Page 14 of Jam and Jingle Bells
“Bingo,” I teased, rolling my eyes in feigned exasperation. “Have you seen him? He promised he’d be here.”
“I’m here,” came a soft voice from outside the coffee hut.
Melissa winked and pointed to the door. “When you’re finished with the timers, lock this bad boy up and then come watch. I better scoot before Holly drives her dad crazy with her nonstop singing ofOh Christmas Tree.”
I laughed and after she was gone, I waved at Ellis. He stood by the open door, leaning on the edge. “Hey, glad to see you made it.”
“It’s not hard to find your way when you’re the guest of honor. Thanks for all your hard work,” he said, offering me a smile. “I stopped in at the studio before I came over. The place looks great. I can’t thank you enough.”
I shut the light off and he helped me down the step to the ground. I locked the door and walked with him toward the gazebo. “It was no problem, Ellis. Really. Everyone stepped up and helped and by the time the window arrived, we were done. You’ll need a new window sign, though.”
He nodded, his hands in his pockets as we walked. “I ordered them about two a.m. this morning. That was the easiest part of the job.”
I rubbed his back twice as we approached the back of the gazebo, which is where the mayor’s podium was set up. It was also where the flip switch was for the tree, all ready and waiting for the new holiday season.
“I think you’re back in business then. I noticed a police cruiser every ten minutes. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about the place anymore.”
He nodded pensively, his eyes staring straight ahead. “I’m still going to find someone to install an alarm, just to be on the safe side. I’m also thinking about staying there in the evenings until whoever did this is caught.”
I grasped his arm and stopped him. His body automatically turned into me and I held his shoulders. “Whatever for?”
“To protect the place, Addie. An alarm system is fine, but there’s still a lag time on the cops or fire department getting there. If I’m there, like I was last night, I can stop anything from happening.”
I frowned, knowing I had better tread lightly. “You could, or you could get hurt or killed, Ellis. It’s so not worth that. I know it feels like it is, but in the end, it’s a building, not a life. It’s things that can be replaced and a mess that can be cleaned up. We can’t replace you.”
His eyes held mine in the darkness and he sighed, running a hand down his face. “I guess you’re right, even if I don’t want you to be. I’m just getting this studio off the ground. I have insurance, but there’s only so far that will go. I’m also worried about the other business I share a wall with. If this was a targeted attack …”
“I don’t think it was, Ellis. You’re new here and no one even knows you that well. Chances are, they chose your studio because it had the biggest window and is the furthest from the center of town.”
“You think it was kids being dumb,” he finished, his posture rigid.
“I think it was someone being dumb,” I agreed. “I could be wrong, but if I am wrong, that’s all the more reason you shouldn’t be there. Protect yourself, Ellis, don’t purposely put yourself in harm’s way.”
He held up his hand. “All right, I’ll start with the security system for now.”
“You know you can buy a freestanding system, right? You just pay a small fee every month for the monitoring and then if you outgrow this building you can take it with you. I have one for my salon if you’d like to see it.”
He nodded vigorously. “I would, yes. That could save me a lot of money while still getting the job done.”
I was about to answer when the spotlight came on and Mayor Tottle stood at the podium, his finger tapping the microphone. “Good evening, can everyone hear me okay?”
A roar from the crowd reached our ears and Ellis grabbed my hand desperately, dragging me up the stairs. I tried to balk, but he wouldn’t let go. I had to follow him or fall on my face. “Is our guest of honor here?”
He glanced around and when he turned to the left, he noticed Ellis standing in the shadows and motioned him out. By default, I was dragged along with him.
“You made it, excellent!” Mayor Tottle exclaimed. “How about a round of applause for a man who had a lot to deal with today.”
The audience clapped and I rose up on my tiptoes and whispered into his ear. “I’m going to go down by the tree. Good luck.”
He didn’t let go of my hand, instead turned his head and laid his lips by my ear. “For the love of God, please stay. I think I’m going to throw up or pass out. I don’t like doing this stuff. It makes me nauseated.”
I laughed but made sure to do it quietly. Mayor Tottle had moved into his speech about the city’s improvement projects over the last year and the increase in tourism. “Why did you agree to do it then?”
“I wasn’t given a choice,” he whispered out the corner of his mouth. “You know Audrey, right?”
This got a solid giggle snort out of me and I shoulder bumped him. “I’ll stand here, but I can’t hold your hand during the speech.”
“Speech?” he asked, his eyes wide and his voice shaky. “They didn’t say anything about a speech. They said I had to flip a switch.”
