Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
It was the longest two and a half minutes of Lacey’s life.
But as her teen class hit their final marks, she could breathe again. This was going to work. They were going to crush their winter recital number. Maybe she wasn’t a completely crap dance teacher after all.
The music ended, and she broke into a wide smile. Her hands shot into the air as she cheered.
“Yes! That’s it!” she shouted.
It wasn’t perfect, but that was fine. They still had time. And to be at the cleanup and fine-tuning stage several weeks before the performance was a huge weight off her shoulders.
Lacey glanced at the clock. “Look, I know we’ve still got time left, and you can stay if you want, but I also know tonight is the tree lighting, so if you want to go?—”
Teenage girls scattered like pool balls. There were quick calls of “Bye, Lacey!” and “See you later!” as they all rushed to get out the door.
The Crane Cove Tree Lighting was a big deal. It was always December first, no matter the day of the week, and several town committees and organizations were involved in the planning. The tree was set up in the middle of the historic section of downtown, since the street was closed off anyway, and the tree lighting festivities were supposed to include warm beverages, live music, caroling, crafts, and Santa’s arrival.
Lacey cleaned up the studio then went to the office, scaring the daylights out of Gavin when she opened the door.
“What are you doing?” he asked, one hand pressed dramatically to his chest. “Don’t you have a class?”
“I let them go early,” she said, sitting down to change her shoes. “I’m really proud of them. They’re a week ahead of where I thought they’d be, and I wanted to end on a good note.”
“Are you going somewhere?” Gavin pointed to the wool socks she was pulling on.
“The tree lighting like everyone else.”
“With Sam?” he teased.
Lacey blushed. “He and Daisy are going to pick me up and we’re going to walk over. Graham warned him that parking is nuts.”
“Careful,” Gavin warned, “or people are going to think you’re in love with that boy.”
“That ship has sailed,” Lacey said without thinking.
“You should save yourself the rent and move in with him. If we didn’t work together, I’d never see you.”
It was true. Since they’d had sex, Lacey had given up any kind of facade that her sleepovers at Sam’s house were accidental. She hadn’t been to her home at Gavin and Leo’s in a week.
“By the way, I put your mail in your bag,” Gavin said. “I don’t want to pry, but?—”
He was cut off by the phone ringing. Lacey tucked her work shoes in their usual spot and grabbed her coat. Whatever Gavin didn’t want to pry about could wait until later.
Sam and Daisy were just walking up to the door when she reached it. Her stomach fluttered, and her heart played hopscotch. After trying to tamp down those feelings for a few days after she’d realized she loved him, Lacey had given up and let them happen. Either she’d get over it or he’d catch up. It wasn’t worth the mental gymnastics.
“You’re early,” they said at the same time when they met on the sidewalk.
“I was worried about parking,” Sam said. “I’m about three blocks from here.”
Lacey crouched down to pet Daisy, whose tail was wagging her entire back end, then stood and kissed Sam tenderly.
Or at least she tried to kiss Sam tenderly.
Kissing him was still too new, and she got drunk off them and lost her mind. Anything more than a brief peck and her tongue was liable to end up in his mouth, and vice versa. The way his tongue slid over hers reminded her of how his tongue slid over her skin—all of it—and her pussy clenched in anticipation.
Daisy pawed at her leg, jealous, and whined.
Sam grinned. “If I walk away and come back, will you say hello to me again?”
Lacey gave his chest a playful, one-handed shove.
“I have something for you,” he said, and reached into his jacket pocket. He fished out something knitted and handed it to her. The soft wool was a blush pink, and as she turned it over in her hands, she saw that the headband had a cable knit heart pattern.
“I would’ve made you a hat, but your hair is always up,” he explained, a blush so vivid it was noticeable in the fading sunlight spreading across his cheeks. “It’s to keep your ears warm.”
“I know how a headband works,” Lacey teased, putting up a front to disguise the lump forming in her throat. “When did you make this?”
“Today. I had a lot of meetings, and I like to tell myself I think better when my hands are busy.” He rocked back on his heels, then up on his toes. “Do you like it?”
Lacey slipped it over her head and fitted it over her ears. “I love it,” she told him, and kissed him again. Daisy whined again, then barked once, when she felt the kiss had gone on too long.
“We could go home,” Sam suggested, the hands on her waist lowering to trace the curve of her ass.
“No. This is an adorable, public opportunity to remind all your fans that you’ve got a girlfriend before any sneaky relatives come into town,” Lacey said, adjusting the collar of his coat. Sam sighed heavily and took her hand.
There were a lot of things about small-town living that grated on Lacey’s nerves, but Christmastime in Crane Cove was not one of them. It was the closest she would ever get to living in a Hallmark holiday movie. Downtown businesses had spent the last week decorating their storefronts and the city had hung lights on the trees and from the streetlights. It really did look like a movie set.
The closer they got to the historic section of downtown where the tree was, the more people they saw, all headed in the same direction. It seemed like the whole of Crane Cove had turned out for the event.
Booths, housed under tents, were set up along the street. From what she understood, there was a market every weekend until Christmas, rain or shine. Unless it was really rainy, and then it would be moved into the community center. Several booths had long lines, and Lacey guessed those were the booths with the hot drinks and food.
“Divide and conquer?” she suggested to Sam and he nodded.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Definitely carbs. Lots of sugar.”
“I think I can make that happen.” Sam kissed her forehead, right below her cozy headband. “Do you want to keep Daisy with you? I think she’s pretty sick of me.”
“Sure. I missed her.”
Sam handed Lacey the leash. Daisy tried to follow him as he squeezed through the crowd, headed for a booth that sold fresh mini donuts.
“He’ll be back,” Lacey promised when the dog looked at her nervously. Or as nervously as a dog could look. Sometimes she thought she read too much into Daisy’s facial expressions, but that was probably because she’d gone through a massive 101 Dalmatians phase as a child.
”I’d get used to that view,” said an unfortunately familiar voice behind her. Mitch . “I’d just keep walking if I was him.”
Lacey took a deep, calming breath before turning to face her ex-boyfriend. She plastered a big, cheerful smile on her face. The look of malevolent boredom on his face made her stomach roll. “Enjoying the festivities, Mitch?”
“So, what are you going to do when he leaves you, hmm?” Mitch asked. “Because it’s going to happen. I might not be available when he does.”
It was far from the nastiest thing Mitch had ever said to her, but something in Lacey snapped. She wasn’t going to take it anymore. She wasn’t going to play nice.
“You could be the last man on Earth, and I still wouldn’t get back together with you. I think a lot of women around here share that sentiment,” she said. “And as much as you deserve to die alone, you won’t, because the universe isn’t fair and you’re really good at sniffing out easy targets. I hope you end up with someone you deserve.”
Like she’d been cued from on high, Marianne showed up at Mitch’s side and wrapped her arms around one of his.
“I changed my mind. Can you get me a hot chocolate, babe?” she purred, laying her head on his shoulder in an obvious sign of possession. It would have been more subtle if she’d peed on his leg to mark her territory.
“On a date?” Lacey guessed cheerfully.
Marianne practically preened. “We are.” Her eyes scanned the empty space next to Lacey. “Did Sam Shoop finally dump you?”
Lacey took back any charitable thoughts she’d had about not even Marianne deserving to be stuck with Mitch for all eternity. They were perfect for each other.
“No. He’s getting us snacks,” she said, scanning the crowd for her fake boyfriend. She found him in the donut line talking to Delores, the owner of Knot and Purl. They must have been talking about the headband he’d made her because they both looked in her direction, and Sam’s face broke into a big smile when they made eye contact across the crowded street. She gave him a little wave, and he winked at her. The triple somersault her heart did received tens across the board from the judges.
“I want snacks,” said a voice on Lacey’s right. She jumped. Kiki smiled at her. “Hi.”
Marianne looked Kiki up and down, and her face contorted like she’d stepped in dog poop. “You know this is a Christmas celebration, right?”
Kiki, who looked chic as hell in her long black wool coat, pointed to her black Santa hat. “Duh.”
“The goth thing was funny in high school, but now it’s just sad,” Mitch said, and Lacey wished Daisy knew a command for bite.
“At least I didn’t peak in high school,” Kiki responded, unfazed by their pathetic attempt at bullying.
Mitch’s face grew red. In the chilly evening air, Lacey could almost see the steam billowing out of his ears. Right when it looked like he was about to blow his top, Marianne tugged on his arm.
“I think the other booth has a shorter line,” she told him, and they marched off across the street.
“I can’t believe I ever let him fuck me,” Lacey said, shaking her head.
“I can’t believe I ever had a crush on her,” Kiki said, and when Lacey’s eyebrows jumped up, she added, “I was young and overrun by puberty. The cheerleader uniform was too much for my little gay brain to handle. I sympathized a lot with my heterosexual male peers.”
“Because girls are so pretty?”
“ So pretty.” Kiki grinned at her. “I did eventually get to see what was under one of those uniforms.”
Lacey’s eyes widened. “Marianne’s?”
Kiki snorted. “God, no. Mercifully she was too old for me and extremely straight, so I never got off the starting line. But Astra O’Donnell?” She let out a low whistle. “What a babe. We used to make out in the baseball dugout during PE. You know, for fun.” She winked at Lacey.
“Was that your first girlfriend?”
Kiki shook her head. “No. Not officially. Astra wasn’t even out to herself at the time. I was her dirty little secret. Her family was super religious too, so she viewed me as a gray area. It doesn’t count if the person making you come is a girl type thing.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“As long as I got to touch her boobs, I did not care.”
Lacey laughed. “You’re funny.”
“Thank you,” Kiki said sincerely. “Can I get that in writing so I can present it to Graham as evidence?”
“If you find me something to write on, I’ll give you an affidavit.”
The line moved forward, and Kiki took a giant step to follow it. She had a pensive look on her face. Lacey had known her just long enough to be concerned that she was lost in thought.
“You know,” Kiki finally said, “I think it’s nice that Mitch and Marianne finally got together. They can torture each other and save the general population.”
“I was thinking the same thing. They deserve each other.” Lacey surveyed the crowd. “Is it always this busy?”
“For the tree lighting? Oh yeah. Crane Cove loves an event.” The line inched forward, and so did they. “I’d say it’s a little busier this year because it isn’t raining.”
“Thank god for that.” She looked over at the donut booth. Sam had picked the better line. He was being handed a white paper bag. Her stomach growled. “Why is this line moving so slowly?”
“Because Sybil is at the other end,” Kiki explained, and pointed out the other beverage booths that all had shorter lines. “Oregonians will wait outside forever if something is good.”
“But why isn’t she inside ,” Lacey asked, “where it’s warm?”
“Because our scariest friend is a big ol’ nostalgic softie.” Kiki smiled, and Lacey let herself bask in the warmth of being considered part of the group, even if it was going to end. “She got her start doing these kinds of markets.”
“But her shop is right there.” Lacey pointed to Stardust.
“She has a great view of the tree,” Chase said, putting an arm around Kiki’s shoulders. “All the tents block her view if she stays inside.”
“Don’t you have a business to run?” Kiki poked him in the stomach. “Leave us alone.”
Chase pouted. “I need cocoa, and you’re so close to the front.”
Lacey frowned. There had to be at least fifteen people ahead of them still. “We are?”
“Don’t look behind you,” Chase cautioned. “You’d think Sybil was giving away a car.”
The line moved forward as Sam joined the group. Daisy danced excitedly, her precious little paws getting tangled in the leash.
“Silly girl,” Sam mumbled with a laugh as he knelt down to untangle her. Their opportunistic pup immediately made a play for the donuts, and he narrowly avoided having the bag snatched from his hand.
“Daisy!” Lacey scolded, and the dog cocked her head to one side, a picture of confusion and innocence. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not sharing with you now—Sam, don’t reward her for that.”
Sam’s look of confusion and innocence matched Daisy’s, like he didn’t have his hand in the donut bag.
Even if Daisy hadn’t been naughty, Lacey didn’t know if she would have shared once she bit into the first cinnamon sugar-covered delight. Warm, soft, and sweet, they were the perfect treat at the end of the day. The bag was empty before they got to the front of the line. Kiki, Chase, and Lacey chatted animatedly while Sam stood quietly, occasionally contributing a quip. It wasn’t like when they were alone, or even with his very close friends, and Lacey liked that, even though she had to ignore the aura of guilt that surrounded her smugness.
Graham and Eloise wandered up when they were three people away from the front of the line. They made it seem very casual, like they just wanted to talk, but when they reached the front of the line, they ordered first. But as penance, Eloise and Graham paid for the groups’ drinks. Lacey noticed that Sybil didn’t give Graham his change.
Chase went back to Cranberry Brothers, but Kiki hung on, an unbothered fifth wheel on an accidental double date. They browsed a few booths before the clock struck six, then they went back toward the Stardust booth to get a better view of the tree.
The lights around them dimmed as the mayor spoke about the magic of the season, about the importance of community, and the value of tradition. Sam positioned himself behind Lacey and wrapped his arms around her during the speech, while Daisy laid across her feet. The sense of rightness, of belonging, and of family hit her so hard it threatened to knock her over. She hadn’t felt this safe and loved since her mom died, and as the tree lit up, a tear slid down her cheek.
What was she going to do if this ended? Would she ever be this happy again?
Sam kissed her cheek, then whispered, “Are you okay?”
Lacey nodded, fighting not to sniffle. “It’s so beautiful,” she choked out.
And it was beautiful. The crowd sang “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” and it sounded like a hymn, a prayer for the season ahead. Lacey shut her eyes to listen and made a wish, believing for a moment in the so-called magic the mayor had mentioned.
Next year all her troubles would be out of sight.