Chapter Twenty-One
Winter
“Winter!” Samantha nearly screams with excitement as the door to the coffee shop closes behind her.
I wince at how loud she is, knowing we’re drawing attention to ourselves.
After the last debacle in here with my card declining in front of several people, I was trying to be low-key this trip.
Lord knows how they like to wag their tongues, especially when my Gram is at the center of it all at times.
I can’t help but beam as I take her in. She’s gorgeous, and I’ve missed her a ridiculous amount.
She’s in her usual holiday attire, a sweater dress, black tights, and knee-high boots, with accessories to match the occasion.
Her bracelet jingles since it’s made out of bells; she’s wearing a necklace with a single bell, but it’s not cheesy.
I’d bet it's platinum with real diamonds encrusted around the top, held by a long platinum chain. Her ears have matching diamond bell earrings that even I’d wear.
Did I mention her husband has a great job?
Yep, my bestie gets spoiled, and her jewelry today is just one of the many that her husband likes to surprise her with.
Although, after hearing about the shenanigans her kids put her through, I can see why he feels the need to spoil her with cute accessories. The man is lucky he has her.
“Gah, I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you!” I comment as I continue to squeeze her in a long hug. Every time I get to see her, I’m reminded how much time has passed between visits, and it makes me wish she lived closer.
“Me too.” She tugs me with her to the counter, eager to order her favorite drink.
“I’ll take a large Cinnamon Gingerbread Cream Latte with whipped cream, and a spoonful of holiday spirit on top.
I want one of those sugar plum danishes, too.
Oh, and one of those orange cranberry pistachio muffins, please. ”
I just shake my head, watching as she oh’s and ah’s over everything in the case. This was me the first time I came back into town, too. I grab a sugar plum danish before we leave, since I already have my favorite cappuccino.
“Tell me about Sean.” She demands immediately, already shuffling me outside.
She waves and says hello to various people to not seem rude, but I’m not fooled.
My best friend has one thing on her mind.
“The deets, Winter, I need them. It’s been killing me since you dropped that bomb of a text on me yesterday, and then didn’t follow up with the good parts. ”
I can’t help but laugh; she’s always had a flair for the dramatics. Probably why Gram loves her so much, kindred spirits and all. “I’d say you had a pretty eventful day yourself, learning carpet design.”
“Uh, don’t remind me,” she shoots me a mock glare, sipping from her coffee. “We are so not talking about my kids right this minute, when you finally got the D. It was good, wasn’t it? I can tell already just from the way you’re sparkling or whatever. Sean has a banger, and he dicked you down good.”
“Samantha!” I whisper-yell, slashing my hand across my neck in the universal language of shut the heck up.
“What?” She glances around, claiming, “No one will hear us. That’s why I had us come outside.” She taps the side of her head, “Already thought of the coffee shop gossipers.”
I nod, feeling the fluttering sensation of nerves and excitement swirling around in my stomach as I think of my time with Sean. “Yes, it happened, and I can’t stop thinking about him no matter what I do. But, that’s not all.”
She squeals in delight, doing an excited shimmy, making me grin. “It’s not? What else have you not told me about?”
“He’s been coming around the farm ever since I first got into town. I drove off the side of the road at the bottom of the mountain on my way here. I must’ve hit ice somewhere, then I slid to the side, and my car was stuck. I was stranded on the shoulder when he offered me a ride.”
“No way, that sucks. Twenty-eighteen all over again.”
I nod, “Tell me about it. I was having flashbacks for sure. Anyhow, after that, he and his mom spent Thanksgiving with us, and he’s also been helping with festival stuff…
There’s been a lot of buildup, so it wasn’t just a night at the cabin.
He promised my dad he’d keep me safe, and he took it so seriously.
I don’t know what to say, aside from admitting that he’s stealing my heart. ”
She gasps, “Yes! This makes me super happy for you. It’s about freaking time Sean Spruce pulls his head out of his skates and realizes he can’t live without you.”
Laughing, I try to downplay it, but her words do hit home. “He’s a good guy, and he’s been doing just fine living without me.” I finally take a bite of my danish. It’s heavenly, but they’re small. Three big bites and I have it finished, only the sugar left behind on my fingers as any evidence.
“You sell yourself short, Winter, but that’s not an issue anymore because now he knows how amazing you are. You two are going to spend forever together, I already know it.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because he used to look at you like you were his favorite thing besides hockey. I can only imagine how badly he’s fallen for you this time around.”
We’re interrupted by the Goldsteins, who own the local grocery store. “Hello, girls!” Mrs. Goldstein greets with a welcoming smile as she and her husband stroll by. They’ve gone for a daily walk together, usually holding hands through the village, for as long as I can remember.
“Hello,” We echo, watching the old couple amble by.
They’re tucked close together, slowly making their way down the sidewalk that’s been freshly scraped and salted by the various businesses lining the road.
They point out and appreciate the various cheerful holiday decorations as they go.
Gum Drop Lane is always a sight to see, with tons of lights adorning every storefront’s windows.
A few shops set up actual holiday scenes in the windows as well.
The small toy store at the end of the block does one of my favorites, with an electric train circling a Christmas tree that’s been decorated in small nostalgic toys as ornaments.
Thankfully, the roads are also seemingly much better today, so people can get where they need to be once again.
We’ve had snowstorms my entire life, so it’s not something the people around here worry too much over.
The roads always end up cleared, including the mountain coming in and out of town, so we just roll with it as much as we can.
The resilience we show as a community is something everyone should be proud of, I think.
Everyone always leans in and offers a helping hand whenever possible.
Including opening up our homes if a neighbor needs it.
Somehow, everything always ends up working out.
The chime from Tasty Sip’s glass door rings behind us. The bells momentarily mixed with a blast of warm air and Christmas music playing, from someone leaving the coffee shop. It’s enough to break our illusion of privacy and get us moving down the sidewalk.
“When are you going to see him again?” Samantha asks as we head in the direction of Sandies Boutique.
I still need to pick up a few gifts, and thanks to my money being returned to my bank account, I can finally finish checking everyone off my list. I shrug, “I don’t know.
He said he’d get a hold of me. His agent showed up, and I managed to catch snippets of his conversation he’d had with him the day prior.
I think something's going on with Sean’s contract. ”
“Seriously?” She meets my gaze, hers filled with curiosity. I know she wants to probe for more, but I don’t have much to offer, unfortunately.
“Mmhm.” I open the door to Sandie’s Boutique, holding it for her to enter before me. “Which is another reason why I don’t want to get my hopes up too high.”
We’re interrupted by the owner, “Hello, welcome in.” It sounds pretty standard for a greeting, but then she does a double-take, and her tone shifts completely.
“Oh, Winter and Samantha! Look at you two. I swear, you should enter Miss Noel Falls Christmas this year. I have the absolute perfect dresses for the occasion. You just let me know and they’re all yours. ”
“Thanks, Sandie.” I kindly reply, knowing darn well there’s absolutely no way I’m entering to be Noel Falls’ Miss Christmas.
Samantha won’t either. I’d bet she’d rather eat cookies made with too much salt instead of sugar than enter that contest and be forced to ride in the parade on Christmas Eve, while doing her princess wave.
She’s terrible at waving. There’s no way she’d pass the vibe check and would end up chunking candy canes at someone’s face.
It’d get published in the paper, and then the town would vote to never let her enter another holiday contest again.
It’d turn dramatic, fast, and I refuse to allow my best friend to go down in a blaze without me.
“Your hopes need to be up where Sean is concerned. You'd better expect him to fully commit, or I’m hunting him down and dying all his clothes Pepto-Bismol pink. I’ll do it, we all know how bad I am at laundry.” She whispers the threat, with a determined nod.
I shoot her a strong, wide-eyed look, attempting to silently convey that she needs to stop talking about it. Sandie is a sweet lady, but she won’t hesitate to spread some juicy news the first chance she has at the church bake sale this Sunday.
I mumble, “I’m not expecting anything. Just going with the flow.” It’s not completely the truth, but I’m sticking to it anyway until I’m proven otherwise.
Sandie blindsides me, coming out of nowhere. She holds a bright red dress with far too much mesh fluff stuff underneath the skirt, directly in front of my face. “How’s this?”
“Oh!” My hand flies to my chest as we both jump in surprise. Jesus H. Christ! The woman nearly had me slamming into Samantha. She’s like a little old holiday ninja elf.
“Where did she even come from? I nearly shat my pants!” Samatha gasps in shock from behind me, and it takes every bit of my self-control I possess to keep from bursting out laughing.
Sandie pops over to another rack before returning with two matching ugly dresses, one in holiday green, the other in dark blue.
“They’d be perfect for the contest, or even a date.
Surely, you’ll be at the Jingle Bell Swing?
” Her excitement grows as she continues, “With a date? I heard that handsome Sean Spruce dropped your car off at the shop to get fixed, and his truck’s been seen at your family’s farm every time he’s in town. ”
I back up a step as I realize I should’ve waited longer before coming in here. “Um, the Jingle Bell Swing?” How did I forget about the dance? It’s put on every year, and used to be one of my favorite activities that the village organizes.
Probably because I’ve been too worried about getting everything ready for the festival. Then, toss Sean into the mix, and suddenly, I only possess two brain cells, it seems. There’s no way I’m going to have time to make it to the dance on top of everything else.
“We’ll stop by.” I automatically agree for me and Samantha both, before I manage to shut my trap and stop over-committing myself. “But it all depends on whether I can get everything ready for the festival in time. You know Dad’s been hurt, and Mom’s busy, so that leaves me trying to prepare.”
She nods, sympathy softening her expression.
“Oh, you poor sweet girl. You don’t worry yourself about the dance.
I’ll have dresses in stock if you can get the time off to go; if not, I’ll be stopping by your booth at the festival.
Your family’s candies are my favorite sweet treat to have in the store for my customers. ”
“Thank you, Sandie, that means a lot.”
I end up grabbing one of the cute belts like Calla had on, and then I pick out a few more gifts. We pay for our purchases, and then I quickly tug my best friend outside as soon as possible. Any more time and we may be coaxed into buying dresses we don’t need. For any occasion.
“I wonder who we’ll see at the dance wearing those dresses?” She ponders as soon as we’re walking back down the sidewalk.
Laughing, I shake my head. “I don’t know, but someone will post it on social media for sure. Sandie is so sweet, but she nearly gave me a heart attack, thrusting all those sequins in my face. Then there was the mesh.”
“So. Much. Mesh.”
I nearly finish off my drink, debating stopping by Tasty Sip again for a refill.
I wonder what Sean’s doing right now? Would it seem too needy if I texted him to ask how his day’s going?
Probably. I suck at this relationship stuff; it’s partly why I never really try to have a full-time boyfriend.
“Should I text him?” I mutter, glancing around.
I wish he’d pull up right now, like he’s been randomly doing since I got into town.
“Oh my God!” Samantha shouts suddenly, making me twist toward her in a panic.
“What?”
“I can’t believe I didn’t realize this as soon as you said something, but I know what’s going on with Sean. It’s all over the news!”
I stop walking, needing her to spill everything she knows. “Wait. You do? What is it?”
“The Pines are going bankrupt. They have to trade off their most expensive players to try and recoup enough money to keep them in the league. They were talking about it on the radio on our way here, too.”
Dad’s comments about Sean’s latest contract come back to me, reminding me that he said it was more than other players were getting.
My gut tightens with apprehension, my hand clenching tighter around my shopping bags.
I take a sip of my cappuccino, which usually fills me with holly jolly spirit like it’s supposed to, but this time, it just tastes like too much sugar.
The realization of what this means for Sean has everything around me feeling a lot less colorful and cheery.
“Sean’s getting traded,” I quietly utter the words. My lower lip trembles, while tears start to swim across my vision at the realization of what this means. The impact hits my heart like an avalanche, making me stumble.
Samantha catches me, wrapping her arm around my back. She hugs me from the side as a quiet whimper of sadness leaves me. “I’m sorry, my friend,” she says softly, then echoes, “Sean’s getting traded.”
He’ll be too far away before we ever get a chance to have our happily ever after.