“That’s good. It’s nice to see businesses doing well during YuleFest,” Will said. “Clay told me that the B and B is completely sold out for the weekend.”
“What did you guys see today?” Char asked after she and Cee Cee placed their drink orders with Dani.
Tom and Will took turns relaying their day so far. Will ended by saying, “And now we’re here with you. Did you guys want to do something after we eat?”
“There’s a gingerbread contest going on. All the entries are on display in the Hawthorne Bank and Trust lobby. Cee Cee and I were thinking of going to check it out,” Char said. “Wanna join us?”
Tom looked at Will, who nodded. “Sure, that sounds like fun.”
“Okay,” Cee Cee said, picking up her menu. “Let’s order some food.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Will
Tom was already waitingoutside when Will pulled up. He slid into the passenger seat and leaned toward Will, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. “Good morning.”
“Same to you,” Will replied, pointing to two to-go cups in the console. “I stopped for coffee.”
“Thanks. Another cup is always welcome.”
“Did you have time for breakfast? We can stop somewhere if you want to get something to eat.”
“I’m good. Unless you need to get something,” Tom said.
“No, I ate with my mom before I left the house.” Will glanced over. “I figured I could park in the B and B parking lot, and we can start by walking down Main Street. See if anything looks interesting.”
“That works. Oh, and I got a text from Char just before I left the house. Cee Cee’s boss called her in to work this morning, seeing as they were so busy yesterday. But it won’t be for all day, so she promised to let me know when they could meet up with us.”
As they exited Will’s car, they saw Clay walking down the path from the front door of the guest house.
“Hi, guys,” he called out to them.
“Hey, Clay,” Will said. “What are you up to?”
“I’m meeting Finn at Cuppa Joe’s for breakfast,” Clay told them. “He’s working the gingerbread contest this afternoon, so we figured we’d spend some time together this morning.” Finn was a vice president at the bank where the contest was being held.
“We went to see all the entries last night,” Tom said. “There are some great ones for sure.” They walked together, continuing their conversation.
“I’ll walk over to the bank with Finn after we eat so I can take a look.”
“We may go back today,” Will said. “The aroma of gingerbread is amazing. I just wanna stand there and take it all in.”
“You should stop at the Cask and Larder,” Clay said, chuckling. “Finn told me that Mitch is selling gingerbread cookies this weekend along with hot cocoa and hot mulled cider.”
“Oh yeah. We’ll definitely stop there.”
“Okay, here’s my stop,” Clay said, veering off to Cuppa Joe’s door. “See you guys later.”
The guys continued along Main Street. “It’s so nice to see everything decorated for the holidays,” Will said. The town’s streetlamps were strung with boughs of evergreen and shiny burgundy bows. Each was festooned with a banner proclaiming Midwinter Magic: A Yuletide Festival that fluttered in the morning breeze. Many of the businesses continued the holiday decor with wreaths and lights. An occasional menorah or Kwanzaa candles in shop windows added to the festive displays, and even Earthen Roots, the holistic store in town, paid homageto the Winter Solstice in its window display. Hawthorne Bluff happily celebrated it all during YuleFest.
“It is,” Tom agreed. “The only thing I don’t like about it is that when it all comes down after New Year’s, everything looks so bare.”
“You’ve got a point there. So let’s just enjoy it while we can.”
They stopped in at the Cask and Larder where, as Clay had told them, there were gingerbread cookies and hot mulled cider for sale. So what if it wasn’t even lunchtime yet? Armed with their sugary treats, they turned the corner past the bank, where near the small park across from the beach, they spotted a rainbow-hued school bus.
“Look, there’s Hook’s Traveling Book Nook!” Will exclaimed. “Let’s go there.”
