Chapter Eight #2
The woman only smiled and said, “If not, then you should be. Do you know what I see when I see the two of you?”
“No. What do you see?” she asked, curious to know.
Mrs. Yule smiled. “I see forever.”
Forever? Leslie wasn’t sure how the woman could see something like that, but she decided not to ask. Instead, she changed the subject by inquiring about some of the places to tour while in town. The first place Mrs. Yule suggested was Santa House, where there was a gift shop that sold their toys.
As Leslie continued to help the older woman clear the table and put things away, she couldn’t help but think about what the woman had said about her and Sloan.
“So, what do you think of the Yules?” Sloan asked as they left the older couple’s home.
“I like them. They certainly appreciate you saving their company from Longshire. And to know he went after their company for the same reason he went after mine—because years ago, a woman he wanted hadn’t wanted him—is truly sad. How can one man be so despicable?”
“I have no idea. He definitely takes holding grudges to a whole other level, that’s for sure.” Sloan then glanced up into the sky. “It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?”
She looked up as well. “Yes, it is. The sky is so bright, and you can see the stars so clearly. It’s like you can reach up and touch one.”
“According to Mr. Yule, tonight will be the best time to see the Northern Lights in this area,” he said.
“Is it really?”
Sloan smiled upon hearing the excitement in her voice.
“Yes,” he said, opening the car door for her.
“Do you want to see them? Mr. Yule gave me directions to the best observation point in town.” Most Alaskans knew Fairbanks and North Pole were the best places in the state to view the Northern Lights, since both towns were located inside the Auroral Oval.
She glanced at her watch. “What time will it appear?”
“A little after midnight?” That meant they would be sitting together in a parked car for an hour. That was something they hadn’t done since their college days.
Leslie finally nodded and said, “We only get a glimpse of the lights in Wasilla, definitely not what you can see in this section of Alaska, and I really would like to see it from here. Besides, I’m sure a number of others will be parked at that observation point as well.”
Did her latter comment mean she had a problem being parked alone with him? In that case, Sloan wouldn’t mention that the location Mr. Yule had suggested was a very private one and there wouldn’t be others around.
“I can’t wait to see the place where the toys are manufactured tomorrow,” he said, changing the subject.
“I can’t, either. Thanks for inviting me along, Sloan.”
A part of him wished she wouldn’t thank him for everything he did. But how would he feel if she didn’t show her gratitude? He knew Leslie, and one of the reasons he had fallen in love with her was that she never took anyone’s kindness lightly.
As they drove through the streets of North Pole, she commented on how it appeared every street had a Christmas theme. There was Mistletoe Road, Snowman Lane and Kris Kringle Drive, just to name a few.
When he thought things had gotten too quiet between them, at a traffic light, he glanced over at her and said, “There’s a place I visited a few years back in the lower forty-eight called Christmas, Florida.”
She lifted a brow. “Is that a real city?”
He chuckled. “Yes. It’s small, but a city nonetheless. It’s located not far from Orlando. There’s this huge Christmas tree at the entrance to the town that’s kept decorated all year round. Some of the residents even keep their homes lit with Christmas lights all year.”
“I bet that can get expensive,” she said.
Sloan glanced back at the road when the traffic light changed.
It was good timing, too, since he hadn’t been able to not look at her mouth and remember the number of times he’d kissed it.
“I’m sure it can be, but I would hope the electric company gives them some kind of break for promoting the town’s theme. ”
“I would hope so, too.”
He made a turn off the only main road in town and headed into a more rural area. “I’ve never been somewhere so dark at night.”
Sloan chuckled. “Missing streetlights already, are you?”
“Yes, I’m a city girl, so I’m used to them.”
“And that’s another reason why you don’t get to see the Northern Lights as well as we can in this section. This is a rural area. Not much of that in Wasilla,” he said.
“True.” She leaned in to look out the windshield at the sky. “It’s even more beautiful out here.”
A few minutes later, he made the last turn Mr. Yule had instructed him to make. It was so dark, he had to hit his high beams to see in front of him. He then brought the car to a stop. “We are here.”
She glanced around. “Where are the others?”
He glanced over at her. “What others?”
“You said this would be a good night to watch the Northern Lights and this was the best observation point.”
“It is.”
“I assumed other people would be parked here.”
“No, there aren’t any others. This is private land, and we’re all alone.”