Page 108

“I want there to be limits,” Mr. Lenny said firmly. “I can’t sleep the entire month of December because of all the noise and the lights.”

“You could have talked to us about it first,” I said. “Or to anyone in the neighborhood.”

“I’ve tried,” Mr. Lenny said. “No one would listen.”

“So you stole our elf?”

He looked ashamed. “I didn’t mean to. One day, years ago, I kicked it in frustration. Broke it. I brought it back to my shed and was going to repair it, but instead it started a fight between your family and the Morenos.”

“Continued a fight,” I said. “My parents and Mr. Moreno were already at odds from other things that happened way back in high school.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“You should’ve said something,” I said.

“I know. I’m sorry. My wife loved the lights and music. But without her…”

He was lonely. Depressed. Was that why he could never bring himself to repair the elf? Give it back to us? Never did more to decorate his own house?

“And the snow globe?” I asked. “Why did you do that?”

His expression became one of confusion. “Did something happen to your snow globe?”

“You didn’t destroy it too?”

“I did not.” He pointed to the salt, then picked it up. “I’m sorry,” he said again.

I wanted to walk away and leave Mr. Lenny to fend for himself after this. But I knew that he had never meant for it to go this far. And I truly believed he didn’t want to take the lights away from our town.

“Don’t sue, Mr. Lenny. We can follow rules. We can turn lights off at a reasonable hour, turn down the music, enforce traffic better, not bring live animals.” I nodded across the street.

He let out a chuckle. “Those are pretty amazing.”

I smiled. “The town loves the lights. I love the lights. Don’t take away the magic of this town. Don’t take away Christmas.”

Chapter 38

I wasn’t sure if what I said to Mr. Lenny made any sort of a difference. After my plea, he just looked guilty but didn’t tell me he wasn’t going to sue. So I took the salt and finished shoveling his walk because it felt petty not to. And apparently he was the petty one around here. When I was finished, I left his shovel and salt on his front porch (maybe I was a little petty) and walked back across the street.

My eyes wandered to the Moreno yard. Ryan stood petting the nose of a reindeer. My heart skipped a beat. Harris was sitting on the edge of our yard, more still than I’d ever seen him, staring at the animals.

I wanted to run over to Ryan, tell him what I had just found at Mr. Lenny’s place, but I hesitated. Regardless of who had started this feud years ago, or continued it, our snow globe still sat in Ryan’s shed. I wasn’t sure what that meant.

“Do you want to see them?” At first I thought Ryan was talking to me, but I realized that he hadn’t noticed me. His question was for my brother, who immediately hopped up. Harris looked at the front door of our house and then took off running toward the reindeer.

“Be careful!” I called. “They’re animals. Be slow!”

That’s when Ryan saw me. His expression was unreadable.

I reached my yard, now standing where Harris had been. I wanted to go over to Ryan and the reindeer too, but my emotions were a mess, so I just stood there, watching. Ryan showed Harris where to pet the animals. My brother listened with a big smile on his face.

Ryan met my eyes. He nodded toward the reindeer and shrugged. An unexpected laugh bubbled out of my throat, which immediately made tears prick behind my eyes.

My body, without much conscious thought from me, took a step forward, toward him.

“Harris! Time to come inside!” Mom called from the porch, and I came to an abrupt halt.

“Do I have to?” Harris yelled.