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Hope moves her hand to my mouth and presses her fingers to my lips so I can’t speak. “What if we don’t worry about any of that until we have to? What if we just enjoy the next few weeks and see what happens from there? One day at a time, remember?”
My lips pull into a smile behind her fingers. I take them in my hand and press my lips to her fingertips. My chest loosens, and I can breathe again.
With her hand still in mine, I wrap my arms tighter around her waist. She rests her head against my chest, and we rock back and forth on the edge of the dance floor while everyone else does the Electric Slide.
For the rest of the night, I’m able to put Mrs. Barton’s voice out of my head.
But the words she said keep circling in my brain, like sharks stalking prey, reminding me that Hope and Charly could suffer because of me.
Chapter 32
Hope
The next two weeks fly by too fast, but Seb and I make the most of every minute that we’re not working, or that I’m not spending with my parents, who are still here. Which, honestly, I don’t mind because Mom has been a huge help with Charly while I’ve been working so much.
Since Evie moved in with Adam after the wedding, Mom and Dad have been staying with me in the upstairs unit I used to share with Evie in the converted Victorian house. She and Adam are just downstairs, but we’re giving her lots of space with her new husband.
Mom and Dad wanted to stay to get to know Adam, see him perform, and see all the work I’ve done on Yulefest. Which is sweet, and at least Luke and Ashley went back to Kansas, so we’re not as crowded as we could be.
But there aren’t enough opportunities to kiss Seb when Mom and Dad are always around.
A lot of my work requires attending the Yulefest events to make sure they go as planned. So, whenever possible, and whenever we can shake my parents, Seb, Charly, and I attend the events together, just the three of us. Most of the time, though, we’re a party of five.
Luckily, after hearing me talk about it, Mom and Dad decided to check out the Mistletoe Inn for a couple nights. Which gave Seb and me some much-needed alone time last night, after Charly went to bed. Five minutes into a movie, I fell asleep on the couch, but at least we got a few kisses in before then.
Mom and Dad will be back tonight to see what I’ve done with the Jingle Ball and to hear Adam and Seb play, but until then, I get Seb and Charly to myself. Sort of. We’ll be with all the other people headed to the Christmas Market today. But while they’ll all be going for entertainment, I’m going for work.
So, yeah, Charly and Seb are going to work with me.
But Charly doesn’t know that. She’s thrilled with everything the minute we drive into the Litte Copenhagen.
Mother Nature has cooperated (depending on how you look at it) by sending half a foot of fresh snow, and everything in the resort, including Breakfast at Britta’s, is decorated with mistletoe in the doorways and candles in the windows. The whole place looks like the North Pole, which is exactly what I planned.
The Christmas Market is set up in the Old Barn, with vendors’ stalls lining both sides, and the minute we walk in, Charly’s face lights up. She’s enjoyed everything we’ve done, but I can tell this is her favorite. Mostly because she knows she’ll get to see Santa, but also because it’s all magical, even outside the Market.
As we wander through the stalls, I see people I recognize, but plenty I don’t. Seb points out that he also doesn’t recognize many of the shoppers. Which means, our little Yulefest is doing exactly what it’s supposed to—bringing tourists to Paradise in the winter.
And why wouldn’t they want to come? Warm cider and ebelskiver are for sale at the entrance and carolers sing Christmas songs at the back of the barn. Beautiful mistletoe wreaths hang on the walls and miniature, fresh Christmas trees with twinkling lights dot the spaces between vendor stalls. The whole place smells of cinnamon, pine, and magic.
The vendors sell everything from homemade treats and gourmet jams to carved creches; porcelain Christmas ornaments to moose rack beanies—which, of course, are Charly’s favorite. She’s got hers on now, and she begged me to wear mine.
Mrs. C. is at her booth, and judging by the number of crocheted and knitted crafts she has for sale, Seb has been paying her to do something at Sparks Electric besides reception work. But he doesn’t mind, which is one more thing to love about him.
Charly reaches for a moose rack hat. “Sebby need one too.”
Mrs. C. carefully moves the hat out of Charly’s reach. “I’m afraid this one is too little for Sebastian’s big head. I only have kid sizes left.”
Seb’s brows crease with confusion and he scratches his perfectly-sized head. “They look like they’d fit.”
With spot-on timing, Charly tugs at my hand, and I let her pull me to the next booth. But first, I send Mrs. C. an appreciative smile.
I already had her make one for Seb, and Grandpa Sparks added lights, so when he opens my gift on Christmas , Seb, Charly, and I will match. Like we all go together. We’re a team.
Which is what these weeks together have felt like. We’re learning to work together as ateam. I try not to use the F-word—family. That feels too soon, even if I allow myself to fantasize about it occasionally.
Okay, it’s more often than that. Maybe even a lot.
I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I can’t stop myself from picturing us like this forever. I think that’s where we could be headed, and that thought is both terrifying and thrilling.
