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I nodded, knowing Mars was absolutely right even as my stomach clenched at the thought. I didn’t want to mess things up with Quinn now; we were heading in a good direction.
“You’re right, I should. Maybe tonight.”
“Good. Now can we get ready for your date?” He rubbed his hands with glee, a wide smile breaking over his face.
“It’s not exactly a date. We’re both working the annual tree lighting.”
“Correction. I’M working the table tonight. You’re taking a break and going on a date with a hot firefighter.”
“But I need to run PR, this is a great opportunity for the bakery…”
Mars held his hand up, shushing me. “You can work for a few minutes, push me in the right direction, then go have your date. I can handle this, Delaney.”
“Are you sure?” I scrunched my nose at him.
“Yes! It’s no biggie. Have a fun time with Quinn. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, after all,” Mars sing-songed, standing up and twirling in a circle, arms above his head.
I giggled. “That it is. Now, c’mon, help me decide what to wear.”
* * *
One hour and six outfits later, I’d finally decided on my dark skinny jeans, a kelly green flowy blouse that clung to me in all the right places, and my espresso riding boots. Mars and I were finally pulling into the town square, a few blocks over from the bakery. I parked the van in the reserved delivery spot and we unloaded the platters of Christmas cookies we’d baked for Peachtree Grove’s annual tree lighting. This event was one of the town’s signature seasonal events and I’d happily accepted the invite to participate. The entire town always came out for it andLanie’scookies were sure to be the perfect ending to the first perfectly enchanted holiday celebration of the season.
“The refreshment table is near the tree,” I said, slamming the van door. “You have the table decorations, right?”
“Yes. Linens, garland, battery-powered string lights, name placard, business cards.” Mars motioned to the tote bag in his hand, beneath the trays of cookies.
“Super. We should be all set then.”
We made our way through the square, which was now a winter wonderland, complete with faux snow. Warm lights, wreaths, big red bows, and garland adorned the old-fashioned black lamp posts, and the adjacent storefronts were decorated to match. Carolers wearing traditional red and green velvety dresses, the men in old-fashioned suits and top hats, harmonized by the white gazebo, their ‘Fa la la la las’ swirling in the crisp night air. The woodsy scent of pine got stronger as we neared the center of the square, passing by all the other tables being readied for the festivities.
“Hey, Lanie.” My friend Lindsey waved to me from herBloomstable, directly next to ours. We were adjacent to the massive Christmas tree, which meant we were guaranteed loads of foot traffic both before and after the lighting. Total score.
“Hey! Great spot, huh?” I said, gesturing to the tree.
“For sure! We’ll have a super view.”
“Lindsey, you remember my friend Mars?”
“Of course! Hey, how are you?” She flipped her blond hair over her shoulder, flashing him a big smile.
“Hi! I’m good, all settled in here. Lanie has me working twenty-four seven, but other than that, I can’t complain.” He shot her an equally dazzling smile, the ultimate charmer. Mars was definitely the salesperson of our team.
“Well, I hope you’ve been able to have at least a little bit of fun. She’s taken you toThe Rowdy,right?”
Mars snickered under his breath, elbowing me, but said to Lindsey, “She has, for sure! Good times!”
“I know, right? Well, I’ll let you two get to work. We don’t have that much longer before the event starts.”
“We’ll chat later, okay?” I said.
“Sure, sounds good.”
Mars and I got to work, laying out linens, lights, and garland, before setting up the cookie display. The night before, we’d baked a miniature gingerbread Peachtree Grove town square, which we set up around the massive cookie display. Instead of the traditional three-tiered silver platter we’d used at the grand opening, Mars had built a five-tier cardboard display in the shape of a Christmas tree. He’d piped the cardboard with green buttercream, adorning it with multi-colored blobs of icing for ornaments. Using the white linens and faux snow as a backdrop, we carefully weaved twinkly string lights around the display, lighting up our cookies and the mini town square.
“It looks great, Lanie.” Mars squeezed my shoulder, reassuring me.
“Thanks. I really appreciate your help.”
