She snorted. “Andnowyou’re fishing. Did you see the way he looked at you after the switch-on?”
He flushed. “Maybe.”
“Maybe nothing,” she said. “He looked at you like you hung the damn lights. And you know he guards those like his life depends on it.”
He chuckled. “That’s oddly sweet.”
“It's Mapleford-sweet. Our specialty.”
Then he laughed out loud. “Wait a sec. Ididhang the damn lights.”
Aileen laughed her ass off.
He rubbed his palms on his jeans. “I don’t want this to end when Christmas does.”
I want to know if he loves me too.
Aileen’s eyes softened. “Then maybe it won’t.” She squeezed his wrist gently. “He’ll come back.”
Eli nodded, though the ache in his chest lingered.
“Where doyouthink he is?” he asked quietly.
Aileen wiped her hands on her apron. “I’m sure I have no idea, but knowing him the way I do, I’d bet it’s something big and important.” She cleared her throat. “And if you want to go to the Lighting of the Pines this evening, you’d better get your ass into gear. The early morning rush may be over, but the mid-morning one is due to start any second now, followed by the late-morning?—”
“Okay, okay, I get the message. It’s gonna be a busy day.”
Where are you, Noah?
The pine trees around Mapleford’s town square stood like cathedral spires, tall, ancient, and dusted with snow, their branches outlined in white bulbs that hadn’t been lit yet.
Eli stood with Aileen, the crowd pressing in around them. Everyone was bundled up, their breaths visible.
“The last lighting of the season,” Aileen murmured. “You know what? I think this one gets more people than the Christmas tree. Not sure why.”
“Everyone seems really jittery,” Eli remarked.
Aileen grinned. “You’rethe jittery one. It’s adorable.”
Of course he was. He’d lost count of how many people asked him where Noah was. When he’d commented on it to Aileen, she’d shrugged and replied that everyone knew he should have been at Eli’s side.
A small cluster of volunteers waved to him as they passed.
“Hey, Eli! Did you lose your shadow tonight?”
“Where’s Noah?”
“He’s never late to a lighting. He must be up to something.”
Eli tried to smile, but his heart was thrumming with the same question.
Where is Noah?
“Can I have some quiet, please?” Millie Bouchard stood on the small wooden stage at the foot of the Christmas tree. Silence fell, and she beamed in approval. “Now, I know you’re all expecting me to perform today’s switch-on, just like I’ve done for the last gazillion years…”
That earned her a ripple of laughter.
“But this year I’ve decided to let someone else do the honors.” She beckoned to someone in the crowd. “So help me welcome our new Fire Chief, Danny Rodriguez.”
