Page 23 of Beneath Southern Stars

The opening chords of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” blast from the speakers and Honey taps me on the shoulder. “That’s your cue, Laney.” Like I don’t know.

Before I can start my internal freak out again, I watch as Honey and Pepper share a fist bump. Then to my surprise, Boone and Dolly turn their attention to my little neighbor and another fist bump is exchanged between the rodeo king and the girl dressed in pink. Okay then. I guess my neighbors have been busy the last few days making friends.

Ms. Linda waves her hands frantically from the bottom of the steps leading to the stage. Groaning but with a wide smile on my face, I wave her off and scan the crowd again, looking for Ryan. I can’t just leave Pepper here even if she’s clearly made friends with Honey and Boone. The song begins to fade, and Mayor Harrington steps up to the microphone.

Honey catches my eye, her brow raised. I give her a silent “I have no idea where Ryan is” look while Pepper grabs my hand, swinging it back and forth as she does a little dance.

“I’ll keep her while you go emcee,” Honey offers.

There’s no reason for me to hesitate leaving the little girl with my friend. They know one another and I trust Honey. But her well-being feels like my responsibility. Instead, I look down and ask, “Pepper, do you want to help me light the Christmas tree?”

Her eyes go wide, almost the size of the lenses of her glasses. Her little mouth forms an “O” and she nods enthusiastically, curls bouncing beneath the pink hat.

The crowd separates as we move toward the stage, and I can hear the mayor stalling as he searches for me. This is not an ideal way to kick off my first Jubilee, but here we are. I slow and scoop up Pepper, her little arms wrapping around my neck as we rush to the stairs. Relief washes across the mayor’s face as I step up beside him.

“And we have this woman to thank for tonight’s festivities and all that is to come over the next few weeks. Laney Whitfield is a third generation Magnolia Grove resident, and we are honored to have her as the new chairperson of the Magnolia Grove Holly Jolly Jubilee.”

Mayor Harrington steps aside, his smile wide as he motions me toward the microphone. Shifting to adjust my hold on Pepper, I feel less stressed than I did a bit ago. I’m no longer looking for a bucket in case the nervous stomach comes back and I’m grateful to have this little girl in my arms, distracting me.

“Hello everyone.” The crowd says hello back which makes me laugh. Movement to the right of the stage catches my attention and I spot Ryan weaving through the rows of people. My heart drops at the look on his face. Fear is the word that comes to mind. He must be terrified that something happened to Pepper.

My eyes fly to my group of friends, a few stop talking and look at me and follow my line of sight to where Ryan is. Mattie nods and takes off in that direction.

“Thank you all for being here. I’m honored to be the current chairperson of the Jubilee. I wanted to say a huge thank you to Ms. Linda and the men and women who worked alongside her to establish such an amazing tradition. We have a fun schedule of events for this season, and I hope you’ll stick around for them all.”

I pause, watching as Mattie reaches Ryan and points toward the stage. Relief washes across his face and his body folds forward. That poor man.

Turning my attention back to the task at hand, I continue with my off-the-cuff speech. Oh yeah, I also didn’t plan on what to say. “As a special treat this year, we’ll be ending the Jubilee with a dinner and live music. All proceeds from the ticket sales and silent auction will go to the library. Make sure you grab your tickets on the Holly Jolly Jubilee website. Now, with all the business-y stuff out of the way, it’s time for my favorite moment of the entire Jubilee.”

People begin whistling and cheering. Ryan has made his way to our group of friends, and I feel better, knowing he’s with people who will make sure he knows Pepper found me.

“Growing up in Magnolia Grove, I looked forward to the tree lighting every year. Tonight, you’ll see the decorations are a little different than in years past. The children of Magnolia Grove Elementary handmade ornaments that adorn the limbs.”

Another bout of applause.

“I’ve brought a friend with me to help push this big button here,” I say, motioning toward the stand with a ridiculously large button balanced on top. Dean and I have practiced pushing this fake button while he actually flips the switch for the tree’s lights. We’ll just call it Christmas magic.

“How about we all count down from five?” I say into the mic before moving to the button.

“Ready to push that button?” I ask Pepper.

With complete seriousness on her face, she nods her head. When the countdown is complete, we both place our hands on the button and the twelve-foot tree comes to life. It’s a beautiful sight, and the entire crowd erupts into cheers, but it’s the sweet voice in my ear that has my attention.

“Wow. It’s pretty.”

I blink quickly, not willing to let the emotions bubbling inside me make an appearance. Instead, I hustle down the steps where Ryan is waiting to greet us.

“Violet Joy, don’t you ever run off like that again.”

Pepper drops her head shamefully. Me? I ask, “Who’s Violet Joy?”

Chapter Fifteen

Ryan

I don’t believeany parent can fully prepare for the emotional rollercoaster they experience when their child vanishes. Sure, I’ve seen the scene depicted on television and in movies but to feel the wave of emotions was something I couldn’t have prepared for. Typically, I wouldn’t let go of her hand when we’re out in public. Honestly, we don’t venture out too much in Nashville without a plan in place. Precautions taken.

Tonight, we strolled through the park, following the path lined with candy canes and sipping cocoa. When it seemed no one was paying us any attention, I let my guard down. It was just for a moment—long enough to buy a bottle of water from a vendor. With the cold bottle in my hand, I slipped my wallet back into my pocket and looked down to take Pepper’s hand.

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