Page 19 of Festive Faking
“Yeah.” I allowed him to lend me a hand down from the truck. There was a surge of disappointment that I couldn’t feel his palm against my skin with the both of us wearing gloves.
What the hell is wrong with me? It was one kiss. It shouldn’t be affecting me this much.
Acting the gentleman, Mac wrapped a possessive arm around my waist before extending his free arm toward the sounds of the festive gathering. “Lead the way.”
We passed through an alleyway between the bar and the hardware store next door, emerging into the thick of the action.
“Whoa.” The impressed reaction from the man keeping me tucked to his side said it all.
Unless you’d experienced a Rust Canyon tree lighting, you didn’t know what you were missing.
The brick storefronts lining Main Street were decked out for the holidays, and it felt like we’d stepped into a greeting card. Children were laughing and running through the tight spaces between gatherings of people, the warm scent of cinnamon hung thickly in the air, and the white flakes surrounding us gave off the vibe of being inside a snow globe.
“This is insane,” Mac breathed out. “I don’t even know where to begin. I want to see it all.”
That brought a proud smile to my lips. Big cities had nothing on this.
“We should probably grab our ornaments before all the good ones have been snatched up.”
“Solid plan.” He squeezed my side.
Weaving through the mass of bodies crowded onto the shut-down street, we found our way to the stand selling ornaments. They reused the same ones every year, and the purchase was run on a donation basis. If you were able, you contributed, but if you didn’t have the funds to spare, you could still participate. No one was ever left out.
Reaching the front of the line, I pulled out of Mac’s hold and rushed into the open arms of the woman running the stand.
“Aspen,” she whispered, squeezing me tighter. “It’s so good to see you home.”
Rose Crawford had been like a second mother to me growing up. As my best friend Bex’s mother, she saw me through every major life milestone. But our reunion was bittersweet. My coming home only reminded her that her own daughter refused to return.
“Care to introduce me to your friend?” Mac’s soft tone lacked its usual teasing lilt.
I broke free from the embrace to face him. “Mrs. Crawford, this is Mac, my boyfriend.” Well, shit, if saying that out loud for the first time didn’t give me a little thrill.
“Oh, honey. You’re a grown woman now. I think it’s safe to call me by my first name.” To Mac, she said, “Rose will do just fine, young man.”
“Rose.” He extended a hand to her in greeting, which she accepted with a warm smile. “Pleasure to meet you.”
She clapped her hands. “Let’s set you two up with your ornaments! I have your favorite horse-shaped one hidden away so no one else can grab it.”
My heart swelled that she’d remembered after all these years, and I blinked furiously against the tears threatening to spill over. “Thank you.”
“Aspen!” a feminine voice called out over the din of the crowd. “Is that really you?”
In a town where everyone knew your name, it could have been anyone, so I whipped my head around to discover who was trying to gain my attention. It turned out to be an old classmate of mine, Harper, struggling to push a stroller around the crush of bodies in the street.
My first instinct was to rush to help her, and I jolted a half-step in that direction before I halted, remembering I was in the middle of a conversation.
A hand landed on my coat-clad elbow and squeezed. “Go catch up with your friend. I’ll settle us up here.”
I peeked up at Mac. “You sure?”
He gave a single nod. “Positive. When I’m done, I’ll see about getting us some drinks and come find you. Okay?”
For a split second, suspicion niggled at the back of my brain. Why was he being so nice?
But Harper’s frustrated huff demanded action, and I ducked my head. “Sounds good. Thanks.”
Taking a breath, I stepped into the crowd, bracing for a busy night of catching up with everyone I’d ever known.
