“Like a lot, right?” she says as we wait in line for a Santa’s pizza cone.
“One per person!” Lydia announces loudly. “Hey, girls!” She hands us our steaming pizza cones. “Oh, Josie, I think Davy might have Aiden over for a sleepover tonight. Just wanted to let you know. You can drop him off with Travis if you don’t want him.”
Josie shrugs. “We won’t even notice.”
Lydia gives me a sympathetic look. “I heard my sister go off on you.”
“Yep, right on time.”
“She’s just gotten worse and worse. She and Damien got in a fight. He claims she’s cheating on him. She claims his mother is out to get her.” Lydia makes a face. “I had to listen to it for three hours last night. I literally can’t take it anymore. Travis wants me to call her therapist.”
“Good luck,” Josie says, dunking her stuffed-crust cheese stick into the gooey cheese-and-pepperoni dip. “Willow says she and the therapist are…” She mimes rolling her hips.
“Oh, great. She’s going to be insufferable when he dumps her.”
“Maybe his wife will take her out”—Josie snorts—“and we’ll have a wonderful Christmas after all.”
They both laugh.
“We shouldn’t joke about that, I guess.”
“Hey, we’ve created life, and we can take it away.”
“Amen.” Lydia pats her pregnant belly.
“Are you going to have gingerbread churros again this year?” Josie asks as we make our way through the excited crowd toward the huge Christmas tree.
It rivals the one at Rockefeller Center, and unlike that tree, this one gets bigger every year because it’s planted smack-dab in the center of the town square.
“Yeah, I’ll do them Friday.” I poke at my Santa’s pizza dip. “I’m so sick from the altercation with Taylor Grace, I can’t even eat. I don’t know if I can survive this Christmas season.”
“Yesss! You should use the churros as the opener for Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome.” She nudges me. “Might brighten up your holiday season. Can’t spell ‘stress relief’ without sex!”
Fedora is across the crowd, a head taller than everyone else, especially with that stupid hat. He even has a little paper in the band, like he’s a 1940s private eye or something.
Mayor Loring climbs up onto the makeshift stage to address the crowd. “Merry Christmas, everyone!”
Josie cheers and whoops for her sister-in-law.
I sigh and clap.
“Welcome to another season of the Harrogate Christmas Market, the biggest in the Northeast! As your mayor, I’m going to officially kick us off. Let’s light that Christmas tree.”
Ida, resident senior, owner of the general store, and one of the Christmas committee members, hands her an oversized decapitated Santa head.
“Now, to figure out who will do the honors, we’re going to hold our first raffle of the season.” She reaches into the head. “We want to showcase one of our Christmas market stalls.” She opens up the paper. “The Christmas tree lighter will be Stall Two-Forty-Four,” she announces.
Crap.
“Ooh, that’s you! That’s the Jingle Bites Café!” Josie whoops loudly and jumps and waves.
Taylor Grace rushes up to the stage, screaming, “That’s my café too!”
“Fine, Taylor Grace. You can do it.” I sigh and turn to leave.
“Why don’t you both push the button together?” Megan offers.
“I don’t want to push it anyway,” Taylor Grace crosses her arms, nose in the air.
