Chapter 12
TWELVE
WILLOW
T wo days later…
“Tell me again why you’re throwing an ugly Christmas sweater party?” I was kneading the stollen bread. “Why can’t it be a Christmas party, minus the ugly sweater?”
“Because.” Anika grabbed an empty sheet pan off the rolling rack.
“Because why?” I knew I sounded like a two-year-old, but I was curious.
“Because they’re so much fun.” Molly stepped into the kitchen, holding a bowl of lemons. “If everyone plays fair, the sweaters are so ugly and hilarious.”
“Do the clothing stores here carry some ugly sweaters?” We only had a few clothing stores in town. You had to drive up to Traverse City or order online to do extensive shopping.
“They do, but not enough.” Molly grabbed a Microplane and zested the lemons. “If people show up to the party wearing the same sweater, we usually find out they shopped at the local stores.”
“When’s the party?” I set the bowl of dough in the proofer.
“Next weekend.” Anika stepped up beside me and bumped her hip against mine. “You’re not trying bail already, are you?”
“Well, it did cross my mind.” I made sure to look at her when I rolled my eyes. “Actually, I’m thinking about ordering something online.”
“What? Why?” Molly tapped the Microplane on the side of the bowl. “Shopping during the holidays is the best part of the season.”
“For you.” Whenever I thought about Christmas or decorating, I was taken back to a time when I was with my family. There was nothing happy about those memories. “But don’t worry, I’ll find a sweater before the big day.”
Molly made a tsking sound and stepped closer to me. “Okay, I’m about to talk about things you hate to discuss.”
“Um, okay.” I knew she meant my family.
“I’m getting the vibe you’re not into the holiday season.” She moved loose flour around the prep table with her index finger. “Does that mean you don’t decorate, too?”
Anika sat down beside us on the little stool. “Wait, is that true?”
I let out a heavy sigh and leaned my hip against the table. “The holiday season brings back a lot of bad memories for me.”
Molly reached for my hand. “I’m not going to dredge up the shitty stuff. All I will say is you keep saying this is the year of change. If that’s true, you should go out with a bang.”
Anika grabbed my other hand. “She’s not wrong. If you want to make serious changes, you should do something big for the holiday season.”
“Big?” I turned my head to the side, curious about what big meant.
“Big.” Molly lifted my hand and tugged me into the center of the room to spin me around. “So big, as in hanging lights and bulbs on a tree. Then, let your new fur babies attempt to destroy all the hard work. That big.” I stepped closer to her and dropped my forehead onto her shoulder. “Oh, sweetie.” She pulled me close and wrapped her arms around me.
“Willow,” Anika said and wrapped her body around me.
“This one is going to be hard,” I mumbled into Molly’s shoulder. “Andy was at my house the other day; we talked about how I should get a tree so his dog and my two crazy kids can enjoy it together.” They both stepped back. “What?”
“Andy was at your house?” Molly’s eyes went wide, and she glanced over at Anika.
“Yeah, why?”
“Andy, um, hasn’t been interested in a person of the opposite sex since his ex left. I love that he’s spending time with you.” Anika plopped back down on the stool. “Talk about big; that’s big.”
Our kiss popped into my mind.
“Why are you blushing?” Molly lightly pushed at my shoulder.
“We also may have kissed in the shed when trying to untangle the lights.” I grabbed another stool and sat down beside Anika. “It was…”
“Magical.” Molly grabbed a stool and sat right in front of us.
“Everything you dreamed of.” Anika sighed.
“No, but it was perfect.” I knew I was grinning ear to ear.
“Why am I sensing a but?” Molly laughed.
“He made things awkward afterward, which is why he was at my place with his dog, Sammy. He wanted to apologize, and the apology led to him meeting my new furry kids at my place.” I shrugged.
Anika grabbed Molly’s hand. “Um.”
“Yeah–” Molly shook Anika’s hand– “I know.”
“What?” I rolled my eyes.
“The way Andy’s ex left was awful.” Molly let go of Anika’s hand and ran up front. A minute later, Molly returned, holding a plate with lemon bars. “Here.” She set the plate on the prep table and sat on the stool. “All his close friends didn’t know if he would date again; that’s how bad things have been.”
“Oh.” I grabbed a lemon bar. “I knew about the ex but didn’t know all the details.” I took a bite. “Huh.” I rested my hand holding the lemon bar on my thigh. “Okay, you both need to help me with something.”
“Anything.” Molly squeezed my thigh.
“What she said.” Anika winked.
“I want to enjoy the holiday season for the first time, like truly feel it.” My chest tightened, and tears pricked the corner of my eyes. “Will you share everything you love about Christmas and help me to let go of the past with new traditions?” I said the word new, and a tear slid down my cheek.
Molly and Anika pulled me to the standing position and held me tight.
Molly leaned back a few inches. “We should start by getting you a tree.” She giggled. “Those two furry babies will go crazy, but that’s also the fun part of the holiday season.”
When the topic of Christmas started, I wanted to run and hide.
Now, I felt excited to discover new traditions and let go of the ugly memories.
Plus, if I put a tree up, maybe Andy and his dog, Sammy, would come over again.
“First, we need to find you an ugly Christmas sweater.” Molly placed her hand on Anika’s shoulder. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Road trip.” Anika hopped up and down.
Putting my finger on Crystal Shores was the best happy accident.
I burst out laughing. “Fine. Let’s do it.”