“Here we go.” Charlotte reappeared with a printed statement.
Valerie didn’t look at the total before handing over her credit card. Money wasn’t an issue when it came to the dream Christmas she was trying to create.
“Where did you get frosting?” Ethan asked as he wiped at Collin’s chin.
“Aunt Charlotte gave me a cinnamon roll.” He grinned, having totally forgotten that it was supposed to be a secret.
Aunt? Aunt! Valerie’s heart lifted so high she had a hard time breathing. Charlotte as an aunt, would be a very good thing.
Charlotte giggled as she coughed the word: traitor.
Ethan rolled his eyes. “You have no backbone.”
She lifted a shoulder. “Aunts aren’t supposed to have backbones. They’re supposed to have drawers full of goodies.” She reached under the counter and pulled out a peppermint, which she tossed to Collin.
“You two aren’t married?” Valerie blurted as she pointed back and forth between the two of them. She felt something strange inside of her: hope. Though she had no reason to believe Ethan, the electrician, was single– she’d noticed that he didn’t have a ring.
Charlotte burst out laughing. “Not hardly.”
Ethan chuckled too. “She’s my brother-in-law’s sister. And if that’s not confusing enough, we grew up next door to one another. Didn’t I babysit you once?” he asked her.
Charlotte swiped under her eyes as she slowed down the laughter. “He’s like ancient.”
Ethan glared at her. “Thanks.”
With every bit of their friendly banter, Valerie’s heart lifted. They were not married. Still, she couldn’t rule out that a Mrs. Scrumptious was lurking in Moose Hollow. As much as she would have liked to invite him over for some hot chocolate, she didn’t want to step in where she wasn’t wanted. She’d spent the last three years navigating the orphan status and determining between pity invitations, schmoozers who wanted a piece of her family fortune, and the rare diamond of a true friend.
It was exhausting, to say the least.
Jumping back into all that, after working so hard to find a place for herself this holiday season, was not on the to-do list for today. She pretended to check the time on her phone. “I’m sorry, I have to run. It was nice meeting all of you.”
Ethan stepped toward her, his hand out as if he would stop her from leaving. At the last second, he checked himself and dropped his arm. “If you ever need an electrician, give me a call.”
She nodded. “Sure.” It wouldn’t happen. She was in town for one reason, and it wasn’t to fall in love with this guy and his adorable son.
After stopping at the bakery, where she bought way too many macaroons and just the right amount of cinnamon buns to last her a week’s worth of breakfasts, she drove up the mountain and into the gated community where her aunt and uncle’s house stood at the top, overlooking the valley.
She parked on the heated driveway, steam rising as it cleared the puddles. The camera scanned her face as she approached the porch, and the door swung open for her.
Tanya and Tucker, the two aged beagles she’d been hired to treat like royalty, trotted to meet her. They were long past the days of frolicking in the woods outside the house but still liked to walk the perimeter fences. She stopped to pet them before removing her coat and boots.
“You two keep the house safe?” she asked, rubbing Tanya’s forehead. The sweet dog leaned into her touch and thumped her back leg like a puppy. She’d never outgrown the habit. Tucker, ever the gentleman, waited his turn. When Valerie moved to him, he promptly rolled onto his back and exposed his belly for a scratch.
“You two are kooky. But I guess that’s to be expected around this place.” She made her way into the greeting room, where a sofa covered in dark leather sat atop a shag rug. In front of that was a cow-print, leather ottoman with dark wood and copper accents. The purposely weathered wood flooring was warm under her feet. Over the sofa hung a picture of her uncle’s cattle ranch in Texas, where he and her aunt had chosen to spend Christmas.
A country music producer, Uncle, was hosting a Christmas movie special featuring some of the hottest stars in country music–broadcast live from the ranch. It was supposed to be a White Christmas meets Garth Brooks special. Although, it was still up in the air if Garth would come. If he did show, it would be for the grand finale and a surprise for fans. Last she’d heard, his daughters hadn’t solidified their Christmas plans yet, and he was waiting to hear back from them.
She’d been invited, of course, but turned down the chance to rub elbows with her parents’ dear friends to spend this Christmas looking for a sense of magic. Since her parents died, it seemed like all the magic in the world went with them to heaven. If there was a time to recapture any of it, it was during the month of December. Auntie warned her that she couldn’t be in Moose Hollow and not experience the fullness of Christmas. After her jaunt on Main Street, Valerie believed her.
A kiss or two under the mistletoe would help bring that magic into her heart, and she knew just the electrician she’d like to find waiting for her. She closed her eyes and pictured Ethan in this space–her space. She dressed him in a green sweater and a dark pair of jeans. Talk about electric! The image shocked her into opening her eyes and mentally scolding herself. He’d offered his professional services–not his lips.
Laughing at herself for being so silly, she turned on the lights and hit the button to clear the fog off the wall of windows.
The mountain house continued on and on for room after room and floor after floor. Why two people needed all this space was beyond her. Okay, her uncle hosted parties and clients and people; the house was sort of necessary. However, the emptiness of it often overwhelmed Valerie. Of course, when her uncle was home, it overflowed with his personality as big as Texas, the state that raised him.
The doorbell rang–sounding like a dinner bell–and she hurried to the front of the house. Tanya and Tucker mosied over to their fluffy beds and flopped down. They didn’t care who came and went as long as there was food in their bowl at dinner time, and they were adequately greeted when family walked in the door.
She glanced out the sun window to the side of the door to see a stack of boxes with Christmas Shop labels on the side. “It’s time to bring Christmas to the house,” she said as she threw the door open wide.
