“Don’t wiggle them too much,” Willow said. “They might fall off.”
“Zac used an entire tube of body paste to stick them in place. They aren’t going anywhere.”
“Will you be able to take them off before you go to bed?”
“I hope so.” With a senior board meeting tomorrow morning, the large, pointy ears needed to be gone before anyone else saw them.
He smiled at a woman dressed as Mrs. Claus. It was just as well most of the people walking along Main Street were wearing some kind of Christmas decoration or costume. At least he didn’t stand out like a sore thumb.
Looking above the heads of the people in front of him, he saw the towns’ Christmas tree. Decorated in bright lights and glittering, super-sized decorations, it was even more impressive than it was during the day.
Zac waited for them before pointing to a gap in the crowd. “We should stand here for the parade. It doesn’t look as though we’ll get a better view from anywhere else.”
Before another person stood in front of them, they moved closer to the road. As far as Peter was concerned, they couldn’t have chosen a better spot. Behind them, Sweet Treats was full of customers, all looking for the perfect Christmas candy.
Willow tapped someone on the shoulder and Barbara Terry turned around. It didn’t surprise Peter that he hadn’t recognized her. With a white angel costume keeping her warm, and her face partially covered by a fur-trimmed hat, she could have stepped out of the page of a fashion magazine. He glanced at the rest of her family, searching for Katie, but she wasn’t there.
Mabel sent him a friendly wave before moving toward him. “I like your hat and ears. What do you think of our Christmas events?”
Peter had seen the Facebook posts and newspaper articles about what was happening in Sapphire Bay in December. Even compared to New York City, it was a huge achievement. “This is the first event I’ve been to and, so far, I’m impressed. I was working when the town turned on the Christmas lights for the first time.”
“That’s a shame. We sang Christmas carols, roasted marshmallows, and gave everyone a cup of eggnog. But don’t worry, there’s plenty more for you to see and do. Tomorrow night, Pastor John is hosting the annual carol competition in the church. It starts at seven o’clock.”
Zac lifted Tiffany out of her stroller. “As well as the carols, Mabel’s organized a gingerbread competition. Coming in the top ten is a fiercely contested achievement.”
Peter eyes widened. “You entered?”
“Of course, I did,” Zac said without cracking a smile. “Some of the Christmas scenes from last year were amazing.”
“I took my entry into town this morning,” Willow added. “It doesn’t cost anything to listen to the carols or enter the competition, but we leave a bucket at the door for donations. All the money goes toward the Christmas Wish Program.”
Mabel turned her head toward the street. “That sounds like the high school band. The parade must have started.” After straightening the halo on her head, she gently rubbed Tiffany’s hand. “It only seems like yesterday that my girls were this age. Time goes by so fast.”
Peter had thought the same thing when he saw Tiffany. On his previous trip to Sapphire Bay, she was only four months old. In the last month she’d become more aware of what was going on around her. Her chubby cheeks often broke into smiles and her giggles filled the house with sunshine.
Thinking of sunshine made his eyes wander across the crowded street. He couldn’t see Katie anywhere so, before Mabel returned to her family, he asked if she knew where she was.
“She’ll be here in a few minutes,” Mabel replied with a gleam in her eyes.
Peter hoped she arrived before the band walked past them. For the last few days, all she’d talked about was the Santa parade. For her, it was a trip down memory lane, a chance to recapture some of the Christmas spirit that had disappeared when her grandma died, and an opportunity to reconnect with her family and friends.
And maybe, if he was lucky, tonight’s parade would create new memories that included him.
CHAPTER7
Katie couldn’t believe how well her two brothers-in-law and future brother-in-law were doing in the parade. It had taken more than a little arm-twisting to get Ethan, Wyatt, and Theo to dress as elves but, somehow, she’d managed to do it. In his defense, Theo probably had the best excuse not to be here. As a journalist and the only radio DJ in town, he felt a moral obligation to report on the news and not be part of it.
When she pointed out that being here tonight would give him first-hand experience of being a Christmas elfandunlimited access to Santa, his horror had turned to resignation. In hindsight, showing everyone the elf costumes before the parade, wasn’t a good idea. Her sisters thought the red and white striped stockings and cute green tunics would look adorable on their dearly beloveds. It was unfortunate the men in their lives didn’t share their enthusiasm.
Without a little bribery leading up to tonight, she doubted she would have had enough elves to hand out the candy.
As they waved and smiled at the people lining the sidewalk, Wyatt hurried back to the elf float. With more enthusiasm than he’d shown all night, he refilled his candy bucket. “You didn’t tell me this would be so much fun.”
Katie had to stop herself from saying, “I told you so.” Wyatt had been particularly vocal in his refusal to wear the elf costume. “You can thank me later,” she said as she refilled her own bucket.
Theo grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the sidewalk. “Quick. Your dad wants a photo of us.” Before she knew what was happening, Ethan and Wyatt stood beside them, all grinning into the lens of her dad’s cell phone.
Her mom was busy taking her own photos. It wasn’t often you were able to surprise her, but seeing her sons-in-law standing in elf costumes seemed to make her extremely happy.
