared to leave her husband for Andrew, but when he told her they were just having fun, she blew the whistle on their affair. We were a month out from the wedding when she came to me and told me all the dirty details.”

Roxie whimpers. “I’m so sorry he did that to you. And look at me, flaunting my new boyfriend in your face, when he was the biggest jerk on the planet and cheated on you.”

I shrug. “My past with Andrew wasn’t going to affect your employment at the salon. That wouldn’t have been fair to you at all, and even though it was a little uncomfortable at times when he was there, I assure you, I was never upset with you.”

Sniffling, she grumbles, “I’m still stupid for not listening to the rumors.”

“Give yourself a little grace. I never listen to rumors either, and to be honest, if the guy I was dating told me it was one thing, I probably would have believed him too.”

She meets my gaze, exhaustion filling her eyes. “What did he say? When you confronted him?”

“He didn’t deny it, which is how I knew the other woman was telling the truth. He basically told me it was just a thing . Like it was no big deal. I think that hurt more than anything. He apologized, but not right away, and he still wanted to get married after that.”

“I hope you kicked him in the Christmas cookies and told him to skip rocks.”

I can’t help but giggle. “Something like that.”

Roxie takes a deep breath. “And look at you now. Dating that super hottie guy who looks at you like you’ve hung the moon and the stars. I bet he’s not even close to the jerk Andrew said he was.”

Shaking my head, I confirm, “Nope, he’s definitely not a jerk. He’s pretty fantastic, actually.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

“Sorry to interrupt, ladies, but I thought you could both use a cocoa,” John says, stepping in and offering both Roxie and me a cup of steaming deliciousness.

“Thank you,” Roxie mumbles, taking a small sip. “Well, I will let you both get on with your Christmas Eve. I’m sorry I dumped all my problems on you like this.”

I wave off her concern. “Don’t be. We’re co-workers, but we also have a kinship. We’re the two founding members of the I Hate Andrew Detweiler Club.”

She gives me another sad smile. “We’ll get T-shirts.”

Chuckling, I reply, “Sounds good.” After a pause, I ask, “Do you have somewhere to spend Christmas?”

She exhales slowly. “Yeah. I’m going to my parents’ house tomorrow. I was supposed to go to the Detweilers, but there’s no way I’m showing up now. God, what a mess. Mrs. Detweiler isn’t exactly the nicest woman. I was just so grateful to be on her good side for a while. Now, she’ll probably say nasty things about me, like she does you.” Her eyes widen and her face pales. Clearly, she didn’t mean to say that.

“It’s all right. I have thick skin and can handle Emelia Detweiler. Besides, I know I didn’t cause the demise of our relationship and her embarrassment, as she claimed I did. It was all on Andrew, as it is in your situation now.”

She takes a deep, shuddering breath. “You’re right. And when she calls me— if she calls me, that is— to schedule a hair appointment, I’ll advise her to find someone else.”

I give her a big smile. “Good girl.”

“Thank you for this,” she says, holding up her cocoa and glancing toward John. “How much do I owe you?"

“It’s my treat, Roxie.”

“Thanks again,” she whispers, turning to walk away. “See you on Tuesday?” she asks.

“I’ll be there,” I respond, since the salon reopens from the holidays the day after Christmas. “Merry Christmas, Roxie.”

“Merry Christmas, Eve.”

John carefully pulls me into his arms and takes a sip of his own hot cocoa. “I take it Andrew fucked up again?”

“Oh yeah. She didn’t say who, but he cheated.”

John sighs. “Well, a zebra doesn’t change its stripes.”

“I know.” After a few moments, I ask, “Ready to head back and open presents?”

A big grin spreads across his lips. “I’m ready.”

We walk back to our street, enjoying the cocoa and chatting, but my mind keeps returning to Roxie and Andrew. I feel terrible she got hurt, especially since I know a little bit about being cheated on. Maybe, over time, she’ll find the right person she’s supposed to be with too.

Perhaps she’ll find her own John.

He pauses when we reach the sidewalk that goes to his front door. “Do you mind if I bring Biggie over? I know you’re worried about him and Miss Snowflake, but, well, she can’t get more pregnant than she already is.” His cheeks turn a crimson shade of red.

“Umm, I suppose that would be all right,” I tell him.

“Go ahead and head to your place. I’ll put him in a cat carrier and be over in a few minutes.”

“Okay.”

When I reach my house, I slip off my winter attire and shove my feet into a pair of slippers. I make sure all the Christmas lights are on and turn the television to a glowing fireplace backdrop. It may not be as good as having an actual fireplace in my living room, but this works too. Then, I flip on some Christmas music and prepare to open gifts.

A few minutes later, John arrives. He doesn’t knock on the door, just pushes it open and slips inside quickly. He places the cat carrier on the floor, then takes a moment to remove his boots. Miss Snowflake runs into the room and shoves her nose into the grates of the carrier. She lets out a loud meow, while Biggie voices his own displeasure at being kept inside.

“Okay, okay, hold your horses,” John says, releasing the latch on the top of the carrier and gently pulling his cat out. As soon as he’s on the floor, he nuzzles into Miss Snowflake’s neck and audibly purrs. Then, they run off, making their way down the hallway to my bedroom.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.” I barely get the words out and I hear Miss Snowflake start to meow loudly. My eyes narrow at John, who’s giving me a big, sheepish grin.

“Like I said, she can’t get any more pregnant than she already is.”

I sigh and mutter, “They’re probably doing it on my Christmas quilt again.”

“That’s a very good possibility,” he deduces. “Come on, let’s grab a quick bite to eat and then we can open presents.”

I pull my gifts for John out from behind the tree and place them in front of him. He does the same, having brought over his gifts earlier this morning and slipping them beneath the tree.

“You first,” I insist, all but jumping up and down and clapping my hands. Watching people open the gifts I purchased is one of the highlights of the whole experience.

“Fine, but only because I know you’ll fight me on it,” he replies, reaching for one of the small gifts.

“Wait, open this one first,” I blurt out, grabbing the largest of the five boxes.

He tears into the paper and lifts the lid on the box. Slowly, he pulls out the quilt I had made by Mrs. Canterbury in town. She makes the most exquisite quilts, including several I have in my own closet…and the one the frisky cats keep doing it on.

John stands up and opens the folded blanket so he can see the design. “Eve,” he starts, his voice hoarse.

“I had to do a little research on the colors. The thin white line on the blue symbolizes emergency services, and the green line for military. I know you just joined the fire department, but I had her add that too, and the Star of Life, well, you know.” My own voice trails off, and I feel a little silly trying to explain it to him. I’m sure he’s well aware of the different symbols used.

He drops to his knees in front of me and reaches for my neck. Warm fingers touch my skin moments before he lowers his lips to mine. “Thank you. This is the best gift.”

“You’re welcome,” I tell him. “It should be large enough to use on your bed,” I add, like the awkward girl I am.

He grins. “Or your bed…”

I shrug. “Maybe someday.”

“Definitely someday.” He places another kiss to my lips, and we continue to unwrap our gifts.

He opens a hoodie, a new backpack with his name on it for work, a burnt wood American flag wall hanging for his house—since he still doesn’t have much of anything on his walls—and a new bottle of cologne.

When it’s my turn, I find a gorgeous new sweater in a pearl white color, some fluffy snowflake socks, a gift certificate to the beauty company I use for hair products and supplies, and a pair of stunning pearl earrings with dangly little snowflakes. “These are breathtaking, thank you,” I tell him, running my fingers across the earrings.

“You’re welcome. But I have two more gifts.”

He hands me the smaller of the two boxes first. I gently unwrap the paper, smiling at the contrast to how I open gifts versus John, and lift the box. A gasp falls from my lips as I carefully pull out the snow globe. Through tear-filled eyes, I gaze down at the scene within. There’s a Ferris wheel, carousel, and large tree in the middle. But what really catches my attention is the woman pulling a sled with a tree on it, and I know instantly, this scene represents me.

“How?” I ask, that single word getting lodged in my throat as I meet his gaze.

“I had it made by a company in Canada. I really wanted the Tilt-A-Whirl, but they didn’t have that ride,” he says with a chuckle.

I give it a shake, watching as the snow slowly falls in the small glass bowl. “It’s beautiful. And perfect. Thank you,” I tell him, moving his way to give him a kiss.

“You’re welcome.” He grabs the larger box and slides it toward me. “Now, this one isn’t really for you. It’s more for Miss Snowflake.”

My eyebrows pull together in confusion as I lift the lid on the standard brown box. I stare down at the contents and laugh. Inside, there are five small collars, a bag of dry kitten food, some canned kitten food, potty pads, a few small plastic balls with bells inside, and an old blanket folded across the bottom. “I can’t believe you got this stuff,” I say, grinning from ear to ear.

John shrugs. “I’m being a good cat dad, or would I be a grandpa? I guess Biggie is the dad, right?”

Setting the box aside, I throw myself onto his lap and into his waiting arms. “I love you.”

“I love you more,” he says, nuzzling my ear before claiming my lips with his own.

When we come up for air, I whisper, “Thank you.”

“For what?” he asks.

“For making my Christmas dream come true. I’ve been waiting to share it with someone special. I just never realized that someone special I was waiting on was you.”

He pulls me tightly into his arms, squeezing the air from my lungs. “The best thing to happen to me was the day I moved home and next door to a feisty woman, pissed off at my cat.”

I giggle against his chest. “Or what about the coffee mix-up?”

“And the mail,” he adds, smiling.

“I’m still mad about the pizza,” I grumble, making him laugh.

“But my favorite mix-up of all was the letter from the hospital.”

Ariel’s words come back to me. “A merry little mix-up.”

“Yes, it was,” he agrees, holding me close as we gaze up at the tree.

Everything from the twinkle lights to the garland and the presents underneath help make the season bright. But the ones you spend it with truly make the holidays special, and being wrapped in John’s strong arms on Christmas Eve truly is the greatest gift of all.

And we both have a series of mix-ups to thank for it.