Chapter 3
Christmas music was playing throughout the town and the Black Friday shoppers hurried in and out of stores. When the deals were had and the money was spent, they’d trundle it all home where they’d rest up for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony that took place in the park every year. It was the most wonderful time of the year, and those of us in Bells Pass knew exactly how to kick off the celebration. We’d serve hot chocolate and coffee, roast marshmallows, sing carols, and when the moment arrived, stand in revered silence as the Christmas tree was lit up with thousands of blue lights. This town was steeped in tradition, and when it came to the holidays, it was hard to keep track of how many we had.
I finished my grocery shopping early this morning and decided a walk was in order to work off the good food and pie I ate yesterday. I wasn’t opening the salon today, being that it was Black Friday, so a walk would do my waistline some good. With any luck, it would help my mood since I was a bit salty about being stood up at dinner last night. Logically, I knew he probably thought better of his promise the moment he climbed in his truck, but it still hurt. I would rather he had just said he wasn’t coming than get my hopes up and then dash them. He was just another guy in a long line of guys to do that, starting with my father and ending three years ago with my boyfriend of four years. I didn’t know if there was anything more humiliating than finding out your long-time boyfriend had been sleeping with someone else for the entirety of your relationship. Especially when that somebody else was your best friend. It still made me a little sick to my stomach to think about. When I discovered the truth, by the way of stumbling across them necking in the woods, I immediately and without hesitation walked away. That was the last time I dated. I should have remembered that when I was pulled in by Ellis David’s good looks and farm-boy charm. At least he flaked sooner rather than later.
I stared at my reflection in the window of Crystal’s Coffee Bar and sighed. “Let it go, Addie. He’s not worth the amount of anger you’ve already worked up about it,” I scolded myself. I fluffed my hair a couple of times and frowned. “Maybe I should dye my hair. I could stand for a change. I mean, how many black women do you see walking around with a head full of ginger hair?” I asked the woman reflected back at me in the window.
“I suppose not a whole lot, but that’s what makes you unique,” Heather said, coming up behind me and looping her arm in mine. “Besides, I like your hair. You’re all sassy black girl except for that head of stubborn Irish hair. It’s what makes you Addie and that’s why I love you. Stop worrying about the loser who stood you up. He’s not good enough for you anyway.”
I leaned into her shoulder for a second and smiled. “Thanks, Heather. What are you doing here? I thought you were going into the city to Black Friday shop with your mom and aunts.”
“I was, but then I woke up this morning and remembered how I was going to have to ride in a car with them for an hour each way. They’d list off all the ways I should change, from my hair to my clothes. Then my mom would suggest I join a gym and my aunt would offer to pay for it. My other aunt would tell me she knows a great plastic surgeon who can do liposuction without anyone suspecting a thing and she’d slip me his card.” She ran her hand across her throat. “I faked a phone call from you and ditched.”
“Jeez, I don’t blame you,” I said, my lips pulled back in a sneer. “How awful for you. I hate that your family is that way.”
She shrugged as she flounced down the street, dragging me along behind her. “My mom and her sisters have spent their lives on a diet and they’re miserable, miserable people. I’d rather avoid a long life of kale and spin classes for a shorter life of good food, laughter, and happiness. I just don’t feel the need to walk that road.”
I grasped her arm tightly to mine and smiled. “I wouldn’t want you any other way. Besides, you don’t need to go to the gym. You spend all day every day on your feet.”
“You know it, girl,” she said, in her best sexy Southern drawl. “Speaking of which, I need some new shoes. I’ll have to head into the mall at some point. Want to ride with me on Sunday? We could do big city fun at the mall.”
I snickered and looked to the sky, shaking my head. “Now you’re just throwing me a pity party, aren’t you?” I teased. “Take the girl who got stood up to the mall to get her mind off it.”
Her grin was enough to tell me I was right. “Actually, I do have to go to the mall and we could have some big city fun, but if it works to take your mind off Mr. No Show Santa, that’s a bonus.”
I giggled at her title for him. “It feels a little off to me, though. His whole persona radiates politeness. It feels weird that he’d just stand me up without explanation.”
She paused mid-step. “Does he have your number?”
I sighed and shook my head. “Not my cell, no. He could have called the salon and it would have been forwarded to my phone.”
“But he probably didn’t know that.” She started walking again toward the end of Main Street, which just happened to be where a certain someone had a yoga studio. I would have to get her to turn around before we had to pass it. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I was stalking him.
“Wait, what?” she said, pointing straight ahead.
A cop stood on the sidewalk in front of Rudolph Yoga Express talking to the proprietor.
“I think that’s Gabe, isn’t it?” Heather whisper-asked.
I worked hard not to roll my eyes so far back in my head it would hurt. She knew damn well it was Gabriel Dennison. She’d had a crush on him since the fourth grade. Too bad Gabe never got the memo. Last I heard, his new woman was from the big city and was turning heads.
We jogged a bit closer and noticed a large sheet of plywood covering what used to be the plate glass window that normally faced Main Street. I glanced at Heather who returned the stare before we ran up the sidewalk.
“Ellis, are you okay?” I asked when we stood in front of the two men.
Gabriel was just flipping his notebook closed. “He’s fine, but his shop, not so much.”
“What happened?” I asked, glancing between the two men. I was trying to ignore the fact that Heather was slowly sidestepping her way behind me in an effort to avoid Gabe. I swear she couldn’t be anything but awkward around the guy.
“Vandalism,” Ellis answered, resting his butt on the window ledge. It was easy to see by the dark circles under his eyes and the slump of his shoulders that it wasn’t just a simple broken window.
Gabe turned to Ellis. “I’ll keep you abreast of the situation and we’ll have more units running point on Main Street over the next week. We’ll catch whoever this was. If you have any other problems, you know the number.”
Ellis pointed at him and nodded. “Thanks, Officer Dennison.” He shook his hand limply. “I appreciate all of your help.”
Gabe waved off and climbed into his cruiser parked at the curb, leaving the three of us to gape at each other.
“Nice guy,” Ellis said, tossing his chin at the car. “But I suppose you know that.”
Heather laughed uncomfortably and I rolled my eyes. She was still hiding behind me and I didn’t have to worry about her noticing. He did though and cracked a small half-smile for the first time since we’d arrived.
“Yeah, we’ve known each other since we were in diapers.” I was joking, but neither of them laughed. “What happened, Ellis?” I asked, laying my hand on his arm. He was dirty and obviously had been working for hours. Since it was barely eight a.m., that meant he worked through the night.
“Someone tossed a firebomb through the window last night,” he explained. “I was just leaving to meet you when it happened.” His hand went to his hair and he turned to stare at the boarded-up window. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. I lost track of time.”
I waved my hand at him. “Stop, don’t even worry about it. I had no idea, or I would have come and helped. Stan lives close to my salon so I never came down Main Street last night. What can we do to help?”
He pushed the still intact glass door open and we stepped inside. The place was in rough shape, but it would live to see another yoga class.
“Damn, Ellis, I’m so sorry,” I said, giving him a spontaneous hug. “This is truly out of character for Bells Pass.”
Heather nodded and spun in a circle. “This is about as atypical as it gets. What did Gabe say about it?” she asked, finally finding her voice.
I ended the hug, sadly, but kept my arm around his waist. He was ready to drop, and I was worried he was going to fall if he had to take another step.
“He said it was too sophisticated to be kids, but clearly the work of a bunch of idiots because there are cameras all over the place. They’ll find them. In the meantime, I’m left with this mess.”
“It looks like you’ve already cleaned a lot of it,” I said, motioning at the window and the floor.
“I spent the night suctioning up water and vacuuming glass from all the nooks and crannies. Luckily, they used the wrong kind of bottle. It didn’t break fully, so the fire went out quickly. I was going out the back door when I heard the glass break. I was lucky I was here. It could have been so much worse.”
“How awful,” Heather said, doing a full-body shiver. “I feel terrible for you, Ellis.” She wrung her hands nervously, something she often did when she didn’t know what else to do.
“Did you sleep at all?” I asked, standing on one of the squares painted on the floor. It was painted to resemble a Christmas train car with wheels and a hitch. They were spread throughout the room in an adorable weaving pattern with a caboose at the end. The child laid their mat, decorated with Rudolph, Santa, Mrs. Claus, or an elf, on the marked square to do their exercises. It kept everything neat and orderly and it was easy for the kids to know where to be at all times. Looking around, I could see the entire place needed a good scrub down and then he’d be back in business.
“No.” He wiped his hand down his face and it shook with fatigue. “By the time the fire report was made I had to find someone who had plywood for the window and then get it back here and hung up. Other than sitting in a chair for an hour with my eyes closed, I haven’t been home.”
Heather raised her hand like she was still back in fourth grade. Maybe it was the atmosphere but it made us chuckle. “Aren’t you the guest tree lighter tonight?”
He hung his head. “I am, but I don’t know if I’ll make it now. I have to wait for the glass guy to come to replace the window at noon and then I’ll have to finish cleaning. I have a birthday party here tomorrow for a group of nine-year-old girls and I’ll be dead on my feet if I don’t sleep tonight.” He rubbed his chest absently and I worried he was going to have a heart attack if he didn’t get some rest.
“You’re already dead on your feet. Okay, here’s what we’re going to do,” I said, taking his arm in mine. I walked him to the back of the studio where I noticed an open door with a desk covered in papers. Most definitely his office. “You’re going to go home and sleep while we take care of getting the window replaced and finish the cleaning.”
He held up and I had to stop walking or risk falling over. “Oh, Addie, no. I can’t ask you to do that. You have your own business to run today. I’ll be okay. I’ll call Mayor Tottle. Maybe you can flip the switch instead of me tonight.”
“No way,” Heather said adamantly from where she stood by the caboose. “The newest business owner in Bells Pass is always the one to flip the switch on the tree every year, and it’s not going to be any different this year. You can go home and sleep for,” she checked the clock, “six hours, and still be at the park in time for the tree lighting.”
“Yup,” I agreed, tugging him along again. “In the meantime, my minions and I will get this place in tip-top shape and wait for the window guy to show up. The salon is closed today and we have nothing but time.”
“I don’t think they’ll do it if I’m not here. Besides, you and Heather can’t do all the work alone,” he sputtered.
“On the contrary,” Heather said, her lips crooked up in a smile, “the glass guy is my brother, Cameron, and by minions, she means them,” she said, pointing out the door at a group of worried women peering in the window. She addressed me next. “I’ll fill them in. You get him out.”
I gave her a thumbs up and dragged him to his office, took his coat down off the hook and slid it on his arms like a mom would her four-year-old. “You heard her. Get after it now and sleep.”
“Addie,” he said, pausing while he picked up his computer bag and his keys. “I really can’t ask—”
I put my finger to his lips. “You aren’t asking. I’m telling. There’s a difference. Trust us, we have your back here. We’re all business owners and this could have happened to any of us. You’ve got the place two-thirds of the way cleaned up. Let us finish while you get some sleep. We can reconvene at the park at four.”
I pushed him toward the back door, sure if he didn’t leave now, he would be smothered by some very well-meaning, but suffocating, old women.
He pushed the door open and nodded as he put his hand up to block the sun from his eyes. “Okay, but only because I trust you. My phone is on. If you need anything, call? My cell number is by the phone at the front desk.”
I shoved him through the door and let it close behind me, walking with him to his truck to make sure he got in. “I will, but I won’t. This is a simple clean-up, at least for those of us who aren’t exhausted. Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t look good.”
He swallowed and I noticed his pulse jumping in his neck. “I’m as okay as I can be, considering. You’re right though. I’m exhausted. I’ll meet you at the park unless you have a problem before that.”
I saluted and opened the truck door for him. He climbed in and turned the engine over. “Thanks, Addie.”
I smiled and squeezed his hand. “You’d do the same for me. Get home safely, Ellis,” I whispered before I closed the door and watched him drive away.
When I turned back to the door, I forced myself not to roll my eyes. Audrey was hanging out the door, her tongue wagging while she hung on our every word.
“Did you get everything squared away? Sorry I couldn’t come help out. Mason was working and I had Holly,” Melissa explained while we worked inside the coffee hut.
I patted her shoulder after we set the timers on the coffee pots so they would stay hot during the ceremony. The Nightingale Diner always provided coffee for the event, but no one ever came around during the ceremony, so Ivy insisted we lock it up and join the fun.
“It didn’t take long. With everyone’s help, we had the mess cleaned up by the time the new window arrived. I’m sure it was overwhelming for Ellis since he was there cleaning all night, but you know what they say …”
“Many hands make light work.”
“Of course, two of those many hands enjoyed following me around telling me what a nice boy Ellis was. Then she’d tell me how it was equally nice that I was helping him out, so he could be here tonight to light the tree.”
She snickered. “Let me guess. Audrey.”
“Bingo,” I teased, rolling my eyes in feigned exasperation. “Have you seen him? He promised he’d be here.”
“I’m here,” came a soft voice from outside the coffee hut.
Melissa winked and pointed to the door. “When you’re finished with the timers, lock this bad boy up and then come watch. I better scoot before Holly drives her dad crazy with her nonstop singing of Oh Christmas Tree.”
I laughed and after she was gone, I waved at Ellis. He stood by the open door, leaning on the edge. “Hey, glad to see you made it.”
“It’s not hard to find your way when you’re the guest of honor. Thanks for all your hard work,” he said, offering me a smile. “I stopped in at the studio before I came over. The place looks great. I can’t thank you enough.”
I shut the light off and he helped me down the step to the ground. I locked the door and walked with him toward the gazebo. “It was no problem, Ellis. Really. Everyone stepped up and helped and by the time the window arrived, we were done. You’ll need a new window sign, though.”
He nodded, his hands in his pockets as we walked. “I ordered them about two a.m. this morning. That was the easiest part of the job.”
I rubbed his back twice as we approached the back of the gazebo, which is where the mayor’s podium was set up. It was also where the flip switch was for the tree, all ready and waiting for the new holiday season.
“I think you’re back in business then. I noticed a police cruiser every ten minutes. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about the place anymore.”
He nodded pensively, his eyes staring straight ahead. “I’m still going to find someone to install an alarm, just to be on the safe side. I’m also thinking about staying there in the evenings until whoever did this is caught.”
I grasped his arm and stopped him. His body automatically turned into me and I held his shoulders. “Whatever for?”
“To protect the place, Addie. An alarm system is fine, but there’s still a lag time on the cops or fire department getting there. If I’m there, like I was last night, I can stop anything from happening.”
I frowned, knowing I had better tread lightly. “You could, or you could get hurt or killed, Ellis. It’s so not worth that. I know it feels like it is, but in the end, it’s a building, not a life. It’s things that can be replaced and a mess that can be cleaned up. We can’t replace you.”
His eyes held mine in the darkness and he sighed, running a hand down his face. “I guess you’re right, even if I don’t want you to be. I’m just getting this studio off the ground. I have insurance, but there’s only so far that will go. I’m also worried about the other business I share a wall with. If this was a targeted attack …”
“I don’t think it was, Ellis. You’re new here and no one even knows you that well. Chances are, they chose your studio because it had the biggest window and is the furthest from the center of town.”
“You think it was kids being dumb,” he finished, his posture rigid.
“I think it was someone being dumb,” I agreed. “I could be wrong, but if I am wrong, that’s all the more reason you shouldn’t be there. Protect yourself, Ellis, don’t purposely put yourself in harm’s way.”
He held up his hand. “All right, I’ll start with the security system for now.”
“You know you can buy a freestanding system, right? You just pay a small fee every month for the monitoring and then if you outgrow this building you can take it with you. I have one for my salon if you’d like to see it.”
He nodded vigorously. “I would, yes. That could save me a lot of money while still getting the job done.”
I was about to answer when the spotlight came on and Mayor Tottle stood at the podium, his finger tapping the microphone. “Good evening, can everyone hear me okay?”
A roar from the crowd reached our ears and Ellis grabbed my hand desperately, dragging me up the stairs. I tried to balk, but he wouldn’t let go. I had to follow him or fall on my face. “Is our guest of honor here?”
He glanced around and when he turned to the left, he noticed Ellis standing in the shadows and motioned him out. By default, I was dragged along with him.
“You made it, excellent!” Mayor Tottle exclaimed. “How about a round of applause for a man who had a lot to deal with today.”
The audience clapped and I rose up on my tiptoes and whispered into his ear. “I’m going to go down by the tree. Good luck.”
He didn’t let go of my hand, instead turned his head and laid his lips by my ear. “For the love of God, please stay. I think I’m going to throw up or pass out. I don’t like doing this stuff. It makes me nauseated.”
I laughed but made sure to do it quietly. Mayor Tottle had moved into his speech about the city’s improvement projects over the last year and the increase in tourism. “Why did you agree to do it then?”
“I wasn’t given a choice,” he whispered out the corner of his mouth. “You know Audrey, right?”
This got a solid giggle snort out of me and I shoulder bumped him. “I’ll stand here, but I can’t hold your hand during the speech.”
“Speech?” he asked, his eyes wide and his voice shaky. “They didn’t say anything about a speech. They said I had to flip a switch.”
I bent over to pretend to pick something up while I laughed hysterically. When I righted myself, he was giving me the stink eye. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. You’ll be fine,” I whisper promised.
“And now,” Mayor Tottle said from the podium, “let’s discuss the crime rate.” He paused, pointedly, and gazed out over the crowd. “Bells Pass takes pride in our businesses and homes. We don’t take kindly to anyone vandalizing or causing an unnecessary stir in our little corner of the world.”
Lots of angry shouts filled the air at his words until he hushed them with his hands.
“As I’m sure you’ve all heard, our newest business, Rudolph Yoga Express, the business we are here to celebrate in fact, was vandalized last night.” More shouting and booing from the crowd was heard until the mayor spoke again. “I would suggest, with great emphasis, if anyone here tonight knows anything, or was involved, that you present yourself to the Bells Pass Police Department tomorrow morning to straighten this matter out. We will not stand for it here in Bells Pass. I am afraid we all owe Ellis David an apology for his misfortune.”
The spotlight flipped to us standing there like deer in the headlights. Ellis waved his hands wildly in embarrassment until the light switched back to the mayor. “I see Ellis brought along the gal who helped get the train back on the tracks this morning. I, for one, am thankful she stepped up, along with many other ladies here tonight, to help him out. How about a round of applause for those ladies?”
I fought the desire to hang my head. I wasn’t ungrateful for their appreciation, but I was embarrassed. I waved and that got a round of cheers. I took a step back, ready to escape, but he had my hand in a death grip.
“Enough about that now. Let’s get this tree lighting started! Ellis, come on up!”
A rousing rendition of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree was started by the Bells Pass Madrigals while Mayor Tottle motioned Ellis over. He was frozen to the spot and I couldn’t tell if he was even breathing. It was my turn to do the dragging, apparently, and I tugged him along to the podium.
Mayor Tottle pumped his hand up and down and motioned for him to take his place. He refused to let go of my hand, so I had to stand awkwardly next to him, but as far away as I could without it looking weird. Okay, who was I kidding, it was weird.
When the music ceased, he leaned into the microphone. “Good evening everyone,” he said, his voice shaking. “I suppose it’s strange I’m this nervous when I spend my days teaching six-year-olds how to do the downward-facing dog.”
Everyone in the crowd burst into laughter and that brought a smile to his face. I noticed some of the tension in his hand release a bit then. “I don’t really have a speech planned, but in light of what happened last night, I just wanted to take a second to thank everyone who jumped in to make sure the Rudolph Express wasn’t derailed permanently. To the Bells Pass Fire Department for getting there in seconds and putting out the flames,” he said as a cheer went up through the townspeople. “Officer Dennison who stood guard at the broken window until I could get plywood and then helped me secure it,” he paused while everyone clapped. Gabe stood by the choir looking ridiculously embarrassed as he always did whenever someone thanked him for something he did in the line of duty. “To Al at the lumberyard for opening the store on Thanksgiving night so I could get that plywood, and for loaning me a Shop-Vac.”
Again, heavy applause and hooting filled the night until he spoke again. “And finally, to Addie, Heather, and all of the ladies of Bells Pass who came across a scene this morning they didn’t understand, but they didn’t hesitate to order me out of my studio to sleep while they cleaned up. Because of them, a little girl’s birthday party won’t be ruined tomorrow.”
Clapping and hooting ensued and I tried to step away again, but he wouldn’t release my hand. Now it just looked like I was afraid to stand too close to him. If I wasn’t so embarrassed, it would have been comical. Instead, he tugged me back into his side and waited for everyone to quiet. “I hope you don’t mind that I make Addie the honorary switch flipper with me tonight. She’ll be representing all the wonderful people who kept me from losing it over the last twenty-four hours. Now, should we light this tree?” he asked energetically.
While everyone cheered, we walked to the side of the gazebo where the box sat for the lights. It was ceremonial, of course. Shep was below ready to hit the real switch to make it shine, but no one but a select few knew that.
“Three, two, one,” everyone yelled and our hands met as we flipped the switch. The tree lit up in blue sparkling lights and the crowd stood in reverence as the choir sang Oh Christmas Tree.
I didn’t see any of it, I was too busy being wrapped up in his strong arms and grateful heart.