That’s what I love. Her compassion, her loyalty, the way she shows up. She’s real. And I am not going to let her go.
I meet her halfway. “Is everything okay?”
She shakes her head. “Sall’s brother’s job shut down today. He’s a construction contractor and his crew does a lot of the work in town. It’s always a little slower in winter. He may have to leave town to find work until spring. Last time he was in Albany for almost six months living in an SRO.”
“What is that?”
“Single Room Occupancy, like the old boarding houses. You get a single room to yourself but share everything else in the house. It’s not ideal but he can’t afford an apartment and there is no way to commute back and forth.”
“How soon will he have to leave?”
“He’ll start checking today and hopefully have something lined up for the first of the year. They have three little kids.”
“There’s nothing happening around here?”
“No one can afford to do stuff themselves, let alone pay someone.”
“You mentioned the Ice House and the old mansion on the outskirts.”
“A little over a year ago the roof partially collapsed on the Ice House that had the ice rink. Insurance refused to pay full replacement saying it hadn’t been maintained properly by the city. The city doesn’t have the rest of the money to fix it.”
“Do they still have the money?”
“They should.”
“How many jobs would repairing the rink create?”
“Several, I would think. Sall’s brother, Chad, would have a pretty good idea. He did one of the bids for the job. Plus, once it reopens, the people who worked there before could get their jobs back.”
“Let’s head back to the VA. We need to get the tree up. Can you get Sall’s brother’s number for me? I’d like to talk to him about the rink later. I might know someone willing to invest.”
Her eyes brighten with hope. “Really? That would mean everything to this town.”
CHAPTER 7
Wynter
We work for hours, and by the time we finally wrap up for the night, every strand of lights in the VA Hall is hung, the tree is standing tall, and all the decorations are sorted and laid out for tomorrow. It’s late, but Niko drives back to the cabin like he’s been making the trip his whole life.
One of the things I’ve learned about him is he’s focused, very organized, methodical, and surprisingly, kind of a perfectionist. He insisted on laying out all the decorations in quadrants so the tree would look perfectly balanced. I would have been much more chaotic, but I have to admit the end results will be gorgeous. And I’m convinced he enjoyed those stilts more than he let on. He’s already volunteered to do the top of the tree in the morning.
Tomorrow we finish the tree, put up the outdoor lights, inflate Santa and the sleigh, and set out the reindeer. The day after is for wrapping and labeling the children’s gifts. That’s the part that has my stomach in knots. What if I missed someone? What if there isn’t enough? One year the candy canes and chocolate bags ran short. I can still remember the looks on those kid’s faces.
“Wynter, what’s wrong? You’re breathing like you just ran a marathon.”
I blink and realize we’re already parked in the carport. “I—I need to make sure I ordered enough for the candy bags. I need to go through the lists again.”
I’m out of the car before he can answer. Inside, I shrug off my coat and boots, drop onto a stool at the counter, and open my laptop.
I hear Niko fussing in the kitchen, but I’m buried in spreadsheets and headcounts until a warm mug appears beside me and he gently lowers my screen so I can see his face across from me.
“Please, take a sip,” he says softly. “Talk to me. Something sent you into a panic. Let’s talk it through.”
“When we were little, Mom and Dad always brought us here for Christmas. At the end of the night, Santa and the Elves handed out bags with chocolates and peppermint sticks to all the kids.
“One year…they ran out. Some of the kids were turned away.” My voice cracks. “They didn’t understand. Santa knows everything—how could he forget them? The hurt on their faces…” I swallow hard. “I gave mine away, but it wasn’t enough. I can’t let that happen again, Niko. Not ever. No child can go away without a gift and a candy bag.”
“It’s alright,agápi mou”he murmurs.“We won’t let it happen. We’ll go through the list together.”
