Page 17 of A Christmas Spark
P.S. I will tell Mom to leave special chocolates for you along with the cookies and milk.
P.P.S. Also carrots for the reindeer. Please pet Prancer for me.
Imogen pressed a hand to her mouth, setting the letter back on the desk where she’d found it. Her heart twisted in her chest as she read the last paragraph again, her vision blurring slightly as she glanced back at her sleeping daughter.
She’d been so sure that Katie didn’t feel as if anything was missing. She tried hard to make their little family of two feel complete, and to never make Katie see that sometimes Imogenwaslonely, in those quiet moments when it was just her, and she thought of what it might be like to have someone to watch a tv show with, or go for a walk or out to dinner with, someone to wake up beside and go to sleep next to at night.
Her life was full of family and friendship, but she couldn’t deny that there was a small part of her that missed romance, and the companionship of a romantic partner.
She tried not to glance at couples when she saw them passing by in town, or let on that she sometimes felt a pang of sadness over the happily-ever-afters in movies. But Katie was perceptive, and clearly she couldn’t hide that forever.
The pang of sadness over thinking that Katie might have felt the hole in their lives was much worse. Imogen chewed at her lip, giving her daughter one more glance before stepping back out into the hall with a sigh. The innocence of it all made her heart hurt too, how Katie thought that she could wish for the perfect man in their lives to be a husband and father, like wishing for a train set or a doll.
Imogen knew all too well that it wasn’t that easy. But she hoped Katie could keep that innocence about it all for as long as possible. Some of it was going to be shattered, when no new dad appeared on Christmas Day, wrapped and packaged from Santa’s workshop.
The life that she’d created for herself and Katie was a safe, cozy, stable one. A romance, no matter how exciting or wonderful, would threaten that, rock the foundation that it was all built on. Imogen had had a man wreck her world six years ago, when he’d left her and little Katie without warning or reason. She wasn’t about to risk that again.
Imogen sighed, glancing out of the window as she walked to her bedroom and seeing the falling snow outside, thicker than it had been earlier. She’d already ordered a new bike for Katie, bright pink with a little wicker basket in front and mint tassels on the handlebars. It would be perfect for spring, and she knew Katie would love it.
That, and a new puffy coat, would just have to do. Maybe a cowgirl doll and pony as well, if Mabel could rustle one up.
It would have to be enough. Christmas miracles had their limits, after all.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
On Friday afternoon, Vanessa ducked out of The Toy Chest a bit early to run some errands, after Mabel shooed her off and made her promise to make plans with Jackson that evening. Vanessa dug her Christmas shopping list out of her purse, with plans to head to the Holly and Ivy Market to pick up some odds and ends for Christmas decorating.
The market was always busy and full of life at any time of year, but during the holidays especially. Vanessa scanned her list once more before heading in—additional ornaments for her tree, fancy ribbon for gift wrapping, some Christmas lights for the window of her apartment, and maybe a wreath for the front door.
Inside, the market was a winter wonderland, dressed up for the season with Christmas music playing merrily through the speakers and the entire building fully decorated. Green, pine-scented garlands were draped from the shelves, white fairy lights were wrapped around the exposed rafters above, and a huge tree twinkled and glittered next to the large windows that looked out onto Main Street.
It was one of Vanessa’s favorite stores in Fir Tree Grove. It had everything she could possibly want, and now that herlife was slower and more laid-back, she found herself enjoying wandering through the aisles, looking for little treasures. It felt homey and warm, nothing like the big-box stores or department stores of the city that she’d occasionally ventured into on the rare chance that she went shopping in person, back in San Francisco. More often, she’d just had whatever she needed delivered. This kind of relaxed shopping experience was still a novelty to her, and the Christmas cheer that filled the air inside the market only made it that much more fun.
Cindy knew everyone who came in too, as did her husband Neil. It was all so personal and friendly, and it made for a wonderful trip, every time.
Vanessa headed for the aisle that had gift wrapping supplies, intent on finding the perfect fancy ribbon to add an extra special touch to her gifts. She was immediately distracted by the endless rolls of wrapping paper at the front of the aisle, in bright golds and silvers, festive patterns of trees and bows, and rustic brown paper and wood designs, that she nearly collided with someone in her periphery that she didn’t notice until it was almost too late.
“Whoa, sorry about that!” Henry Cline dodged her just a second before collision, a few of the boxes that his arms were loaded down with tumbling to the floor. Vanessa swooped to grab them for him immediately, seeing that they were all Christmas lights in varying colors—white, red, green, blue, and ones that twinkled through all the colors on a cycle.
“Henry!” Vanessa exclaimed, laughing. “What is this? Are you planning on lighting up the entire town yourself?”
He chuckled, a surprisingly boyish look of amusement on his face despite his age. A man in his early fifties, with graying chestnut hair and a rugged complexion, he looked tough and a bit on the older side, until something made him smile and lit up his oddly soft hazel eyes. Vanessa suspected he had a softerside to him, although she didn’t know him all that well. He’d come by her apartment once or twice to fix electrical issues—he was the town electrician, and handled all of Fir Tree Grove’s maintenance—but other than that, she hadn’t gotten to know him as well as some of the other people in town.
What shedidknow is that despite his everyday electrical skills—and the fact that he kept every house and business in Fir Tree Grove in good working order and not catching on fire—the thing Henry was most well-known for was transforming the main spaces of Fir Tree Grove into a Christmas winter wonderland every year with gorgeous light installations. He was responsible for a good bit of the town’s festive atmosphere every year—but from the look of it, he was planning to light up not only the town square and public spaces but the businesses too.
Henry chuckled. “Just the usual,” he said with a laugh. “My house and the public spaces in town. I’ve got some new ideas for this year though. Should be the best Christmas light show that Fir Tree Grove has ever had.”
“You might want to be mindful of blowing the town’s breaker system when you plug all those in,” Vanessa teased, handing him the boxes that she’d picked up. “We might end up with a blackout instead of Christmas lights.”
“Oh, don’t you worry about that.” Henry grinned at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners and highlighting the deep, rugged lines in his face. “If anyone in town knows how to avoid an electrical incident, it’s me. I’ve got this handled.” His hazel eyes were twinkling with mischief. “I think, as the town’s electrician, I know a few things about overloading the circuits.”
“That’s fair,” Vanessa conceded with a laugh. “You might be the one person who could actually pull this off without us all being out of electricity for a week.”
“Just you wait.” Henry shifted the load of lights in his arms. “This year’s Christmas display is going to blow your mind.”
“Notour circuits. Got it.” Vanessa winked at him. “I can’t wait to see what you come up with this year, Henry.”
“Well, I’ve been planning it since the summer. So all that’s left is to follow the plan and set it all up. The annual Christmas market and tree lighting is set to be bigger than ever this year, with all the tourism we’ve had coming in. So this ought to be one to remember.”
