“I’m about to throw my shoe at you.” I open the door.
“I’m kidding. I’m meeting Autumn in an hour for breakfast.”
“You two are weird,” I grumble as I thud down the steps into the quiet garage. Using the side door, I let myself out into the crisp autumn air, enjoying the scent of snow that lingers just out of reach. For the first time in my life, I can’t wait for snow.
Maybe even a blizzard.
Oh, how far the mighty have fallen. I mean me, how far I have fallen. It’s questionable.
I pick up my pace, passing what I’m pretty sure is every single resident setting up lights.
When I say everyone is out, I mean everyone is out. There are apartments above the diners and restaurants, even the sheriff’s department and post office, so people stand on roofs, tossing lights across the street to their neighbors across alleys and grass.
I almost stumble as I watch them string the lights, a wrinkle on my brow. It’s insane. They take Christmas lights to a whole new level here. I’m surprised they didn’t use an air cannon to string lights up on the mountain that overlooks the town.
I should have known. It isn’t like I wasn’t warned that the entire town banded together for Christmas, starting festivities on the first and lasting past the new year.
I stand outside the diner doors, watching and observing an entire town coming together for a holiday. It’s almost…magical. A month ago, I would have scoffed at that. But now? I don’t know, I’m just about buying into this Wonderland situation. There’s even a food truck decorated in lights parked down the street by the creek.
It’s strange and something I think people would only see in movies. I feel like I’m in Whoville, and if I glance to the top ofthat mountain, I’ll find the Grinch sneering down at us all with his little pup.
Shaking myself out of it, I open the doors. Darcy smiles by the counter, wiping away stray crumbs from one of the local teenagers, who’s making googly eyes at her.
Christian sits in the corner, facing me. His eyebrows are drawn together as he peers out the window, watching everyone milling about.
I pull out the chair across from him, the legs grinding against the tile floor.
He looks up at me, gripping a mug of coffee like his life depends on it.
“Hey.” He clears his throat, his eyes darting to Darcy as she brings me my usual mug of coffee. He waits for her to leave before continuing, “I didn’t know if you’d come.”
“Arlo pushed me out the door.” I sip the delicious brew, realizing I made a pot in Arlo’s apartment, and he kicked me out before I could drink any.
“You stink.”
“Still?” I groan. “I’ve gotten used to it.”
“It’s faint, but still there.” He nervously clears his throat again. “Look, I want to apologize.” He winces at that while I just sip my coffee and let him talk it out. “I should have said something sooner. There were a hundred different ways I could have handled that situation, and I think I chose the wrong one.”
“You think?” I raise a brow and scratch my chin.
“Look. I’ve known since Eric died that my parents wanted me to talk to you.” I swear the ceramic cup may shatter in his hands. His knuckles turn white as he uses it as a lifeline. “I’m sorry about that too.”
“Specify.”
“I should have shown up at the funeral. I don’t know if he told you, but we were slowly beginning to talk again, having lunches here and there.” Blowing out a breath, he sits back.
My throat closes up, and I’m not sure I can respond, but somehow, I do. “He didn’t tell me.”
“I asked him not to. He wanted to, of course, I just…” He runs his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t think you’d see me.”
“You didn’t try.”
“Neither did you,” he counters.
I swallow my retort. All the anger I have stored inside threatens to spill out, but that won’t help this situation. “You’re right,” I reply, my anger fading. Grief for my best friend rises after all these weeks, but also happiness that he and Christian mended their friendship. “I didn’t reach out, and I don’t know if I would have listened if you had.” I knock on the countertop. “But you could have reached out in a better way than coded texts.”
He winces again before nodding. “I see now why that would have seemed weird to you.”
