Page 12 of Silas

I don’t know what it is with this town and all their early morning shenanigans, but this city girl is having the hardest time with that adjustment. I am used to 3AM waffle dates and sleeping till noon. Giggling comes from outside the window beside me. Glancing over, I see a couple of teen girls, arm in arm, holding up a romance book between them. I didn’t know there was a bookstore here either. I will definitely have to find that soon.

Stuffing the first bite of my warm waffle with a smidge of whip cream and the perfect slice of strawberry into my mouth, I can’t help but close my eyes, sighing in contentment. Moe adds a pinch of nutmeg to his waffle batter, honestly these are some of the best waffles that I have ever tasted.

As I continue to stuff my face with waffles, I watch all the people walking by smiling and waving to each other. Some groups stopping to chat with the others. It really is such a change of pace and I love it.

Snow falls slowly outside and dusts the ground with white. My coffee is warming my insides thankfully before I have to brave the cold. I know what everyone thinks. I lived in New York City. How am I complaining about the cold? The mountain cold and the city cold are just built differently. I don’t know if it’s the elevation or the distinct part of the world, but by god this cold is in my soul.

Finishing off my waffle, I signal for Gail to come over. “I guess I will be seeing you on Saturday then.”

“That you will, dear. Be careful out there. The forecast is calling for six inches of snow tonight.”

“Will do Gail. Have a great rest of your day.”

Opening the door, the bell rings again, and I am blasted with a whirl of snowy wind. Wrapping my scarf around my neck, I breathe in a deep lungful of that crisp mountain air I am falling in love with. Pushing the air back out, looks like I will be meeting people on Saturday. Hopefully, I don’t run into Silas while I am there.

Chapter 7

Silas

We are down to only a few more days until the Christmas festival and the pack is buzzing with activity as everyone finalizes the preparations. I should check in with Gail this afternoon after she finishes her shift at the diner. I need Gail to update me on our progress and needs.

There is so much left to do and I only hope that this works because we will only have a week to fix it if it doesn’t. Everything is riding on the success of this festival. Nothing can be out of place.

I shoot off a text to Gail that I would like an update after her shift. Meanwhile, I am going to check in with the artisans to see how their wares are coming along.

The crunch of dead pine needles sound from beneath my feet as I walk to the bakery. You can already smell all the sweet doughs, sugars, and honey floating through the air. It’s really my favorite smell outside of the pine. Although we live close to town, we have quite a few of our own things to give our pack mates places to shine and give back to our pack. We have a bakery, a leather smith, a carpenter, and a mechanic.

There is a massive window with displays of all kinds of baked goods and a hand-painted sign. The door has those square window panes where you can see into the shop. Merelle is busily working behind the counter as I open the door. She pops her head up looking over to me, “Good afternoon, Silas. What can I do for you?”

“Merelle, I just wanted to check on you to see how the food is coming along for the festival on Saturday. Do you have everything that you need?”

“Oh, of course. Thank you for checking on me. I have all the dough prepared. My mate will help me tomorrow and Friday to begin the baking process.”

“You are very welcome. Be sure to let Gail or I know if you need anything in the next few days. I might not be a baker, but I will give you an extra set of hands if you need them.”

“You are too sweet Silas.”

After doing some more rounds and checking that everyone has what they need, I head back to the office. I have a couple of hours before Gail finishes at the diner, so I can finish some of this paperwork.

Knock, knock. Inhaling through my nose, I pick up the distinct notes of Gail’s scent.

Looking up from my paperwork, I spot Gail peeking her head around my wood door. Sliding my reading glasses off, I wave her over to my desk. She gives me one of her signature smiles as she walks over to the chair in front of my desk. I have been dreading this, but only because I really never thought I would be this involved in planning a festival.

“You wanted to see me for an update,” she asks.

“Yes, I just wanted to check with you about the Christmas Festival. Do you have everything that you need for it? All the booths have volunteers? Is everything ready to go?”

“I have everything that I need and we have everything ready to go, but I have one thing that I need from you.” She lifts her eyebrows at me with a coy smile on her face.

Sighing, “What are you up to?”

“Oh, nothing dear. I just have one booth that I need someone to run. I am sure that you can handle that, right?” To be completely honest, I had absolutely no expectation of working atthe festival. But it’s clear: She’s not going to change her mind on this.

“There isn’t anyone else that can run the booth for you?” I eye her skeptically.

“I am afraid not, dear. Everyone else is tied up with either booths or selling their wares. I have no one else that can run the hot cocoa stand for me. Surely, you wouldn’t mind helping out with one simple booth pouring hot cocoa into cups.”

“Fine. What time do you need me there?”

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