I smile back. “It is.”
Being DJ is more fun than I thought it would be, and I love seeing their expressions when I jump around from Beyoncé to Tom Petty to Nicki Minaj to Bon Jovi. Olivia and I sing at the top of our lungs. Judging by the boys’ muffled laughs, we must sound like drowning cats, but I don’t care.
I can’t help that Griffin pops into my head more times than I would like, but mostly I’m thinking this would have never happened in his truck. He only likes country music, and no one is allowed to mess with the dial.
By the time we get to Natchitoches, I’m actually looking forward to the rest of the date.
The festival takes place downtown, along the Cane River. Every building, light post, tree, and bush is covered in lights, and string after string hangs above the crowd, zigzagging down the street. There are also huge lighted pieces, like nutcracker soldiers and a Santa being pulled in a sleigh by a team of crawfish, lining the bank across the river.
“There are over three hundred thousand lights at the festival,” Seth murmurs in my ear. I believe it.
The streets are packed as we weave through the crowds, stopping at booths for candied pecans and hot meat pies. We pass under a banner showcasing the reigning Miss Merry Christmas, splendid in her bright red dress and crown. Christmas decorations cover every possible inch, and they are gaudy as hell but perfect at the same time.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket for the tenth time, so I take a quick peek at the screen while the guys play a basketball throw game.
I should have known it was Margot.
MARGOT:I’m dying to know how it’s going. I’m bored out of my mind. The moms are cleaning out every drawer in my house and I’m terrified my underwear is going to wind up in the silverware drawer.
ME:Maybe the moms think the thongs and the tongs belong together.
MARGOT:Ha. Ha. Seriously, how’s the date going???
I take a quick pic of Seth and send it to Margot. It’s a profile shot as he’s poised to shoot the basketball.
ME:It’s going good! He’s cute. And fun.
MARGOT:He’s hot! Have fun!
ME:Thanks!
When the boys are done with the game, Seth pulls me through the mass of human traffic. “We’ve got to do the Avalanche Slide!”
I look to where he’s pointing and do a double take. Off to the side is a huge structure covered in man-made snow. The temperature is chilly but nowhere near freezing, so I have no idea how the whole thing hasn’t turned into a pool of water. On top of the structure is a cartoon cutout of Frosty the Snowman.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I mumble, and Olivia gives me a horrified look. “What?” I ask her.
She looks up at the slide and back to me. “Are you seriously not going to try it?”
It’s Olivia’s face that gets me. It’s almost like she wants to throw inThe Sophie I used to know wouldn’t think twice…
So why am I hesitant?
I grab Seth’s hand. “Let’s do this.”
We race up the steps with Olivia and Drew close behind us. At the top, the guy working the event gives us each a round plastic platter and simple instructions: Sit on the disc and let it fly.
I touch the snow and it feels slushy, like it’s only a few degrees from melting completely. I’ve never been to the mountains, and the only snow I’ve ever seen before is the small dusting we get every other year or so that somehow manages to shut the South down.
Seth lines his platter up with mine and holds them in place.
“Are you ready?” he asks. He’s grinning from ear to ear. It feels good, being around someone who’s this excited to be with me. I don’t think I realized how much I missed that feeling until now.
“Yes! Let’s do this!”
We both scream the entire way down. It’s not a long ride—just enough to get my heart pumping. We slide into the rubber stoppers and fall over laughing.
Olivia and Drew crash into us, giggling like crazy. An attendant takes our platters, but no one seems concerned about getting up out of the fake snow.
