On Christmas Avenue

by Ginny Baird

  She liked that he was being straight with her. Besides Judy, not many other people were.

  “So, maybe, just maybe. You’ve got a bit of wanderer in you. You’re traveling, you’re searching for the next best thing.”

  She held her breath, because it felt like he’d just taken a page from her soul and read it completely. How could he know her so well?

  “Mary, it’s okay to search. Okay to question.” He scanned her eyes. “It’s also okay to decide that you’re tired of traveling.”

  “But I…” Her chin trembled. “Don’t have any place to go home to. Not really.”

  “I know that’s how you feel, and I’m sorry.” He took her hand, and she let him, savoring the comfort of their connection, and his warm understanding of her. “Maybe someday. If you happened upon the right place…”

  “I think I might be there soon.”

  He squeezed her hand. “Yeah?”

  “I have a lot to sort through,” she said. “A lot that I’m dealing with.”

  He sighed and released her hand. “Don’t we all.”

  They sat a while watching the ice skaters go by while both of them finished their hot chocolate. He seemed like he was trying to get up the nerve to say something. Finally, he said, “Richmond’s not that far away, you know.” He winked. “Something to keep in mind for the future, once you’ve sorted everything out.”

  Mary’s heart felt full to bursting, but then it broke a little, because she grasped what Evan was driving at. He was hinting that maybe someday they could have a relationship, and that he’d be willing to undertake it long-distance. But the long-distance he was contemplating didn’t stretch all the way to Seattle. Evan was right about who she was, and how she saw herself. She couldn’t possibly stay in one place. That was antithetical to who she was.

  They both stood and tossed their empty cups in a trash bin. “This has been really great,” she said meaning it. “Thank you.”

  “Thank you for coming up with the idea,” he said. “I had a lot of fun.”

  “Me, too.” This outing had been memorable. Special. A nice escape from the new pressures she was under. But now, she had to go back to the inn and face the music. She only had two more days to save Clark Creek.

  He thought a moment, then said, “My niece, Chloe, is going to be in a ballet tomorrow. I know you have a lot going on with the parade—”

  “Oh yeah, I know.” She stepped back, preparing to leave. “I plan to be there.”

  “Do you?” He looked pleased. “That’s great. So do I. So, I guess I’ll see you there?”

  “Yeah,” she said with a wave. “See you there!”

  Mary strolled back to the inn, her heart hurting. Evan was such a nice man and he was beginning to like her a lot. She returned those feelings. But where could any of this lead? If she bankrupted the town that would definitely change Evan’s opinion of her. He’d never consider dating her then. And Seattle would be completely out of the picture. She’d likely be unemployed and needing to move on from Richmond, to some other place where she could start fresh.

  She so wanted to believe that her fundraising efforts could still be successful. But for the first time in a long while, she felt anxious and afraid. She hated those feelings. They reminded her of when she was a kid and had no control over her circumstances. Just when she and her mom had made themselves at home in a new hotel, the rug would get yanked out from under them and they’d be sent to someplace new. That was a big reason she’d opted to take charge of her destiny, by deciding on her own terms when it was time for her to move on, before anyone else could dictate that for her.

  If she ruined Clark Creek financially, things would be out of her hands again. As often as she’d changed jobs, Mary had never been fired from any of them…

  She breathed deeply and tried to focus her energy on the tasks at hand. The best way to face her fears was for her to get up early in the morning, have some strong coffee, and figure out how to fix the mess she’d made with that thirty-thousand-dollar over-expenditure. Maybe it wasn’t too late.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The next day, Mary sat at a breakfast table at the inn with her laptop on the table.

  “More coffee?” Andrea asked, walking over. The younger woman with a ponytail was bright-eyed and cheerful, having risen even earlier than Mary to prepare the Clark Creek B&B’s delicious bacon and egg breakfast with homemade buttermilk biscuits.

  “Yes, thanks!”

  A few couples had been eating in the breakfast area, which was set up with cozy tables and chairs. They finished their meals and said good morning to Mary as they passed her, leaving. One of the couples was Geraldine and Gerald. Both wore their coats like they were headed outdoors.

  “Please thank your friend again for us for the heroic save,” Geraldine said.

  Gerald zipped up his jacket. “Yes, please do. I don’t know what might have happened to my bunny if he hadn’t stepped in.”

  “I’ll be sure to pass your thanks along to Sheriff Clark,” Mary said.

  “Oh?” Geraldine smiled. “He’s the sheriff? No wonder he’s so quick on his feet.”

  Gerald winked. “Probably lots of practice chasing after those bad guys.”

  Mary chuckled at his joke, doubting there were too many bad guys circulating around Clark Creek. At the moment, the only person here with destructive potential seemed to be her.

  “You two headed out this morning?” Mary asked, as Geraldine and Gerald put on their hats.

  “We’re going on a sleigh ride,” Geraldine said happily. “Marshall set it up.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Mary told them. “I hope you have the best time. And, if I haven’t said so already, happy anniversary.”

  “Why, thank you,” Gerald said.

  Mary returned her gaze to her computer, scanning her budget. It was so last minute, there really wasn’t anything she could cut, besides her consulting fee. She was certainly willing to do that, but Davenport wouldn’t like it, since her earnings brought in revenue to the company. Her fee was actually more than she received in take-home pay, since a portion of it went into overhead and benefits. She could ask Davenport to waive a partial salary payment, but that would be a very unusual request. If she was going to do that, she might as well quit. That was assuming she didn’t get fired first for ruining the reputation of the firm.

  Her heart pounded in nervous anticipation as she went through the other parade expenses on her spreadsheet. Clark Creek’s expenditures for policing and public works definitely couldn’t be cut, and the rest of the support was down to volunteers. She’d budgeted ten thousand dollars for souvenirs and other parade supplies, like printing tickets and the programs.

  Luckily, that one generous Santa’s Circle donation she’d received from the ski resort gentleman would be enough to cover that. She’d hoped for more higher-level donations, but at this late date it was unlikely she’d receive them. And, with that costly T-shirt purchase, she’d overrun her budget by—she gulped—twenty-seven thousand dollars.

  Her palms felt damp as she clicked through her spreadsheet, examining each column with an eagle eye. The ticket and program printing expenses were already fixed, and she was scheduled to pick those up today. She’d ordered one thousand each of the one-dollar-per-item souvenirs, because she’d anticipated at least three thousand ticket sales at five dollars each. Given the size of the town and the number of visitors she expected from elsewhere, including those in Hopedale who’d promised to come, she thought she was mostly on target with that.

  But, hoping that all of those voluntary ticket buyers would also purchase a fifteen-dollar T-shirt was a bit of a stretch. Since parade tickets were optional, not everyone attending would buy one, and in some cases, such as with couples or families, people might purchase fewer tickets than the actual number in their group, since ticket purchases were viewed as donations.

  Mary rubbed her forehead. Even some folks not purchasing tickets might wind up buying T-shirt
s. Nobody was going to buy three thousand of them at fifteen dollars, though. Mary guessed she’d have to sell them at a lower price to be able to move as many as possible, in case she couldn’t return them. Her heart clenched when she realized she might even need to sell them at—or below—cost.

  She clicked to another section of her spreadsheet showing pledges in support of the various floats, but most of those proceeds were earmarked to go directly to those organizations. Just a small portion would go to the town. There certainly wasn’t enough excess to make up for her enormous mistake. Mary set down her coffee, her stomach feeling sour.

  She intended to go up to her room and start making phone calls, double-checking with all the donors to make sure they were on board. She could even try seeing if any of them would be willing to increase their already generous donations by giving a little more. Mary knew it was a lot to ask at the holidays, especially of people who’d already given so much. All of Clark Creek had come together in support of her parade, including those kind families who’d opened up their homes as temporary Airbnbs.

  And now, it could all fall apart due to her ineptness. Though her mistake hadn’t been intentional, she’d made it nonetheless. She’d come here to help the town get back on its feet. Instead, she felt just like the Grinch, about to steal Christmas right out from under Clark Creek. If there was any way humanly possible, Mary wasn’t going to let Clark Creek’s citizens down. She intended to keep working this problem until she found a solution. Somewhere. Somehow.

  Maybe what she really needed was a miracle.

  Evan finished his meeting with his staff in the second-floor conference room, after briefing everyone on the parade and how that would impact their offices. His dispatcher Helen normally worked from home, but she always attended staff meetings. Itzel had offered to direct the volunteers helping Mary with parade lineup. Dennis would assist Evan with crowd control by patrolling the parade route and ensuring everyone was watching at a safe distance while staying back from the road.

  Helen was the last to leave, as it took her a little longer in her electric wheelchair. “I’d like to help too,” she said, looking up. “Maybe with ticket or T-shirt sales?”

  Evan smiled at the efficient middle-aged woman with graying red hair. She was incredibly smart and had nerves of steel. She could calm even the most frantic caller into providing her with critical information. “Having you available for dispatch will be a huge help. I’m hoping the day’s uneventful, but you never know.”

  Her face fell, and he guessed why. If she was at home and on call with the equipment, she’d entirely miss the parade. He kicked himself for being so thoughtless and suggested an alternative.

  “Tell you what,” Evan said. “Why don’t we have any incoming calls forwarded to your cell phone? That way you won’t have to miss all the fun.”

  She beamed at him. “That would be great.” She hesitated, then added, “Bernie would like to help out, too.” Evan knew her husband Bernie had macular degeneration, so his eyesight had been compromised, but he could certainly assist in some way.

  “Having more hands on deck would be amazing, Helen. Thank you. Please thank Bernie for me, too.”

  Helen left and Connie peeked in the room as Evan gathered his notes off the table.

  “There you are,” she said, her eyes shining. He could tell she was in a good mood. She always was around Christmas. “I wanted to ask you about Mary using this conference room for her operations center for the rest of this week. She requested a large table for her parade lineup planning, and she has other things to organize. She has all those boxes in your office to unpack, for one thing. I was thinking maybe you could help her?”

  “Of course,” he said, pleased by the opportunity. After their ice-skating outing, he’d been wondering when he’d see her again. He knew she’d be at the ballet tonight, but she was going with Itzel, so he could hardly ask her out for dinner afterwards. Not unless he wanted to invite the both of them, and he didn’t want to intrude on their girl time since they’d already made plans.

  It was hard to believe the parade was the day after tomorrow. The time had gone so quickly, and soon Mary’s time in Clark Creek would be over. When she’d arrived here, all he’d been able to think of was getting rid of her. Now, he found himself regretting the fact that she had to go. He’d told her things he hadn’t told to many people, and she’d shared private details about her life with him. Instead of satisfying his curiosity, their conversation had only piqued it, and Evan found himself wanting to learn more.

  His mom cocked her head. “I heard you and Mary went ice skating last night.”

  Evan’s ears warmed. “Who told you that?”

  “Marshall.”

  “Marshall?”

  “One of his guests was apparently singing your praises earlier today—something about the sheriff and his ‘girlfriend’ saving Geraldine from near disaster.”

  “Oh, uh…that.”

  His mom shot him a hopeful look. “Evan?”

  “It’s nothing, Mom. It’s just that Mary’s been working so hard, I thought it would be nice for her to take a break.” He shoved his hands in his uniform pockets. “Plus, we made a bet.”

  “What kind of bet?”

  “She bet me that, if she could solve our parade lodging problems, I would take her skating.”

  His mom clapped her hands together. “Ooh, so it was her idea, was it?”

  He shifted on his feet. “We both agreed to the wager.”

  She got a twinkle in her eye. “I see.”

  “I need to head back to my office and wrap up a few things, so I’m not late for Chloe’s ballet.”

  “The Nutcracker, yes!” his mom said, like she’d suddenly remembered. “I’d better scoot along, too, and collect your dad.”

  Evan smiled, knowing they carpooled together since Public Works was located in the basement of this same building.

  “I heard that Mary’s going to be there,” his mom said with a knowing grin. “Vivi Torres told me she and Itzel are going together.”

  Mary had been so busy with her phone calls she hadn’t been able to check the slew of new text messaging coming in, or her emails. She hoped a lot of those messages brought good news in terms of increased sponsorship. She planned to read through them and respond before heading to the Children’s Theater to meet Itzel for Chloe’s ballet.

  At the moment, she was loading the back of her SUV with boxes of programs and tickets from the printers. Snow cascaded from the sky, coating the tops of her boxes, and she wiped them clean with her gloves before sliding them into the back of her SUV. Connie had mentioned something about her using a conference room at the courthouse to organize her parade materials tomorrow, and that sounded like a fantastic idea.

  She drove back to the inn to freshen up before going to the theater. She and Itzel had discussed grabbing a light dinner after the show, and she’d been really happy about Itzel suggesting it. She’d basically eaten all her meals alone since coming to Clark Creek, which was natural for a woman traveling on her own on business. Besides that, she was accustomed to it. Still, it would be fun to have the company, and Itzel seemed like such a good person.

  While she hadn’t shared a meal with anyone in Clark Creek, at least she’d had coffee and hot chocolate with the sheriff. Her mind started drifting into a fantasy about her and Evan enjoying a romantic candlelight dinner together at the Taverna Italiana. It was an intimate place with a cozy atmosphere and Chianti bottles holding candles on every table.

  Mary nearly missed her turn on Maple Street, dreaming up what she and Evan might order and imagining them swapping tastes of their delicious food. She shook her head to clear it of the image, but the picture in her imagination hung on.

  She envisioned the two of them drinking wine and toasting each other, while laughing at each other’s jokes. Then the moment grew tender between them. He gazed into her eyes and leaned across the table to give her a kiss.

  She pulled into the inn�
��s driveway, knowing she really should stop thinking about Evan in such romantic terms. But it was hard not to think romantically about him, when she recalled the way he’d embraced her at the skating rink, and how he’d sweetly held her hand later during their intimate talk.

  If she were a different sort of person, the kind who liked to stay in one place and put down roots, then Evan would definitely be somebody she’d consider putting down roots with. But Mary wasn’t there yet. It wasn’t who she was. Who I am is that wanderer Evan talked about. A totally free spirit, somebody who feels happiest when she’s on the go, and so…She heaved a breath. I need to keep going.

  Fingers crossed, all would turn out well with the parade and she’d be going to Seattle.

  Chapter Nineteen

  When Evan arrived at the Children’s Theater, the auditorium was packed. Marshall saw him and waved him over. He was sitting next to Itzel, and Mary was on her other side. Nash was on the far side of Marshall, and there was one vacant seat beside him. Evan supposed that had been saved for him. He greeted the group, and Nash surprised him by moving over.

  “I can take this seat,” he said, “and we can all slide down one so you can sit on the other end next to Mary.” He shot Evan a guileless look. “Thought that might be nice since you’ve been working together.”

  Evan’s mom turned around from where she sat with his dad in front of the others. “Evening, Evan.” The lights started to dim. “Looks like you made it just in time.”

  People moved over and Evan sidestepped down the row, being careful to avoid everyone’s feet, and took the seat next to Mary. He felt awkward about it, but he couldn’t very well decline Nash’s offer. Something that Nash pointedly knew. The sneak.

  Itzel greeted him with a wave of her program. “Long time no see.”

  He nodded and waved at everyone, then his gaze fell on Mary. She said “Hi,” but had her nose in the program and barely looked up.