Christmas in Evergreen

by Nancy Naigle

  Allie had said she was going to see if Barbara had a room for Spencer, but he’d thought she was just being polite, assuming Spencer would stay at her house last night. He did get an ounce of satisfaction out of knowing the man hadn’t.

  Ryan stepped into Barbara’s big country kitchen, trying to seem aloof. “Hey. How’s it going?”

  Spencer put down his phone. “Hey. I was just checking flights to DC here.” Spencer put his hand over his mug, motioning to the coffee Barbara had prepared for them. “Coffee?”

  “You’re not taking the helicopter back?”

  “No.” Spencer laughed. “That’s a favor we can only use one time.”

  “Oh? We?” Ryan grabbed the coffee carafe from the table and poured a cup for himself. “I thought Allie said she was staying here for Christmas.”

  “Well, she was, but we talked last night and I’m hoping she might change her mind.”

  “Oh…well, that’s…that’s good.” He sipped his coffee.

  “Yeah.” Spencer seemed to be struggling for the right words. “I think once we get back to DC and she gets settled in her new job, it’s going to be smooth sailing.” But the words were much more confident than his body language. “So…”

  The sound of the front door opening and footsteps coming toward the kitchen halted their conversation. Allie walked in, slowing to a stop and making the slightest gasp of surprise when she laid eyes on both Spencer and Ryan—together.

  “There she is.” Spencer bounded from his chair and came around the table to greet her with a kiss.

  “Hi.” Allie turned her head away just as Spencer came in for the kiss, leaving him once again with her cheek.

  “Hi.” Spencer wrapped his arm possessively around her waist.

  “Hey,” she said to Ryan.

  “Hey.”

  Her smile was tight. “Hi,” she said again to no one in particular.

  Ryan felt responsible for the awkward situation they were all in this morning. He’d gotten carried away. Maybe he should go make a wish on that snow globe to turn back the last twenty-four hours. Or at least the part where he’d shown up with the tree.

  Allie held a steady forced grin, and for a moment no one said another word.

  Zoe stepped into the room and stared at them. “Why is everyone just standing around?”

  “Uhh. We should go,” Allie said. “To the diner. Ezra was going to stop by and give us an update of the roads. About the roads. On the roads.” She let out a breath. “Whatever.” She turned and headed to the door.

  Zoe shrugged.

  “Great?” Spencer said.

  Ryan rolled with it. “Yeah.” He followed Zoe, who was right behind Allie.

  “Okay.” Spencer grabbed his coat from the back of the chair and headed outside to catch up with Ryan, Allie, and Zoe for the short walk to the diner.

  When Allie, Spencer, Ryan, and Zoe reached the Chris Kringle Kitchen, Carol was already pouring cups of coffee to a room full of more than twenty locals. Most of the festival volunteers, along with Nick, looked like they’d been there for a while, if the empty breakfast plates were a good indicator. Everyone was eager to know if the road in and out of Evergreen would be opened today or not.

  Ezra showed up a few minutes later. He stood in front of them with an air of authority he hadn’t earned yet. Standing at the back of the diner, he called everyone to attention. “Listen up everybody. I have an update on the road situation.”

  Everyone stood and lined up to get the latest news.

  Ryan stood behind Zoe, his hands on her shoulders. “Is it open?” he asked hopefully.

  “It’s not,” Ezra announced matter-of-factly.

  There was a collective groan, and Michelle let out a loud moan of disappointment. Allie felt bad for her. She’d worked so hard on the festival, and Allie knew from experience that the festival wouldn’t be the same if it were only for Evergreen.

  “But!” Ezra raised a brow and lifted a hand in the air. “It will be by tomorrow night, so we can have the Christmas eve festival the next day as planned.” Ezra was so pleased with his little act there that he started applauding for himself.

  There was a cheer this time. People shook hands and clapped, and Allie saw Michelle step over to the snow globe and say, “Thank You.”

  Who could blame her for wishing on the snow globe for things to work out? It did seem as if everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. But her friend had risen to the occasion.

  “You’re going to love it,” Allie was saying to Spencer as Carol grabbed her arm and tugged her away. “I’ll be right back.”

  Carol dragged her to the side. “Spencer flew in on a helicopter?”

  Word sure had traveled fast. “Oh, Mom, don’t start,” she stage-whispered.

  “What happened to it not being a big deal? This seems pretty big.”

  “It’s not.” But it was. How could she play something like that off? Who had access to a helicopter? In a snowstorm? She was still having trouble wrapping her head around it herself. “It was a small helicopter.” That was a lame rebuttal and she knew it. She had no idea if it was a small helicopter, and in any case, what did it matter?

  Her mother’s expression made it clear that the explanation hadn’t helped. “What about Ryan?”

  “What about him?” She was not up to dealing with all of this today.

  “Allison Louise, I can tell there’s something happening between you two.”

  “It’s not. It’s nothing. No, there’s not. Nothing’s happening and it’s no big deal.” She smiled through clenched teeth, but her hands were fisted in aggravation. If only Spencer hadn’t shown up. Although part of her was glad to have seen this side of him now. She escaped from her mom’s prying questions and headed over to where he and Ryan were standing.

  Spencer put his arm around her and rubbed her neck.

  Allie forced herself to act happy as she spoke to Ryan. “So that’s good news. You’ll be able to head to Florida after all.”

  “Yes, that is great. Zoe, isn’t that great news?”

  “Yeah. It’s great.” Zoe slipped away from her dad. Allie watched her walk over to counter. She didn’t look very happy. “I’m counting on you!” she said, wagging her finger at the snow globe.

  That globe was getting a lot of action today. What had Zoe wished for? The girl folded her arms on the counter and propped her chin on them, staring at the snow globe as if she were daring it to let her down.

  Who was Allie to judge? She’d made her own wish on it the other day, too.

  “I guess we know all we needed to know. Are we ready to head back?” Allie asked.

  Spencer nodded, and Ryan and Zoe fell in step behind them. Allie opened the door, and they all stepped out onto the sidewalk.

  “This is terrific.” Spencer stopped out front of the diner. “If the road opens by tomorrow night, we can still make it to Washington D.C. for Christmas.”

  Allie sucked in a breath.

  “I mean,” Spencer continued, “if that’s what we decide that’s what we want to do, of course.”

  She glanced over at Ryan. “Right,” Allie said. “We just have to decide…”

  “Right,” Spencer said.

  Allie smiled at Ryan and Zoe. She’d miss them. “Well, since we’ll all be here at least a little while longer. What do you want to do?”

  Nick walked out of the diner. “Good afternoon.” He tipped his face to the sky as if enjoying the soft falling snow. “Beautiful weather for ice skating.” Then with a quick nod he was off, his red scarf trailing over his shoulder.

  “Can we go ice skating?” Zoe asked with delight.

  “Oh! That sounds fun,” Allie said. “There’s a gorgeous ice skating rink in town. Should we all go?” S
he turned to Spencer, whose phone was vibrating in his pocket.

  “Yes!” Zoe said.

  “Yeah, that sounds great,” Ryan agreed.

  “I’d love to,” Spencer said, holding his phone. “But I’ve actually got a conference call and it could take a couple of hours.”

  “Oh.” Allie was disappointed. It had been a long time since she’d skated. It would be so much fun with Zoe too, but she should probably stay back with Spencer. “Okay.”

  Spencer raised his hands. “But you guys go ahead, and I’ll catch up with you later.”

  “Wait. Really?” Allie’s mood buoyed. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.” He rubbed his hand along her back.

  “Okay.” She turned her attention to Zoe and Ryan. “Well, now we just need to find y’all some skates!”

  “Yes,” Zoe said with a fist pump.

  “Okay, well, we’re going to head to the rink,” she said to Spencer. “We’ll take the back way so we go by my house so I can get my skates and to see if I have a pair in my garage that will fit Zoe. You can walk with us, or just go straight to the inn.”

  “Okay.” He put his hand at the small of her back protectively. Allie tensed at the gesture. “I’ll see you when you get back.”

  “Okay. Great.” Allie stepped over next to Ryan and Zoe.

  Spencer gave them a nod. “Have fun.”

  She and Ryan and Zoe started walking toward her house. Was it her imagination, or did something in Ryan’s expression change as they walked down the street? He seemed happier. More relaxed.

  Zoe, on the other hand, was amped up to be going skating.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Ryan was thankful Spencer had a conference call and couldn’t join them. That guy just didn’t seem like a lot of fun. He let Allie lead the way to her house, but when they got there, he lifted the garage door for her.

  Allie and Zoe went inside to start the ice skate hunt. It shouldn’t have surprised him that she made a beeline right to her skates. She brushed the dust off them and set them aside.

  “Been a while since these have been used,” she said with a laugh. She glanced over at Zoe. “Are you going to be warm enough?”

  “Sure.”

  “Wait a second.” She darted into the house and came back with a cream-colored infinity scarf and two pairs of gloves. She draped the scarf around Allie’s neck. “That’s better. My mom made that for me.”

  “It’s so pretty. Thanks.”

  “And gloves.” Allie put her gloves on, too. “We’re ready for ice skating now.”

  “Yes!”

  “How about you, Ryan?”

  “No girly scarf for me, thank you.”

  “Ha ha.” She moved a couple of cans of tennis balls over and pulled out a pair of pink ice skates for Zoe. “These were mine when I was little. I wonder if they might fit you?”

  “I hope so.” She tried them on. “They are a little bit big, but I think they would work.”

  “Let me see.” Allie pressed her thumb down on the end of the skates. “I think one more pair of socks and if we lace them up nice and tight, you’ll be all set.” She moved things back into place. “Now we just have to find skates for your dad. I bet my dad has an old pair that will work. We’ll walk down to Mom and Dad’s on the way. Dad never throws anything away.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Ryan said.

  Her parents’ house was less than a block away. “It must be nice to be so close to family,” he said.

  “It is.” She punched in the code on the panel at the garage door, and it lifted.

  This garage was just as organized as hers. Like father, like daughter. What habits of his would Zoe would carry on? Hopefully not his messy handwriting. Or working too much.

  Allie led the way to the back right corner. On the wall there was an assortment of sporting equipment: everything from badminton to water skis. On a wooden board there were at least ten pair of ice skates from when he coached the teen hockey team. “Jackpot,” Allie yelled.

  Zoe ran over to check them out. “They look brand new.”

  “My dad is fanatical about taking care of things. They’re probably better than new.” She turned back to the rack. “What size do you wear, Ryan?”

  “Eleven and a half. A twelve would work.”

  “No problem. Here are two pairs.” She raised them in the air. “You choose.”

  Ryan picked out the pair that fit him best, then carried them to the door. “This is great, Allie. Thanks.”

  “I think we have everything we need. It’s going to be fun!” They stepped outside, and Allie pressed the button to close the garage bay door behind them. They walked down her driveway to the sidewalk. “This way,” she said, leading the way.

  Zoe skipped ahead of them, swinging her arms and pretending to do ice skating tricks on the sidewalk.

  Ryan shifted the pair of skates in his arms. “Where did the day go?” It was already starting to get dark.

  “I know. I hate that it gets dark so early this time of year.” Then she brightened. “Then again, we get to enjoy the Christmas lights that much longer.”

  “That’s true.”

  Zoe stopped at the corner. “Which way?”

  Allie pointed to the left.

  “Wait up,” he said.

  Zoe twirled until he and Allie caught up with her.

  “We’re almost there,” Allie said.

  A couple of blocks ahead, lights adorned huge cedar trees. A white cross-board fence outlined the skating rink filled with holiday skaters.

  “Now that’s cool.” Ryan wondered what his life with Sarah would’ve been like had they chosen that small-route all those years ago, rather than starting his practice in the city. He’d been young and eager. Maybe being older now, he could appreciate it more. His priorities had definitely changed over the years.

  The closer they got to the skating rink, the louder the laughter and chatter filled the air like a song. The energy was contagious.

  They took off running, all three of them, and found an empty bench to change into their skates. Right behind them, the Snack Shack served hot cocoa, bags of freshly popped popcorn for a quarter, and a selection of cookies. On every decorative lamppost around the arena, fat red ribbons streamed from wreaths made of mittens in every color imaginable. Holiday music instrumentals filled the air, and the skaters filled in the words.

  “Ready?” Allie stood. Zoe took her hand.

  He pushed up from the bench with a wobble. “I think so.”

  The three of them joined hands and stepped out onto the ice. Other skaters whizzed by. They took it slowly the first lap around.

  Finally, they were all getting the rhythm of the strides and sailing across the ice with ease.

  Ryan held his arms out for balance. “This is a lot of fun. I haven’t skated in forever.”

  “Years,” Allie said. “For me it’s been years.”

  “Has it?”

  “Yeah. So, a lot more recently than you.”

  But they were all skating at a comfortable pace now. Like riding a bicycle. He tugged on Zoe’s hand and whipped her and Allie around in a circle. They cheered as they picked up speed.

  “Whoa! I’m going to take a break.” Allie slid to a stop at a nearby bench.

  “Okay.” Ryan dropped to the seat next to her. “Have fun, Zoe.”

  Zoe pushed off with her right skate and sailed across the ice with her arms gracefully slicing the air. “I feel like I’m flying!”

  Allie placed her gloved hands on her knees and managed, out of breath, “Does Zoe ever get tired?”

  “No,” he said, huffing. “She would stay out here all night if you’d let her.”

  “How could there be that much e
nergy in such a tiny little body?”

  “Medically speaking, it’s impossible. Nobody knows.”

  They lapsed into silence, enjoying the moment as Zoe skated back and forth in front of them. She was quite graceful and was picking up speed and turning nicely, too.

  Ryan’s cheeks hurt from smiling. He loved spending time with Allie, and that smile on Zoe’s face was better than a lifetime of cruises from Florida. He noticed that Allie seemed contemplative. “Is everything okay?”

  “What?” She almost seemed startled. “Oh, yeah. Great.”

  Selfishly he wanted her to be enjoying their time together. Before he could stop himself, he said, “Because if you want to go spend time with Spencer, I totally get it.”

  “No. This is fun, and he’s working anyway. It’s fine.”

  “He seems like a good guy.”

  She paused. “He is.”

  He wished he hadn’t brought Spencer up.

  “You know, I always…” She cleared her throat. “I always thought that we were in the same place even though we lived far apart. We always saw things the same way. Wanted the same things. But…” She shifted her gaze toward the trees. “Now that we’re going to be living in the same place, I don’t know that it’s that true anymore.”

  “What do you want?”

  Allie looked at him, their gaze holding the question.

  Realizing how that must have come across, he tried to correct. It wasn’t any of his business. He made a jokey smile. “I mean, like, for Christmas. Like, what’s your wish list for Santa?”

  Relieved for the reprieve, she took a quick second to consider. “Ohh. A pony.”

  “Probably more reliable than your…truck.” He positioned his hands like they were on a steering wheel and cringed, knowing she had a soft spot for that old truck.

  “Hey, don’t knock my truck. That’s my grandpa’s truck. I love that truck.”

  “I’m your mechanic, so I do, too. Seriously, it’s got character.” And it had brought us together.