Page 158 of Chasing Infinity

We bring in a giant Christmas tree and display it right in the middle of the square. It’s not as big as the Rockefeller tree, but it’s pretty extravagant for a small town. Tonight, during the festival, we’ll do a countdown, and then all of the Christmas lights in the city, including the tree, will be lit up, signifying the start of the Christmas season.

This has become one of my favorite traditions of the year. I love seeing my town come to life with sparkly white and colored lights. It gives off such an enchanting ambiance that it’s hard for even the coldest of hearts not to thaw a little.

Until the big moment, different booths will be set up around the town square—crafts, games, and snacks. Many of the older ladies here in town love making custom Christmas ornaments that they sell in their booths. A few will knit together matching hat and mitten sets to buy for just a few dollars. It’s not really about making money, but they’ve been doing it for as long as they’ve lived in Willow Heights. Part of the tradition is for the older generation to pass down memories to the younger.

Noah agreed to meet me at the festival later, knowing I had to help Jack get everything up and going. We’re shutting down the diner a few hours early tonight, so my employees can spend the evening at the festival or with their families. Jack and I will take turns manning our booth throughout the night.

It’s been a few weeks since Noah hit his breaking point. Since then, I’ve been paying closer attention to him, trying to sense how he’s doing. Noah, after that night, has appeared to be as stoic and as put together as he can be. However, I know that those feelings of failure and fear that his father will act out are constantly in the back of his mind.

Noah is a protector at the very core of his being, and it tears him up inside to know that, at this point, he’s stuck in a waiting game. I wish there were something more I could do to help him, but I know there’s not. All I can do is be present and hope that he’ll open up some more whenever he’s ready.

As soon as my last customer leaves, I send everyone home and shut everything off inside the diner. I grab the few remaining bits of supplies that Jack left for me and walk out to the town square, wandering over to where our booth is set up.

Jack waves at me as soon as he sees me coming and rushes over the help me carry everything.

“How’s it going?” I ask him once we get to the booth.

He sets the extra cups and lids down on the long table and surveys the setup. “I think we’re good. I’ve got the hot chocolate all mixed up, and it’s in the thermoses. We’ve got cups, lids, sleeves, and napkins.”

“Did you get those mini marshmallows we talked about?” I ask, looking over everything as he points it out.

Jack nods his head. “Sure did. Bought the entire shelf out. Monty will need to do a complete restock of his marshmallow section.”

I laugh, “We’re going to cause a national marshmallow shortage.”

“Good thing I stocked up then. Here, could you help me get the sign put up?” he asks. I help him hang our diner logo at the back of our booth. We fasten it up, ensuring it won’t blow away or get knocked down too easily. As soon as it’s up, we step back and observe our booth.

“Looks great, Jack,” I tell him. “Great work.”

“I learned from the best,” he responds, nudging my shoulder with his and shooting me a grin.

We both go back behind the table and get a few more things set up. Before too long, the crowds slowly start trickling into the square. As soon as people spot our logo hung proudly at the booth, they wander over with enormous smiles, knowing we’re likely offering something yummy.

Within minutes we’ve got a short line traveling from our booth a few yards away. Jack and I start hustling, making sure we’re getting our orders out in a timely fashion. A rapid hour passes, and the rush seems to die down. Jack and I look at each other with overwhelmed grins.

I hold out a fist, and he bumps it. “Nice work, team,” I say, and he laughs under his breath.

“I’m not sure what I expected, but I feel like that was crazy.”

“You and me both,” I tell him.

“Hey, beautiful.” I hear a deep voice say, falling into the lull of Jack and my conversation. I spin around, a smile still plastered on my face.

Noah’s standing before me, all bundled up to fight off the cold. He has a dark gray beanie on top of his head, covering his ears, and his puffy black coat zipped up in the front. The extra length of his dark hair pokes out beneath the hat, curling at the ends.

“Hey,” I say back. “Want some hot chocolate?”

“Got marshmallows?” Noah asks, a wry smirk forming on his lips.

“Ofcourse,” I tell him, grinning back as I grab a cup and fill it with hot chocolatey goodness. I toss in a few extra marshmallows for good measure before slipping a lid on and handing it to him. “Careful, it’s super hot.”

“I thought that was implied,” he teases back. I roll my eyes at him, and he chuckles. “Think you can get away for a few minutes?”

I turn to Jack, and he waves me off. “You two lovebirds, go walk around and find some mistletoe or some shit.”

I laugh at my friend and grab my mittens from underneath our table. “Alright, let’s go.”

Noah and I walk hand in hand, me still taking the place on his left side. Though it’s been almost a month since the accident, Noah is still wearing a brace on his right hand. Luckily he can take it off when he needs to shower, but otherwise, he tries to abide by the rules his doctor gave him. He’s started physical therapy, working on building up the fine muscles in his hand so he can regain all of his function.

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