He nodded."Fair enough.Take a look at the estimate and let me know if you have any questions."
"How soon can you start?"I asked as he stepped through the doorway and into the hallway.
He smiled."Anytime.You're my first project."
"That's good."My heart rate picked up because I was hoping for a little bit of a reprieve.I'd seen him twice this week, and it made me feel raw.It brought up everything I'd tried to leave in the past.I pretended that the breakup hadn't upended my life and hadn't affected any of my relationships, but that wasn't true.
"Thanks for stopping by."It was nice that he'd come to clear the air, but it had only served to make me feel worse.
"Have a good night."
I waited for him to turn and walk down the hallway before I closed the door.I leaned against the door, relieved I was alone again.I didn't need to hear about how he didn't think about our relationship, other than to wish he'd broken things off sooner.
It hurt to know that I was so easy to walk away from.That I hadn't meant anything.I was harboring these silly feelings about him over the years, but he clearly didn't feel the same.
I poured myself a glass of water, needing to cool my dry throat.
Ford had this way of knocking me off my axis.I needed to calm down before Eve stopped by.
When she knocked, I felt like I was myself again.
I opened the door, and she walked in, her hands full.Her superpower was organization, and she did it with her phone and a tablet she took everywhere with her.
She dropped everything on the counter."I wanted to talk to you about our winter activities."
"Did you want something to drink before we get started?"I asked, hoping my voice sounded even.Did she know that Ford had stopped by?Did Aspen tell her?
"Water's fine," Eve said absentmindedly."Are you set up on the balcony?"
"The one facing the square."In the evenings, we liked to meet there to remind us what we were doing and to hopefully spark ideas for new programming.This was our first year doing this, and we didn't know what worked and what didn't.
The shop owners were more focused on their stores and weren't involved in the town events.We used them to draw people to the square, and hopefully they'd stay and shop or eat at a restaurant.It was trial and error, determining what would bring in more visitors but wouldn't deter shoppers from the stores themselves.
"I researched what was done last year and made a list."
I filled her glass, then followed her onto the balcony, closing the door to the apartment to keep the cold outside."You have one for me to look at?"
"I printed it for you."She handed me a spreadsheet.
There was a column for events, dates, and contacts for the town police and fire department.I didn't know what I'd do without her.
"We have the weekly holiday ball, which is nice for locals going on dates or the guests of the hotel.But I want to focus on the events that take place on Candy Cane Lane."She gestured at the town square.
I scanned the list."They did an official tree-lighting ceremony, even though it's lit year-round?"
"That tells you how popular it was, and don't forget not everyone knows it's a year-round kind of thing."
"It still feels weird to me."
"We'll schedule it for the first week of December.That's when the surrounding towns do the same."
"Do we want to compete with them, or should we do our own thing?"
"I don't think we should reinvent the wheel our first year.We can analyze the data in the new year, and see what we want to continue and what we want to change."
I nodded because that sounded reasonable.
Eve's phone buzzed."Clara's here.I asked her to stop by when she closed her shop.I was hoping she'd have some insight."
