AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“If you touch my house, Declan, I’ll have the cops at your door.”
“From what I hear, there are quite a few people in this town who think you have it coming. Point the finger at me? I’ll drop ten more names who can’t tolerate your attitude. Do us both a favor and leave Holly alone.”
Declan walked away before he said something he’d really regret. There was no way he’d hurt the old jackass, but Holly wasn’t a spoiled brat. She was sweet and sensitive and funny. Beautiful.
And he’d be damned if that asshole was going to beat her in this lights competition because Mr. James was a sore loser.
Declan stepped onto the porch, where a wicker chair and ottoman set were positioned parallel to the wall of the house, with red cushions and festive outdoor throw pillows covering most of the dark, woven wood. He sat down, watching Mr. James pull out of his driveway and take off. Declan took a deep breath before he tapped in Clark’s number and hit the call button, listening to the high-pitched ring until Clark answered.
“Hello, Declan. What’s going on?”
“Hey, I need your help. Holly’s display is too big for me to handle on my own and I’ve got to have this up and ready to go by sunset. I know you’re swamped with the farm during the holidays, but I need bodies. Lots of them. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t for your family.”
“I’ll tell Merry, and she can cover for me. It’s slow today, so they should be good. Let me make some calls and I’ll see you in twenty.”
Declan was back on the roof twenty minutes later when a parade of cars pulled into the circle, parking along the street. Clark got out with his sunglasses on, a wide smile on his face. “You said a little help, right?”
“That will do.”
“Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet. I guess there’s a phone tree in this town and Holly’s helped out a lot of people, so about two dozen favors were called in.”
Declan shook his head, disbelief and wonder racing through him as he climbed down off the roof. Nick and Pike got out of one car, greeting Declan with handshakes.
“Anthony will be by after two. He had to work,” Nick said.
“And you two didn’t?”
Nick shrugged. “I make my own hours, and besides, if my sisters need me, I’m there.”
Pike yawned. “And I had nothing else going on.”
Between Declan and Clark, they were able to organize everyone into groups to work on specific functions. They had about ten people running lights along the roof and sides of the house and the rest were split up into scenes, securing everything down.
Within a few hours, the display was finally coming together. Just in time for Mr. James to get home.
He rubber-necked the entire way up his driveway until he disappeared into the garage, only to come charging out of the house a few minutes later, waving a packet in the air.
“All of these cars are illegally parked and need to be removed!”
Declan rolled his eyes from his position at the edge of the lawn, while Nick smiled and waved at Mr. James, rushing over to meet the irate neighbor.
“Nick will calm him down,” Clark said quietly. “The man has a gift. Everyone likes him.”
When the packet waving didn’t stop, Declan climbed to his feet and crossed the lawn to stand next to Nick, listening to Holly’s brother’s calm, cajoling tone.
“I get that it’s against the HOA code of conduct, but we’re going to be out of here in an hour or two tops, and we’re not blocking any driveways. You can absolutely call the cops, but they’re going to see we’re doing a job, helping out a Mistletoe citizen who needs it, and keep rolling. If you want, you can grab some gloves and give us a hand. You know, be neighborly.”
Mr. James clenched the packet in his hands until it ripped, and he stormed back into his house, slamming the door.
Nick shook his head, mouth pressed in a grim line. “No matter what my sister likes to call you, that’s a fucking Scrooge.”
Declan laughed, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders. As the morning rolled into afternoon, they tested animatronics, lights, and Declan got a clue what people meant when they talked about small towns coming together as a community. There were certain people in this world that could command this kind of loyalty and affection and Holly was one of them.
At half past four, most of the cars had trickled out of the circle, needing to leave to get ready for the Parade of Lights downtown, the annual celebration where local organizations and businesses created large floats covered completely in Christmas lights and drove them down a darkened Main Street. He’d thanked so many people his mouth was dry, and his whole body ached, even his eyeballs from staring at too many Christmas lights.
“Hey, Declan, let’s go get some drinks and food!” Pike called, closing the lid on one of the totes and picking it up. “You’re buying though.”
“I’m down, but I want to stick around and see Holly’s reaction.” And maybe snag another kiss or two.
