Mr. and Mrs. Mason sat inside it like they always did after their nightly walk. They were in their mideighties and still going strong. My grandparents on my mother’s side used to join them on their walks; they had all grown up together and were great friends. But when my grandfather passed five years ago, my grandmother refused to walk without him.
“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Mason,” I called, waving at them when they noticed me.
Mrs. Mason smiled wide and lifted a hand in the air. “Oh, hello, Lydia,” she hollered back, her voice raspy from old age. “Where you off to?”
I nodded toward the water fountain where all the out-of-towners liked to throw coins and make wishes. “Just taking awalk to the fountain, and then I’m going home to heat me up some soup.”
Still holding hands, Mr. and Mrs. Mason walked down the gazebo stairs, taking them slowly. They were both in matching red coats and red hats that hid their white hair. It was the first time I’d noticed Mr. Mason not walking as well as he used to.
They stopped in front of me, and a sad smile spread across Mrs. Mason’s face. “I visited your grandmother this morning. She seems to be happy. I know the holidays have been rough on her.”
Nodding, I gave her a reassuring smile. “They have been, but she’s getting through. I try to see her as much as I can.”
Mrs. Mason squeezed my arm lovingly. “When you see her next, give her our love again. I always say you can never have too much.”
“I will,” I promised.
They continued their way out of the park and onto the sidewalk. Their quaint little cottage was only a couple of blocks behind the gallery.
I turned back toward the fountain. There was a young lady who looked to be in her early twenties, wearing a navy-blue-and-orange University of Virginia sweatshirt, tossing a silver coin into the water. She closed her eyes, and I watched her lips move as she spoke silently. The wistful look on her face made me believe she was wishing for love or something along those lines.
When she opened her eyes, her attention jerked to me, and she laughed sheepishly. “Yeah, I know, I’m a hopeless romantic. I couldn’t resist making a wish.”
I held up my hands. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. I hope it comes true for you.”
She nodded and looked down at the water where she’d tossed her coin. “Me too.”
Her friends called out her name and she hurried off to join them. There were so many coins in the water, shimmering with the reflection of the fountain lights. They signified a ton of wishes, and it made me wonder if any of them had come true.
I sat on the fountain ledge just as a brisk wave of wind blew past me. Shivering, I pushed my hands into my pockets and held my breath until it passed. I loved the cold winter weather and wouldn’t trade our crazy mountain winds for any amount of summer heat.
I started to stand but then felt something in my pocket. Of course, when I pulled the object out, it was a bright, shiny nickel. I had no clue how it had gotten into my pocket. I stared at the coin and then at all the others in their resting spots in the fountain.
Was I seriously going to toss the coin in and make a wish?
A laugh escaped my lips at the absurdity. I’d lived in Blowing Rock my entire life and never fallen prey to the superstition of wishes.
Holding up the nickel, I took one last look at it and tossed it into the air, hearing it clink when it hit the water.
“Now for the wish,” I murmured as I closed my eyes.
In my mind, all I could see was myself alone at the fountain. I’d love to have someone by my side, someone I was in love with who’d walk hand in hand with me with through the park.
Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly and opened my eyes. “That’s what I want,” I confessed. “I want to find someone I can give my heart to and get theirs in return. I feel like I’ve been waiting a lifetime for that.”
Another gust of wind whipped around me, but it wasn’t cold; it felt warm, like a comforting embrace. It was the strangest thing, considering it was a chilly forty degrees outside.
After taking one last look at the fountain, I turned on my heel and headed back toward the gallery where my SUV was parkedout front on the street. I walked past Hailey’s store, and saw she was still with the same customer, so I waved again. Before hopping inside my car, I glanced at the fountain again. The lights in the park flickered as if they were winking at me, and another gust of warm air ruffled my hair.
I opened my car door and slid inside. “It’s official. I’m losing my mind. It’s a good thing Hailey didn’t see me toss that coin. She’d never let me live it down.”
I wanted to believe wishes could come true, but that wasn’t how life worked. It was going to take a Christmas miracle to get what I wanted.
2
LYDIA
The door to the gallery opened, and Hailey rushed inside, her red hair bouncing around her shoulders as she hurried over to me. She looked cute in her black sweater dress with little snowmen on it and red tights. It was funny because I was dressed in something similar except my dress was gray and I had on black tights.
