Page 30 of Lakehouse Mistletoe
She nodded. “Yes, by this time last year I would have already been to three.”
He grinned. “You’ll be invited to tons next year.”
She cocked her head. “You know, I don’t mind. I prefer not having to stress about making it to every party or event. I’d like to be more meaningful with my time.”
Oliver took a sip of champagne. “That’s a good attitude to have. Although, I don’t think you should miss the Christmas parade downtown. It’s the highlight of the season, and there will be vendors with all kinds of Christmas snacks, hot chocolate, and caramel apples.”
Helen dipped her head. “All of our B&B guests are attending. In fact, they all requested breakfast at seven thirty so they can get there early enough to see all the vendors. It sounds like the Christmas parade in town is a draw for tourists.”
Oliver laughed. “So is the parade of boats on the lake.”
Helen glanced around the room. “For such a small town there sure is a lot to do.”
Oliver grinned. “Maybe we just like to do the meaningful things in life.”
Helen held his gaze. “Oliver, I think you are right.”
Chapter 24
Helen tugged her scarf snug around her neck as she joined the crowd lining Main Street in Hopeton. The sky was overcast and the forecast called for more snow. The December air was sharp, the kind that made her cheeks ache and her breath come out in puffs of steam.
Overhead, strings of Christmas lights crisscrossed the street, faintly visible, while storefront windows glittered with wreaths, bows, and painted snowflakes.
A brass band marched past first playing Jingle Bells as people watched and sang along. The Christmas floats decorated in different Christmas and winter scenes were loaded with people throwing candy to the kids in the crowd. When they were not gathering candy off the sidewalk and street, the kids darted around, clutching candy canes, their laughter mingling with the squeal of the fire engine’s siren as it crept down the route, decked out in garland and tinsel.
Helen inhaled deeply despite the cold wind. The parade carried a buffet of scents, like buttery kettle corn, roasted chestnuts, and the smoky sweetness of funnel cakes drifting from vendors along the sidewalk. Somewhere, hot cocoa steamed, rich with chocolate and cinnamon, and she made a mental note to grab a cup before heading back to the bed and breakfast.
Just as the warmth of the holiday settled in her soul, she felt a flicker of unease. She looked around. Her gaze landed across the street. Near a lamppost wrapped in red ribbon, a figure stood apart from the crowd, head tilted. For the briefest second, she could’ve sworn it was Mr. Sykes. She blinked and a teenage boy in a hoodie stepped into the spot, waving to a friend. The moment of unease evaporated.
“Get a grip,” she murmured to herself. She focused her attention on a float shaped like a giant gingerbread house rolling by, people tossing candy to the crowd.
Her phone buzzed in her purse. She pulled it out and grimaced at another text from Carl.
May your Christmas dreams come true. ~ Carl
She had considered blocking him, but her attorney advised against it. He told her it was best not to block him and to keep all the texts as evidence in case she decided to get a restraining order against him.
With that in mind, she took a screenshot and sent it to her attorney for him to handle.
One thing she refused to do was answer his text. That was her hard boundary, and she was sticking to it.
“See, Helen. Now you’re growing a backbone,” she muttered to herself. Once the parade was over, she grabbed a hot chocolate before heading back to the bed and breakfast.
Chapter 25
The Laurel Cove Bed and Breakfast was unusually quiet that evening, the kind of stillness that made Helen acutely aware of every creak of the old floorboards. Somehow the snow seemed to quiet the outside world so every noise inside seemed amplified.
The guests all went to bed early that night and were tucked away in their rooms. The scent of cinnamon, orange, and cloves hung in the living room from the simmer pot she’d heated earlier in the day.
She sat at the office desk, laptop open, papers scattered around like fallen leaves. Her pen tapped a restless rhythm against the ledger. She looked around at the different numbers that didn’t seem to get smaller despite her being on time with her payments. The lingering legal fees and the debt she was responsible for was a sharp reminder of Carl’s gambling debt that had followed her like a dark shadow.
She rubbed her neck, and her chest tightened. How was it fair that she was left with someone else’s mess? How long would it take her to dig herself out?
She rubbed her temples, willing away the sting of tears.
Finally, she closed the laptop with a quiet snap.
Enough.
