Page 51 of Once Upon a Winter
Laura didn’t have a clue, so Cooper explained. “It means we’re both pathetic, but I hope in a good way.”
Laura tucked one leg under her knee and leaned on the table. “I’m fine with being pathetic. As for being hungry…”
“I know! Hold on.” He glanced around, caught the server’s eye, and gave a wave with such a charming smile that, in her place, Laura would have ignored every other table and rushed to serve him.
Minutes later, they were digging into omelets, home fries, and toast. After he’d sated his ravenous appetite, Cooper dropped his fork on the plate. “Is there anything better than this?” He quickly added, “I mean, there might be a few things, but this is pretty darn good.”
“A day off, a diner breakfast, and nothing to do in the world but enjoy it? Absolutely!”
Cooper took another bite. “Well, I do have something in mind.”
Laura raised her eyebrows and waited.
All Cooper would say was “After breakfast.”
Laura felt thoroughly at ease for a change. The conversation was light and often lapsed into comfortable silence. She leaned back and observed the comings and goings around them. People entered, and the two of them almost always knew someone to greet with holiday wishes. No one seemed in a rush. Of course, it was a holiday week. Still, there was a warmth that Laura had never known in her neighborhood back home.
Laura tried to pay the check, but Cooper insisted on taking care of it himself. Once outside, Laura paused. “You mentioned you had something in mind. Did you mean now, later, or next Christmas?”
He laughed. “Do you have any plans?”
Laura drew her eyebrows together and appeared to be thinking. “No, my schedule is pretty open today.”
Looking pleased and a little relieved, Cooper said, “Good. Come with me.” Then he stopped. “You’re not parked at a meter, are you?”
“No, I walked.”
“Perfect. I’m around the corner.” He took her hand, making her wish she wasn’t wearing gloves, and they walked that way until they got to his truck.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Yes.” He helped Laura into the truck then walked around and got in on the driver’s side. After starting the truck and turning on the heat, he faced Laura, looking suddenly serious. “I know we worked through a lot last night, and I think—I hope—we’re in a good place.”
Laura nodded. “I think so.”
He put his hands on the steering wheel and stared straight ahead. “I’ve been a little frustrated—not with you. Not to bring up a sore subject, but I couldn’t find the words to explain my inherent objection to this magic snow globe situation.”
Laura’s heart sank. “I’m letting that go. But I did have a thought. Maybe the snow globe broke because we didn’t need it anymore.”
From the look on his face, that hadn’t helped. Cooper was quiet for a very long couple of moments. “I want to show you something. Let’s go on a tour of the real Mistletoe.” He started the truck, and he drove away from the postcard-perfect section of town to some outlying neighborhoods where the tourists didn’t go. “Don’t get me wrong. I love the Mistletoe that people come to visit.” He glanced at her and added, “The Mistletoe you moved here to live in. It’s a perfect Christmas village. We all love it, but what I’m going to show you now is the heart and the soul of our town. This is the Mistletoe that I missed when I lived in the city. It’s the town I want you to love. It’s where I want to live for the rest of my life.”
As they drove along, lights twinkled from the edges of snow-dusted rooftops and outlined picture windows, but Cooper began to paint an entirely different picture of his hometown.
“You see that woman over there, Mrs. Jennings?” He gestured to an elderly lady wrapping a scarf around a young boy’s neck. “She lost her husband during the first wave of Covid, then the lockdown destroyed her son’s family business. He and his family have moved in with her. Every Sunday, their neighbors and friends take turns bringing groceries and meals to help them get by until things get better.”
Laura followed Cooper’s gaze to a teenage boy helping his younger siblings build a snowman. “That’s Kyle. His world turned upside down when the schools closed and they switched to remote learning. He was struggling with suicidal thoughts, but a group of classmates and parents rallied around him. They set up virtual hangouts, games, and movie nights, found him some counseling, and created a support system that saw him through.”
They drove past a mother and her teenage daughter delivering newspapers. “That’s Tina and Molly,” Cooper said. “They were just getting by when inflation sent their household expenses soaring. Tina was already working two jobs, and it still wasn’t enough. So Molly quit the basketball team and took a job after school. Together, they’re making it work.”
Next, they drove by the back of a church where a sign read Mistletoe Food Pantry. “That elderly man unloading boxes from a truck is Mr. Henderson. He once confided in me that he did okay in the stock market a few years ago, so he gives a chunk of his social security check and a lot of free time to the food pantry. He’s vowed that no child will go hungry on his watch.”
A little farther down, Laura saw a young man and a middle-aged woman walking along the sidewalk.
“We’re a small town, but things happen. With the police department short-staffed and crime rising, Pine Street formed a neighborhood watch to make sure everyone feels safe.”
Laura’s eyes filled with compassion. “It’s so real,” she whispered.
Cooper pulled over and parked. His gaze softened. “Yeah. It’s the real Christmas magic.”
