Who was she kidding? She’d already fallen.
Though the sky was dark, the streetlights shone, and the light spilling out of the shop windows cast a magical feeling over their stroll. Hanging from the lampposts were Santas, candy canes, and bells made from colored tinsel. Fairy lights and festive paint jobs brought display windows to life. Garlands laced with lights hung across the street, with wreaths dipping low in the center of each strand. “No wonder people from all over the world come here for Christmas. The only thing we’re missing is a reindeer farm.”
Micah steered her out of the way of a group of teenage boys who laughed and shoved one another. Typical behavior for teens hyped up on Christmas.
“Where would we put it?” he asked.
Charlotte giggled at his serious tone. “I’m sure we could find a spot.” The crowd parted, and she glimpsed a bright glow over the town center. “They’ve started carving!” She motioned with her cocoa cup toward where the majority of foot traffic headed.
“Let’s check it out.” Micah pressed forward, keeping her close to him. She loved that he knew how to lead a woman through a crowd. Just one more example of the gentleman under his gruff exterior. Although, the more time she spent with him, the less she saw what was on the outside and the more she fell in love with his heart.
The organizers had roped off sections for each contestant in the ice carving competition. In the middle of each spot stood a large piece of ice that would soon become a Christmas scene, person, or who knew what else was in the creative minds of the craftsmen and women.
The artists themselves had taken off several layers as they feverishly worked to finish their designs before the deadline. They had a week to complete their masterpieces, but many had full-time jobs and could only work in the evenings. Temporary floodlights extended their time since the sun went down about 4:30.
Hammers hitting picks and two chainsaws echoed in the breaks between Christmas songs pumped through the city’s sound system.
“Should we check it out?” Micah asked.
“It would be anti-Christmas not to.” Charlotte tugged him toward the group gathered around the first statue.
“Well, we can’t be anti-Christmas,” he lamented.
She began to understand that grumpy was part of his sense of humor. The slight smile on his lips was a testament to the fact that he enjoyed being here. So protesting was more of a tease than an expression of disinterest. Besides, he kept pace with her. If he didn’t want to go, he’d drag his feet.
They stepped up to the yellow vinyl braided rope and watched as a man she didn’t recognize consulted a notebook before chipping away at the left side of the block.
“What is it?” Micah asked out of the side of his mouth as if he were afraid he’d offend the carver by asking.
Charlotte tipped her head to the side and considered the hunk of ice with no recognizable outline. “I think it’s the Rock of Gibraltar.”
He turned quickly to see if she was serious. She tried to keep a straight face, but a small giggle escaped.
He rolled his eyes at her.
She leaned into him and explained, “They aren’t required to tell anyone what they’re sculpting, and several of these designers have been sketching ideas all year.”
His eyebrows climbed his forehead and disappeared under his stocking hat. It matched his tweed coat. She was in La-La Land over the look. The pop of red from his button-up shirt underneath was all too perfect, and she had difficulty not drolling over him.
“Really?” he asked, bringing her back to their conversation and out of her swooning moment.
She gulped. Had he glanced at her lips? “Um…. Yeah-er-yes.” Turning so she wasn’t tempted to stare at his mouth; she used her cup to point to Cash Diamonte. “He spent half of January sitting in a corner of my shop, coming up with idea after idea.” She glanced around. “In fact, all the carvers here have come in looking for inspiration at one time or another.”
Micah squeezed her hand. “They’re lucky to have a store in town dedicated to Christmas.”
Her chest warmed at his compliment. “I like to think so.” She sipped her cocoa, letting the minty chocolate warm her from the inside out. However, Micah did a pretty good job of that alone.
Micah nodded to the next carving. “That’s a unicorn serving tea to a squirrel.”
Charlotte spit her cocoa out in surprise. The sculpture was nowhere near done enough to make a guess.
Did he just make a joke?
On purpose?
Micah laughed, and she stared at him as if he was wrapped in tinsel. The sound was the most beautiful thing–intense and deep–it reached her on a level she had yet to experience. And the way his eyes danced mesmerized her.
It was also contagious, and soon she laughed too as she used her mitten to clean drops of chocolate off her chin. “Well, yeah. I mean, how could you not see it, right?”
