Page 34 of Christmas Cove

“I have no doubt. And it sounds like a fine idea,” Leo conceded.

“I think it’s a good idea as well,” Carol said, having reappeared beside them without them noticing.

“How long have you been standing there?” America asked.

“Long enough to see the way you two look into each other’s eyes,” she said and winked.

America bit back the smart remark that was swimming through her head. It was true, she had never truly looked into a person’s eyes before, the way she did with Leo. With any other man she had dated, there was a pause after about a second of eye contact in which she, or he, would look away. The simple act of seeing someone and being seen by them was as foreign to her as anything. Why could she so easily allow him to see her true self, and why was she not embarrassed to let him look?

“Are we going to light this thing or what?” Edwin said from beside the tree. He held an extension cord in each of his hands and primed himself to plug them into each other. “Can I get a countdown?”

The sun had set behind the hills, and the afterglow of twilight was dissipating at a rapid pace. She searched for Leo, who had run off when Carol startled them from behind. “Where is he?” she mumbled. “He’s going to miss this.”

A few townsfolk trickled into the plaza, though she wasn’t sure where they’d come from. The tree must have called to them, or the new spark of energy had pulled them in with its gravity. Either way, she was glad to see so many curious and glad faces.

Edwin began the countdown from ten, and the gathered people picked up his numbers. By the time he reached seven, the thundering voices converged into one unified and amplified sound with each passing word.

“Three,” America joined in. “Two. One!”

Edwin shoved the ends together, and the crowd held its breath.

Nothing happened.

Rumbles of confused complaints and queries as to what could have gone wrong rippled through the small crowd. Edwin unplugged the two ends and jammed them back together again. Still, no lights.

As Edwin traced the cords to the power source, America spotted Leo bounding up the steps to Town Hall. A moment or two later, the tree lit up like a firecracker, and the crowd was awed at the sight. She was certain it wasn’t the prettiest tree the Cove had ever seen, but she could be sure it was the best they’d had in years! The frosty night and twinkling lights on the tree were the first real sign that Christmas had arrived. Just like the light that shone over Bethlehem and announced the good news, so did this tree in its own humble way.

Leo came out of the front doors, and she could just make out the white of his teeth. He walked back down the steps slowly as though hypnotized by the sight. The tree, the Christmas tree in Christmas Cove, was back.

Soft violin music seemed to carry on the chilled air. She turned and searched the street for the source of the pretty music. Festive trills filled the plaza from everywhere at once. And then she saw it. Edwin, Pa, was sitting on the edge of the fountain with a varnished violin tucked beneath his chin and a bow in his hand.

“Oh, Holy Night,” Leo said from beside her and nearly scared her to death. The music, it seemed, had put her into a trance. “It’s my favorite.”

She met his eyes. “Mine too.”

CHAPTER19

“Are you still available today?Tonight, I mean?” Leo asked with a half grin.

America simply nodded. There was no reason for her to play coy. She wanted to be wherever he was, and he wanted to be with her. “Where are we going?”

Leo, however, was playing some kind of game when he gave a shrug for an answer.

The recurring thought that this was all some giant setup that would end with her abduction or murder ran through her mind again. Although an unserious thing to think, she regretted all those true crime shows she had watched with Poppy over the summer.

Her phone buzzed in her back pocket, and she jumped as though a bee had stung her bottom. It had been days since she’d even thought about getting reception in town. Leo had mentioned that the cell signals were hit and miss. This must have been the moment when it hit.

With the phone in her hand, the screen lit up, and she waved it in the air for Leo to see. “I need to take this.”

America took a few steps to the edge of the plaza where the music was softer, and the air was decidedly colder. She took a seat on a stone wall and answered.

“Hello, Mr. Janowitz,” she said.

“America, I understand that you’ve cleared up the mix-up from the other day, but I wanted to make sure everything was well,” he said. It wasn’t exactly a question and she let him go on without saying anything. “Have you got anything for me to look over yet? We only have a few days if we’re going to get this into the Christmas edition.”

“Yes, sir. I know, and I’m working on it. Although I was an idiot and forgot to bring my camera to town before we decorated Main Street. It was an oversight, but I have a ton of notes,” she said, though her notes were mostly mental at this point. “My copy may not be what you were expecting to see.”

“Oh?” he said. “How so?”

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