Page 33 of Once Upon a Winter
In the face of her worries, Cooper had coaxed a genuine smile from her. She couldn’t think of anything she would rather do than spend the day with Cooper. Still troubled by the snow globe, she forced herself to set the issue aside. “Okay.”
The market was even morecharming than Laura remembered. Fairy lights twinkled from every tree, building, and kiosk. Wreaths and garlands were draped from lamp pole to lamp pole, and the air was rich with the scent of pine, cinnamon, and roasted chestnuts.
Cooper tucked Laura’s hand into the crook of his arm as they wandered from stall to stall, examining the handcrafted decorations and treats. His smile never faded, his blue eyes warming with pleasure each time Laura showed an interest in something.
“Hungry?” He nodded to a food stall with hot apple cider and gingerbread cookies.
Laura shook her head. “I’m pretty sure I hit my sugar quota an hour ago, but knock yourself out.” Cooper’s enthusiasm was contagious. She looked on with delight as Cooper steered her to the stall.
“We’ll have one of everything.” As the clerk packaged up their treats, Cooper assured her, “We can work it off with a sleigh ride later.”
“A sleigh ride? Yeah, that’s a great cardio workout.” Laura turned to him with a skeptical grin.
“I mean… we could walk, but where’s the fun in that?” He shrugged, but his eyes gleamed. “Look! It’s snowing. Come on. Let’s go dashing through the snow.”
Laura threw her hands in the air. “Well, why not?”
If the snow globe made that happen, she didn’t want to know. She was happy. Even if it didn’t last, she wanted to savor the feeling of being with Cooper. It might be the closest she would ever get to falling in love.
After droppingoff Laura to gift wrap her Christmas market finds, Cooper swung by his mother’s house with some baked treats from the market. Having caught up on news from town, Maggie asked about Laura. Before long, he was pacing in front of the fireplace while his mother watched from her armchair, a knowing look on her face. He ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing. “I barely know her, really. But it’s different. She’s different.”
“You care for her,” his mother said gently. “That much is obvious.”
“I do, but it isn’t enough.”
Maggie said, “She doesn’t strike me as the needy or demanding type.”
“No, she isn’t. But she’s got this strange snow globe obsession. Jessica, you know, from the antiques shop? She told Laura the snow globe was enchanted.”
Maggie nodded. “Jessica’s always been a little… ethereal where Christmas is concerned.”
“That’s one way to put it. That’s fine. I’m sure it’s great for business—telling cute little tales to go with each item in her inventory. But Laura has really taken that snow globe legend to heart. Which is weird, you know? I mean, Laura is an accountant. She comes from a double-entry world where everything has to balance.”
“Except this.”
He nodded. “Except this.”
Maggie set down her knitting needles. “Maybe that’s why she’s taken it to heart. If the snow globe embodies everything she loves about living here, then what’s wrong with a little Christmas enchantment? She’s living the storybook life she dreamed of and worked hard to make happen. Maybe after she settles in, she won’t need the snow globe anymore.”
Cooper gave it some thought but shook his head. “No. Sorry, but I just can’t buy it. I like Christmas as well as the next guy, but the Christmas magic thing is just sounding a little… wacky.”
Maggie smiled at her son. “You didn’t used to find it wacky when Santa brought your gifts.”
Cooper leveled a knowing look at his mother. “Because I was a child.”
“But we all have a little of the child in us, don’t you think?”
“No, Mom, that’s just you.” A smile bloomed on his face.
Maggie tilted her head. “Maybe so, but I feel sorry for people who have lost touch with their inner child—especially at Christmas. They don’t know what they’re missing.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not Laura’s problem.” He plopped down on the sofa and leaned his head back.
“It’s like you’re describing a different person from the woman I met. Laura seems so down to earth.”
“She’s more than that. She’s perfect. I mean, I know she’s not perfect. No one is. But she’s perfect for me. With one large exception.”
Maggie leaned back. “I think once the holiday season is over, things will calm down. She’ll put the Christmas decorations away—including the snow globe—and things will go back to normal.”
