Georgia felt her eyes roll to the back of her head, but Lake went on, unbothered. “I’m here indefinitely. So, I’m sure I’ll be seein’ y’all around. I was just stopping in for my first hot chocolate of the season and was pleasantly surprised to find Georgia here, behind your register.”
Georgia sneered. “Hot chocolate? It’s a thousand degrees outside.”
“And you just served three hot beverages with a big ol’ Southern smile to the people before me.”
“Coffee. I served coffee and tea.”
“What’s the difference?” he asked. “I like hot chocolate. It’s sweet.”
“The difference is, Lakeland, Ilikedthose three customers.”
Georgia had almost forgotten her family was bearing witness to the volleying before them until her mother jumped in like she might die of embarrassment at her daughter’s words.
“Georgia Snow!”
She grabbed Lake’s bulging bicep (could he not afford a bigger shirt?!) and looked into his eyes apologetically. “I am so sorry, Lakeland. I don’t know what has overcome my daughter, but we are delighted you’re here, and your hot chocolate is on the house. Isn’t that right?” she asked Georgia pointedly.
“Sooooo delighted,” she managed to say. Georgia could admit to herself, she was ashamed at how quickly she’d let Lake disgruntle her. “Sorry, Lake. It’s been a long day. I’ll… I’ll get right on that hot chocolate.”
She escaped the prying eyes of her family and steamed hot chocolate as quickly as she could, with their continued praises for Lake’s blessed appearance in Sugartree and in their store dominating the conversation behind her. Dakota greeted a new influx of customers, and her parents excused themselves from Lake to be of use elsewhere. Georgia offered him his drink and a chocolate chip cookie as a peace offering.
“On the house, as promised. And, I’m sorry, again… for before.”
His fingers brushed hers slightly as the cup and cookie passed from her hand, and Lakeland Lovett looked her in the eyes with all the charm and intent she’d seen from him as a teenager. “No problem, Peaches. I’m sure I’ll be seein’ ya again real soon.”
As he walked away, leaving Georgia stunned and confused, he greeted her returning sister at the door, holding it open for her as she fumbled with boxes of barbecue. “Hey, Caroline. It’s great to see you.”
“Oh. Hellllooooo,” Caroline sang out like she was in a gospel choir. “And it isgreatto see you, Lake.” She slid past him in the doorway and then turned, aghast, when the door shut behind her. Her mouth hung open wide. “Oh,SNOWway!!! Did Christmas come early or what?! That man is a gift!”
Georgia rested her forehead on the counter. “Sleighme, now.”
WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME
HANSON
THEN
“Ya knowhow Cindy was dating Brant?” Georgia’s best friend, Blaire, had been chatting without pause, or any input from others, for a while. She rarely seemed to come up for air when deep in the throes of a juicy story.
“Well, I heard she broke up with him last weekend when she was visitin’ her grandparents’ winter home in Tampa, and now she’s moved on to Derek. Derek Jones! More like Derek ‘Tall, dark, and handsome’, but that’s beside the point.” Blaire took a quick sip of her latte, only savoring it for a moment before diving back into her daily round of afternoon gossip. “And that isn’t even the craziest part…”
“Woah. Woah, there,” Ryan interrupted, placing a hand with mock concern on her arm. “Slow down, Blaire. Breathe. This news isn’t going anywhere. Don’t waste that precious life force in your cup on account of Cindy’s scandalous dating life.”
Georgia smiled wide at her best friends from behind the counter of her parent’s coffee shop.
She remembered how daunting it had felt to walk into Sugartree High School for the first time. Another move she’d been all too familiar with, but different as it would be her last move with her family. Nerves had racked her body the entire morning leading up to her first day, but then she’d run into two fellow sophomores bickering in an otherwise empty hallway.
“You were the one who had to go to the bathroom, Blaire!” Ryan had rolled his eyes as Blaire slammed a dramatic punch into his arm and looked over her shoulder at Georgia, frozen in the hall.
“Thanks for announcing it to the entire universe, Ryan!”
Ryan followed her gaze, addressing Georgia directly. “Oh, hey there. She needed a lookout to do business… alone, ya know? She always does.” Blaire huffed, but he continued, “You won’t tell anyone, right?”
Georgia bit her lip, attempting to hold back a smile and shook her head. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” she’d said, and introduced herself.
The three had been inseparable ever since.
When they’d discovered Georgia’s parents had recently renovated the old train stop into a booming coffee shop, her friends had claimed it as their afternoon hangout spot, keeping Georgia company on days she had a shift after school, and giving her a sense of belonging she’d always wanted. Just like that, Blair and Ryan had instantly folded her into their tight circle as if she’d been there all along.
