Page 58 of Sweet Surprises

But Tag, Tripp, and Charlotte were already running in to congratulate him. And his sister sat up just in time for him to fling himself to the snowy ground beside her.

“Are you okay, Olivia?” Charlotte could just hear him ask as the crowd cheered.

“I’m great,” she said, brushing snow from her coat. “My little brother just won the town snowball fight.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!”Travis announced into the mic.“Chance Lawrence, come on up here to get your prize. And please bring a parent or guardian with you.”

17

TAG

Tag watched the kids walking ahead of him through the park as the streetlamps turned on one by one, feeling sentimental as he imagined the two of them growing up.

He’d been feeling like this all week. It was almost like kissing Charlotte Kendrick had freed his imagination and his emotions, and he hadn’t even known they were locked up. Instead of worrying about what could go wrong today and tomorrow, he kept finding himself thinking about next month and next year, dreaming up so many good things that could come their way.

“I can’t believe he won,” Charlotte said, her eyes on Chance.

“I can’t believe he hasn’t smacked that thing into someone,” Tag chuckled.

Chance had been pulling the sled along behind him all day. He wouldn’t even think about letting Tag put it in the truck. And Tag hadn’t really wanted to take it from him anyway. He liked seeing Chance have a goal and do all he could to make it happen. The fact that his sister helped him in the end only made it better.

After the prize was awarded, they’d gone to the café for lunch and then to the ice cream shop. Chance and Olivia sat at a table,trying to come up with more flavor names and planning out which hills they were going to try the sled out on tomorrow. Tag and Charlotte looked at the freezers to try and figure out exactly how much ice cream they could stock so they wouldn’t run out next time there was a big event in town, and he grabbed the bag of wrapped gifts for the Giving Tree that he had stowed behind the counter.

Time seemed to slip away, and now the sun was sinking fast. It would be perfect timing for the town tree lighting. The church choir already stood in the pavilion, singing “The First Noel” as townsfolk wandered into the park.

The way the light reflected on the snow made him think of the pictures in the holiday book Olivia had loved when she was small. He had read it to her so many times that he was surprised the pages hadn’t fallen out.

“Come on, Dad,” Chance said excitedly, turning back to them. “You too, Charlotte. We want to get a good spot.”

Tag smiled at the idea. The tree was so enormous that you would have to leave the park to miss it, no matter how far back you were.

“Here we come,” Charlotte told Chance, picking up her pace. “Don’t worry.”

Chance gave her a lovelorn smile and Tag felt warmth spreading in his chest. He really loved the way she was with his kids. She seemed to know instinctively what it had taken Tag years to learn—that it didn’t cost them anything to do a silly little thing like walk a little faster, even if it didn’t make sense. She knew it was a small price to pay for one of Chance’s smiles.

“What are you smiling at?” she teased, looking up at Tag with those hypnotic hazel eyes.

“Nothing,” he growled.

He didn’t mean to be so grouchy. It was just that he wanted so badly to wrap his arms around her and kiss her again. Shelaughed to herself, as if she had read his mind, and then jogged to catch up to the kids.

Everyone was gathering in the park now, and his heart ached at the sight of his parents, hands entwined as they gazed up at the big tree. They made being happy look so easy. The teens from the snowball fight were back, and he was impressed to see that they were all carrying wrapped gifts for the Giving Tree as well.

Chance and Olivia secured their spots in the front row, and Tag and Charlotte stood behind them, leaving space up front for more children. The choir made their way over from the pavilion, past the fountain to the tree, singing as they came.

Mayor Fontaine stepped forward to welcome them as they filed their way into a semi-circle around the podium that had been set up for him, facing the small crowd. His white hair and beard were freshly trimmed, and he wore a festive red scarf that looked like the handiwork of his wife, Anna, who stood at the front of the crowd, wearing a matching one.

The song ended and the last few notes seemed to float over the silent gathering, swirling around the streetlamps and bare branches of the trees before disappearing into the night.

“That was so lovely,” the mayor said softly, with a twinkly eyed smile. “We’re very lucky in this town. We’re lucky to have each other, and to have a choir who can transport us with their voices. And we’re lucky to have such a beautiful Christmas tree. Ruth Ann, come on up here and get ready to turn on the lights.”

A teenaged girl, Seth Radkin’s daughter, came up. She was wearing a pretty dress under her coat and she clutched her gloved hands nervously, but her eyes were shining with pride.

“Ruth Ann helped us out a lot this year,” the mayor said. “She went store to store after school every day for a month, collecting donations for our Giving Tree event.”

There was applause in the audience. Somewhere behind them, Tripp let out a familiarwhoopthat made Chance and Olivia glance at each other and giggle.

Tag remembered that Ruth Ann had stopped by the ice cream shop back before Charlotte was running it. Lois had called him to ask about a donation. He’d had her take a little cash from the register to donate, since ice cream didn’t keep well enough to go under a tree.

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