Chapter 15
With the tree fastened securely to the top of Daniel’s car, it was time for the next activity on today’s agenda: tree decorating at Heartsprings Valley Cafe.
Penny, Daniel, and Eva had each driven separately, so they piled into their cars and headed toward town, Penny in the lead. The drive flew by, and before Penny knew it, the trio were pulling up in front of Holly’s cafe.
After hopping out, Penny helped Daniel untie the tree from his car roof. Eva joined, phone already out. The afternoon sun was beginning its downward dip to the west but was still sending enough warmth to keep the cold at bay.
“Have you been to the cafe yet?” Penny asked Daniel.
“Not yet,” he said as he picked at a tight knot. “I hear great things.”
“It’s one of my favorite places on the planet.”
He shot her a grin. “Because of the apple pie, right?”
Penny smiled. He really was good at paying attention. “Holly’s muffins are amazing as well. The cafe has a wonderful ambiance. You’ll see in a sec.”
“Your bookstore’s nearby, right?”
“Just across the town square,” she said, pointing.
He paused working on his knot to take in the snow-covered town square. “Gotta say, Heartsprings Valley has a great-looking downtown.”
“If there’s time later, I’ll take you on a tour.”
“I’d like that.”
Penny finished her final knot. “Ready to head inside?”
“Almost,” he said, returning to his task. A few seconds later, he nodded. “Okay, done.”
“I’ll bring the tree kit.”
“Thanks.” He opened the front passenger door, retrieved the cardboard box, and handed it to her. He then pulled the tree off the car and hoisted it over his shoulder.
Box in hand, she hurried to the cafe door and held it open as Daniel eased the tree inside, Eva a step behind.
As the cafe’s always-welcome aroma of fresh-baked goods wafted over her, Penny let out a happy sigh. With the afternoon sun streaming through the big front windows, the cafe’s holiday decorations — gobs of tinsel and lights and Christmas ornaments — were literally sparkling.
Over at the counter, Holly was ringing up a customer. She caught Penny’s eye and pointed to an open spot near the front windows. “You made it! Join you over there in a sec.”
Deftly, Daniel maneuvered the tree past tables and chairs and gently lowered it to the floor. “Here, right?”
“Yep,” Penny said as she joined him. She set the tree kit box on a nearby table. “First things first. Let’s get the mat down.”
She retrieved the mat from the box and set it on the floor between the tables. “Okay,” she said, eyeing the distances. “That looks right.”
“And next up is…?”
“The stand.” She grabbed it from the box and set it in the center of the mat. “We’ll fill it with water once the tree is screwed in.”
She took a step back as Daniel placed the tree in the stand.
“Does it look straight?” he asked.
She moved around, taking in the tree from different angles. “Almost. Move the top a bit closer to you.”
He shifted the tree and looked at her for confirmation.
“Yes, that’s good.”
“I need to tighten the screws at the base. Would you mind…?”
She stepped forward and took hold of the tree. “Happy to.”
“I’m letting go. Ready?”
The tree was a lot taller than Penny, but holding it steady proved easy enough. She breathed in, enjoying the fresh evergreen smell. “I’m good.”
He dropped to the floor and started tightening the screws.
“Here’s a holiday question for you,” she said as he worked. “Did you have Christmas trees growing up?”
“Not live ones. We had a silver artificial tree we stored in a box in the front closet.”
“Those can be nice,” she said, trying to be diplomatic.
“This one’s much better.” He finished with the last of the screws. “Okay, time for a test. Let go of the tree.”
She took her hands off the tree and, to their mutual relief, it stayed upright.
“Give it a little push,” he said.
She gently nudged the tree and it stayed secure. “Hurray!”
“Any adjustments I need to make?”
She took a step back. “Nope, looks good.”
He rose to his feet and looked in the cardboard box. “We need something to cut the twine.”
Penny gestured to Holly, who was ringing up another customer. “I’ll ask.” She made her way to the counter, where her friend, without missing a beat, reached under the counter and handed her a pair of scissors.
“Thanks.”
“You guys are doing great,” Holly said. “I’ll join in a bit.”
Penny returned to the tree and handed Daniel the scissors. “The honor is yours.”
With a smile, he quickly cut through the twine. The tree seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as its branches opened.
“Hmm,” Penny said. “Some of these branches need adjusting.”
As she moved branches to cover gaps, Holly joined them, carrying three mugs.
“What’s this?” Daniel asked.
“Hot chocolate,” Holly said, handing each of them a mug. “To fortify you for the work ahead.”
“Thank you.”
Penny brought her mug to her lips and breathed in the heavenly aroma. “Your cafe has the best smells.”
Holly smiled and gestured to the tree. “You picked well. The tree fits perfectly.”
Eva piped up. “Mrs. North, the hot chocolate is awesome.”
“Thank you, Eva. But remember, we talked about this. You need to start calling me Holly. You aren’t a kid anymore.”
“Okay, Holly,” the girl replied, then let out a laugh. “I’m sorry, but calling you Holly sounds kind of … weird? I’ve always thought of you as being so much —”
And in that moment, almost as if a dash of maturity had arrived just in time, Eva froze. The word she was about to say — “older” — didn’t actually leave her lips. Instead, she stammered, “What I mean is, what I meant to say is, I’ve always been a kid and you’ve been a grownup, and now….”
“It’s okay, Eva,” Holly said. “I get it.”
Daniel spoke up. “Here’s an interesting factoid about age.
The number of years separating us will never change, but percentage-wise, the age gap between us is always getting smaller.
On the day you’re born, a twenty-year-old is 7,300 times older than you.
When you turn ten, that same person — now thirty — is just three times older than you.
When you’re sixty, the eighty-year-old is only one third older. ”
Eva was listening intently. “So every day, I become more like you.”
“It happens fast.”
Eva’s phone buzzed. She looked at it and frowned. “Oh, hey. I have to leave for a bit. I’m using my mom’s car and she needs me to drive her to the community center.”
“That’s fine,” Daniel said. “No worries.”
“But it’s not fine. You can’t decorate the tree without me filming it.”
“I have a suggestion,” Holly said.
All eyes swung to her.
“I realized this morning that I don’t have as many ornaments as I thought I did for the tree. A bit of shopping might be needed.”
“Oh,” Penny said. “That’s easy. We can get ornaments at Cane Hardware.”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
Penny turned to Eva. “How about this. Daniel and I will get ornaments while you drive home to pick up your mom, and we’ll all meet back here to do the decorating.”
“You’ll wait for me before you start?”
“We will.”
“That sounds perfect,” Eva said. “Thank you! I’ll be back as soon as I can!” Without another word, she dashed out of the cafe.
“So,” Daniel said, turning to Penny, a gleam of anticipation in his warm brown eyes. “We’re finally free.”
A jolt of excitement shot through Penny. Was he saying that because he wanted to spend one-on-one time with her, without Eva hovering? “Indeed,” she said lightly. “A temporary reprieve from our grueling filming schedule.”
Daniel smiled. “The hardware store’s nearby, right?”
“Just across the square.”
“How about on the way there, you take me on that tour you mentioned?”
“I’d like that.”
When Penny turned to Holly, she found her friend looking at her with a small, knowing smile. Ignoring the flutter in her chest, Penny said, “We won’t be long.”
“No rush,” Holly said. “I’ll be here.”
Penny turned to Daniel. “Ready when you are.”
With a smile, Daniel gestured to the cafe door. “Lead the way, Penny Quinn.”