Page 28 of The Holiday Honeymoon Switch
Hudson Valley, New York
The next day is sunny and the roads are free of snow, so Holly decides to venture into town on her own. She parks her vintage baby blue BMW in front of an antique shop in the middle of Krimbo, gets out of her car, and stands for a moment, taking in the shop’s window display: Santa’s workshop, featuring a collection of vintage toys, hobbyhorses, music boxes with dancing ballerinas on top, a cranberry-and-popcorn-strung tree with brown paper packages crowded at its base. Holly came to the Hudson Valley and Krimbo to get away from Christmas because it only reminded her of her wedding that wasn’t, but the holiday season in this charming town is different from any of hermemories. She enjoys herself as she walks slowly along the street, peering in shopwindows at seasonal displays as she goes.
When she sees a store with a bright yellow sign that says “Krimbo Home Video,” she decides she has to go in and look around. She thought video rental stores had gone the way of telephone booths and landlines—but also recalls a small TV-DVD combo at the cabin.
Inside the video store, the shelves are lined with VHS and DVD cases, and she can’t seem to figure out what the organization system is. When she passesIt’s a Wonderful Life,A Christmas Carol,The Lemon Drop Kid, andWhite Christmas, she finally realizes every single movie on display is a Christmas film, all shelved by decade.
She moves along to another aisle: There’sBenji’s Very Own Christmas Story, and a terrifying-looking holiday-themed horror movie calledBloody Night.
In the ’80s section, there’sErnest Saves Christmas,National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,Scrooged, and more. She starts snapping photos to send to Ivy, who immediately texts back asking to see more.Have you time-traveled? Are you in a…movie rental store?
All editions of “Home Alone” have their special section, look! All decorated with tinsel and Christmas lights.
Holly keeps walking through the tiny aisles, snapping photos for her friend and smiling to herself.
Christmas horror? who knew that was a genre?she texts Ivy.
You have to rent at least one scary Christmas movie. I insist.
Do you think someone staying alone in a secluded cabin should be renting horror movies?
Go to the eighties section. Eighties horror movies are more like comedies, you know that. Also, you promise you’re renting the Nicole Kidman one you just sent me called “A Bush Christmas”?
Holly snorts with laughter just as she rounds a corner—and runs straight into Aiden. His pleasantly familiar woodsy-spicy scent hits her nostrils just as the electricity of his blue-eyed gaze zings through her mind. She’s almost certain her heart skips a beat.
“I heard someone laughing back here and had to see who it was,” he says.
“You’re in here renting videos, too?”
He suddenly looks shy. “Actually, no,” he says. “I was across the street and saw you come in here. I wanted to say hi.”
This makes Holly feel inordinately pleased. Standing near Aiden, she feels like her entire being is at attention. He leans down, lowers his voice. “Honestly, I don’t know how this place stays in business, but a lot of people in this town love renting movies. Most of those people are over sixty.”
Holly laughs. “Don’t knock it,” she says, holding upA Bush Christmas. “I’m renting one for tonight.”
“You’ll have to tell me how it is.”
“I’m sure it’s full of eighties corniness. I can’t wait.”
He waits while she rents the movie from a clerk who looks like a real-life version of Comic Book Guy fromThe Simpsons, and they walk outside together. The day has turned gently overcast; fluffy snowflakes are starting to fall. The snow globe effect turns the little town even more festive—but Holly frowns at the snowfall, remembering her lack of winter tires.
Aiden seems to read her thoughts.
“I promise, I’m not giving you a hard time about not having snow tires—but I have an idea.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Snowmobile? ATV? Probably not my thing.”
He laughs. “Nope. When I first moved back here from Boston, I had a sedan. I still have the winter tires in my garage. I’m sure they’d fit on your car—and there’s a garage in town that can put them on. I can give Ellie a call right now to see if she has time this morning?”
“Really, you’d do that?”
“The tires are just sitting there. Someone should be using them. Hang on.” Aiden calls the mechanic. “Ellie says to bring the car and the tires right over,” he says when he hangs up. “I just need to run home and get them—I’m five minutes away—and I’ll meet you at the garage.”
“You’resureit’s not too much trouble?”
Aiden waves off her protests and gives her directions to the garage—while she becomes more certain than ever that Krimbo is a town where helping one another is just part of the daily routine, and that kindhearted Aiden fits in perfectly.
“Want to grab lunch while you wait for your car to be ready?”
