Page 89 of Kiss the Girl
Her eyes grew big. “Christmas Town?” she asked, her voice reverent.
“Christmas Town,” he confirmed.
“Wow,” she breathed.
For the first time since the mistletoe at Thanksgiving, the tingle of Christmas spirit swept over me. I’d been so worried about getting the store through the holiday retail season and lining up my job that I hadn’t taken time to soak it in. Creekville was something special at Christmas, and whatever else may happenafterChristmas, at least for right now, the magic was possible.
We helped my dad restock and take care of the two customers who came in until just before dusk when we heard the distant sound of the high school marching band getting ready.
“That’s our signal to head over,” my dad said.
Right on cue, my mom walked in, bundled for the cold. “Hey, girls. Paige, honey, I see y’all have warm jackets, but I brought a couple of extra blankets too. It’ll be below forty when it gets full dark.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Winters,” Paige said.
“Call me Lisa.”
“Thank you, Miss Lisa,” Paige said.
“You’re welcome, honey. Now, Evie, why don’t you hold my hand so you can show me to the best place to watch this parade?”
Evie slipped her hand into my mom’s. “How will I know if it’s the best?”
“Are you a good picker?” my mom asked.
“Maybe?” Evie said doubtfully.
“Can you pick the best rocks in a pile? Or the best crayon in a box?” my mom asked.
“Yeah.” Evie was firm on this.
“Then you can pick the best parade spot.”
Evie gave a firm nod. “Let’s go, everybody.”
Then she grabbed my dad’s hand and led my parents to the door, each of them looking happy to flank her while Paige and I followed behind.
Paige shook her head. “That child wraps everyone around her little finger.”
“She’s a sweet kid,” I said.
“That’s because she got more of Noah’s temperament than mine.” She offered me a wry smile and we headed out. I paused to lock the door then raced to catch up with them. I didn’t want to miss a single second of the look on Evie’s face as the parade passed.
She turned out to be the very best part. I’d always sort of loved the lowkey Creekville parade, the local Brownie troop marching by in an organized line and flashing grins with missing teeth as they waved at the crowd followed by the Cub Scouts in mismatched uniforms, shirts untucked, darting here and there like a pile of puppies.
A horse farm outside of town always showed off a few of their beautiful Thoroughbreds with bells braided through their manes, and the town’s only fire truck drove past with firefighters tossing candy canes to the crowds.
Whether it was the sheriff waving from his car, lights flashing without the sirens, or the high school cheer squad bouncing past in Santa hats, Evie loved every bit of it. And when the band struck up “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” she squealed like a teen at a Harry Styles concert. It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.
“I’m afraid she’s going to pass out when she sees the big man himself,” I called to Paige over the marching band.
She grinned back. “I highly recommend having a five-year-old for Christmas. It’s pretty much the best.”
Sure enough, by the time Santa came into view on his sleigh, Evie was vibrating with excitement. I pulled out my phone and recorded it to show to Noah, who’d had to stay with the booth. He shouldn’t miss his rosy-cheeked niece, her eyes wide with awe and happiness as Santa came into view.
It was Mr. Groggins in the costume, one of my favorite customers, because he always believed me when I recommended a part or tool for whatever project he was working on. He waved to the crowd and let out hearty “Ho ho hos” to the cheering masses.
My dad scooped Evie up and perched her on his shoulders for a better view, wincing when she grabbed his hair in her excitement, but all with the good-natured expression he’d probably worn when he used to do that for me. It choked me up for a second to see how easily he did it, hefting her into the air like his old self, and I paused to soak in the Christmas miracle of that too.
