I was thirteen when that happened. And I wasn’t kidding about my toe being deformed. Violet was determined to get those cookies before me.
Violet slapped a hand over her face. “You are never going to let me live that down, are you?”
“Nope,” I laughed. “It makes me laugh thinking about it now. However, at the time, I wanted to kill you.”
She waved a hand in the air. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, we both know I’m bigger than you. You wouldn’t have stood a chance,” she teased as she walked over to the large mahogany desk where we kept the store computer and the cash register. And it was true, Violet was taller than me by four inches; she got her height from our father.
Violet grabbed her purse and tucked it under her arm. “All right, sis, I’m going upstairs to cook dinner. You want to join me?”
There was a studio apartment above the gallery where our parents lived when they first married. I always thought I’d be the one to move in there, but when my grandmother moved out of her house into the retirement home, I decided to buy it and live there instead. It worked out perfectly for my sister to take the apartment.
“Thanks, Vi,” I replied, shaking my head, “but I have leftover vegetable beef soup I need to eat. I don’t want to waste it.”
Violet pursed her lips and then smiled. “You suck. Iwasgoing to share the brownies I made last night with you, but never mind.”
“Rain check?” I asked, hating that I was going to be able to taste the yummy goodness.
Her brownies were always delicious because she’d put in extra chocolate chips. I didn’t want to miss out on them, but ithad been a long day of decorating, and I knew I wouldn’t get home until around midnight if I stayed. Violet and I had a way of losing track of time when we got to talking.
Violet winked. “A rain check is fine. I’ll even save you a brownie.”
My stomach rumbled with excitement at the thought.
“You’re the best,” I told her. She started up the stairs to her apartment while I made my way to the front door.
Before I could open the door, her voice and the sound of her rushing steps startled me. “Hey, wait!” she called out, grabbing my arm. She pointed out the window, where people were walking up and down the sidewalk. December was the busiest month for our town, and all the local business owners loved this time of year. If we had low sales in the summer, it wouldn’t matter; we made up for it at Christmas time.
“And what am I supposed to be looking at?” I questioned. “All I see are people.”
Violet kept her focus across the street and nodded, and I caught sight of someone I recognized. It was Ashley Akers, an old friend of mine from high school. We lost touch when we went to separate colleges, but I kept up with her on social media. She looked the same, with her golden blonde hair and fair skin, and now she was pregnant with her second child. Her husband looked over at her and smiled as they walked down the sidewalk with their three-year-old son, who had the same blonde hair as her.
“Isn’t that Ashley Akers?” Violet asked.
My lips pulled back into a smile, and I nodded. “It is. She looks fantastic.”
Violet sighed. “Yes, she does. I thought I’d be married right now with kids.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I stepped in front of her. “Youthought you’d be married? I’m older than you, little sis. I would give anything just to be engaged.”
I hadn’t been on a date in over two years. And even then, my luck sucked before that. The last guy I went out to dinner with only talked about himself. He probably didn’t even remember my name when the date was over. After that, I decided to concentrate on the gallery and put all my energy into it. But now, it made me wonder if that was a huge mistake. Most of the people I knew from high school had moved on to that next stage in life. And here I was . . . single and alone.
A pang of envy sparked in my gut, but I refused to let it grow. It was my choice to stop looking for love; the blame was on me.
Violet draped her arm over my shoulders and squeezed. “We have each other, Lydia,” she said, her voice soft. “It’s going to be the best Christmas ever.”
She was right. It didn’t matter if we were single or not. We had our family and the holidays; nothing was more perfect than Christmas in our quaint little town of Blowing Rock.
I looked at my sister and ruffled her dark hair. “You’re absolutely right.”
We said our goodbyes and Violet climbed the stairs and disappeared down the hallway at the top while I locked up the gallery’s front door. The air was brisk and smelled like balsam fir trees. I have never been able to get enough of that scent. From the first day of December to the New Year, I’d burn pine-scented candles in my house. Sometimes, I’d throw in a warm apple pie candle, but I preferred the Christmas tree scent over anything else.
My blue Honda Pilot was parked on the street in front of the gallery building, but I didn’t want to go home just yet. The lights were still on in the store next door - Trailblaze Adventures - which was owned by my best friend, Hailey, and her husband.They were hardcore nature explorers and wanted to make sure the community had everything they’d need if they decided to venture off into the unknown of the North Carolina mountains. Hailey and her husband also offered free food and advice to those starting on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, which was 1,175 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks. I loved to hike, but not enough to foot it across the whole state of North Carolina.
Hailey was with a customer and waved me inside, but I didn’t want to bother her. I waved back and smiled, mouthing the words,I’ll call you later,to her.
The wind whipped around me and I loved it. I pulled the scarf from my purse and wrapped it around my neck before sliding my hands into my warm wool coat. The sky had begun to turn dark, but you couldn’t tell with all the twinkling lights on every tree in town. It was truly a magical sight.
I hurried across the street to the park which had benches all around it, and a huge white gazebo smack dab in the middle. The gazebo was decorated from top to bottom in green garlands, red ribbons, and warm white lights.
