Page 15 of Christmas Cove

“I remember. It knocked out the power in virtually the whole state for days.”

“That’s the one. But you see, the power went out because this reservoir fed the hydro plant downstream. The storm destroyed the dam, and the lake emptied out in just a matter of days,” Leo explained, and she could see him biting back his emotions—and lower lip. “This place, Christmas Cove, was a destination all year round. In the summer, all these cabins were full of families on holiday. There were boats and skiers, dock parties, fireworks, you name it.”

“And in the winter?” America looked at him.

“At first, after the lake drained, people still came for Christmas. After all, it is in the name, like you pointed out. But then, people moved away, sold their cabins, closed up shop, and soon there weren’t enough people around to make the whole Christmas celebration worth the trouble of putting on.”

“I had no idea,” she admitted.

“How could you?” Leo forced a smile, though she could tell the reality had a nip to it.

“Why didn’t they rebuild the dam and fill up the lake again?”

“Come on, America. You seem like a smart woman...”

“Cost?” she said.

“Follow the money, that’s what they say.” Leo kicked the gravel.

America felt a strange guilt in her heart that Leo must have noticed.

“What is it?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I just . . . I feel bad that I was so short last night about the state of things here. I had expected a Christmas town and got an old cabin in the woods instead.”

“To be honest, I was in shock that a travel magazine wanted to do a story on my little slice of...heaven.”

“You really love it here? Even without all the Christmas stuff?” America asked.

“There’s more Christmas here than you think,” he said.

“Why did the mayor want the magazine to feature Christmas Cove in the first place?” America asked as she processed Leo’s story.

He turned his gaze from the view to her eyes. His head cocked slightly to one side, with one brow raised in the middle. “Me?” he asked, confusion contorting his features.

Just then, a semi-truck laid on the horn as it blew by them on the main road and stole Leo’s attention. “My truck,” he shouted and took off in the direction where they had parked. “Let’s head back into town and I’ll show you,” he yelled back to her.

Some Christmas town, she thought. It was as bleak a setting as she had ever seen. There were no visible redeeming qualities, and yet, Leo loved something about it. A Rolodex of ideal travel locations flipped through her head. Not one compared in its solitude to the sight before her.

She whipped around at the sound of a mousy horn and saw Leo’s red painted truck peeking through the twigs.

The rideback down the hill was bumpier than before when they had pushed to the top. The road wasn’t any worse off, but boulders filled her mind. Leo, patient with his words, kept his eyes forward on the road. Although he grinned, America understood, or at least she felt, his sadness for his beloved town.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to write about Christmas Cove without any Christmas,” she finally said. “Any ideas?”

Leo nodded, but remained quiet.

The truck turned a sharp corner around a grove of naked, gray trees, and light poured from above the incoming fog to illuminate a carved wooden sign at the edge of the asphalt. The sign featured two tall pines flanking the town’s name.

“It’s beautiful,” America said. “But why is it hidden here and not on the main road?”

“That sign was commissioned over a hundred years ago when this”—Leo motioned out the window—“was the only road into town.” He gazed at America, and she could see him in her periphery. “There’s still a bit of Christmas here if you look hard enough.”

All the while, America had been planning her exit from town when she should have been taking notes. Christmas Cove did have a story to tell, and she was the only person in any meaningful position to tell it.

In an unusual turn for her, America jumped into an idea before looking. “I have an idea,” she said.

“Oh boy,” Leo said with a nervous laugh. His hand combed through the side of his hair, and he raised an eyebrow. “Let’s have it.”

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