“Oh, right.” I returned my mind to the present. “Well, although we both want to find out our marital status, I feel like the Santa guy is the more urgent issue at hand because if we catch him before he hands out all the toys, we may be able to get most of our money back. What do you think?”
“Agreed.” Her words rushed, hinting she was still distraught about the money. She nodded behind me. “Maybe we should feed the dog before he gets hangry.”
“Yeah, um.” I considered the best way to do so. I didn’t have anything that could serve as a bowl, and I wasn’t sure why I didn’t think to buy one.Oh wait, I remember why! It was the shock of learning I was bankrupt!“Okay.” I let out a defeated sigh before opening my door again. Let’s walk down to the Christmas tree. We can make a little picnic for him.” A picnic for a dog sounded stupid, and I knew that, but I was so overwhelmed I didn’t have the mental space to care. I offered my hand to Charlotte when she got of the car, and the moment our fingers touched, I felt another zap in my heart. This time I blamed it on static electricity, and not the fact that I had been in love with her for years.
Denial would be my new defense.
With Charlotte back on the curb, I pushed the seat forward again, and reached for the dog food, realizing yet another thing I had forgotten at the store. “I knew there was a reason I didn’t have a pet, because clearly, I’m terrible at this.” I gave Charlotte an even stare and then tacked on, “We forgot a leash.”
She hiked a thumb over her shoulder back at the building. “Do you want me to run back in to grab one?”
“No,” I spit out firmly. “We can never go back there again.” My voice took a humored inflection. “The damage is too deep, and we must forever cut ties.”
She busted out laughing. I’m sure the stress had been mounting, and this was the tip of it, but seeing her smile and laugh made me finally feel at ease and I joined in, laughing until we both had tears in her eyes.
Charlotte’s lips were still curled when she finally managed to speak, “you have always had a flair for the dramatic.”
I didn’t have a leash, or dog skills, so I did what felt natural and patted my leg while making eye contact with the dog, “Here, Buddy.” Like a magic trick in a perfectly rehearsed show, he came right to me. At least one thing was working out in our favor today. Leaning back into the car one last time, I grabbed the dog food and motioned to the gazebo. “This way, Buddy.” I whistled, and he followed me again. Tearing off the top of the bag, I figured there was no harm in letting him eat right out of it. I set it on the ground, and he didn’t waste a moment burying his head into the pebbles, chomping away.
Inhaling the fresh air and scent of pine pitch, I took a moment to take in the nativity scene set up in the gazebo. A typical manger and shepherd thing was going on, but a few odd things stuck out. One: all the shepherds and animals wore Santa hats with price tags still attached. That was super odd . . . I stepped closer and spotted a small teddy bear in the crib with baby Jesus. Pursing my lips, I picked up the bear and turned it over in my hand. Mapleton General Store price tag was still intact. Odder. I looked back at the crib where the bear had been and found a card.
Okay . . . someone left baby Jesus a note. That’s cute.
Alright, I’m nosey. I picked up the note, unfolding it. Handwriting looked familiar. It looked a lot like Charlotte’s loopy letters. She was the only person who put loops on both ends of her capital Cs. It’s how she signed her name but carried that detail through to the rest of her writing. Oddest. I did a fast eye sweep, checking on Charlotte. She had plopped down next to the dog and seemed to enjoy watching him eat. I quickly turned my back so she couldn’t see the letter and I read on.
All I want for Christmas is to find my husband. And if you can’t do that this year, can you at least send a sign that I shouldn’t give up. A shooting star or
The note was ripped off mid-sentence, with the bottom half completely missing. It didn’t have a signature, but I had no doubt this was Charlotte's writing. We clearly had hit up this gazebo on our run last night. I quickly stuffed the note in my coat pocket, feeling my fingers bud up against the box I had been hiding while wishing Charlotte had wished forme.A deep yearning in my gut culminated into what felt like a sickness, niggling me that Charlotte would probablyneverwish for me. Some people would call it heartbreak, but it was more profound than that.
It was a serious case ofSehnsucht.That deep, sad yearning that makes you ill.
nine
Charlotte
Ididn’tevenbouncewhen I face splashed. So much for walking on the ice-frosted gazebo in heeled boots. It was above seasonal average temperatures, and the ice was melting, already accumulating a nice layer of water on top, making it slick. Lying on my stomach, the icy top layer of water seeped through my thin jacket, and my mind was screaming at me to get off the flipping ground! However my eyes were stuck on the barber pole down the block.
“Are you okay?” Nick hustled over, taking a knee next to me, so quick to wrap his strong arms around me, pulling me to my feet before I had time to get wetter. I held onto him even after I had found my footings, and a strange sensation washed through me. My body fit perfectly into a little Nick nook created by his hold on me. A perfect snuggery. A shudder shot through me. I had to resist resting my head against him and snuggling.
That would be weird.
We definitely didn’t do stuff like that!
No sir!
Instead, I straightened my back, and took a small step out of the embrace. “I’m fine,” I said, mostly to reassure myself. Wiggling my limbs, I did a mental inventory of my extremities to ensure everything was still functioning. Pleased with my findings, I took a deep breath and changed the subject. “So, the dog is fed. Still no sign of Santa, but I did notice a barber shop pole on the other side of this gazebo. Do you suppose that’s where you had your head shaved?”
He placed his palm on the side of his head and ran it down the back, hooking it on his neck as if checking for at least one patch left of hair. “It would have to be because I didn’t bring a clippers or anything that could get it this smooth and that’s the only place in town.” His eyes focused on the pole before he voiced what I had been thinking, “Maybe we should walk over there and see if they remember us?”
I was already pacing a step ahead of him up the street. It was like the dog had already become enmeshed in our little family, too, because we didn’t even have to ask him. He skirted along on our heels, happily letting his tongue hang out. My hip throbbed from where I had landed on it, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t ignore. At this point, it definitely was the least of my worries. With a mystery wedding, a maxed-out credit card, and a homeless dog all being at the top of my urgent fix-it list.
I shivered as I was chilly but not to the point past comfortable. In fact, if I hadn’t gotten damp from tobogganing on my belly, I don’t think I’d feel overly cold at all. The early afternoon air had notes of pine and hinted at forthcoming snowflakes. We passed the Main Street businesses, all decorated for Christmas, but with Mapleton it was more than just Christmas décor that created the ambiance. It was like this town was built for a Christmas postcard, with each building so quaint and perfect. It’s one of the many reasons I loved coming here this time of year. You’d have to be a real Scrooge not to feel the Christmas spirit in the air. Corny, yes, but even with the recent streak of bad luck and now my bum hip, there was something about this little town at Christmas. It made me think that anything was possible.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Nick’s low voice broke my concentration.
“Yeah. Totally.” I shrugged off his concern while continuing to stride forward.
“You’re walking with a bit of a limp.” Tilting his head a measure closer to me, he added, “Let me help you.”
