Page 7 of Break Me Like a Promise (Oak Valley)

They waved goodbye, Ruby and her mom facing the cold as they power walked the ten minutes to the tree, doing it in seven. The crowd around the tree was tighter than Ruby imagined, but in some ways that made it harder to distinguish individual faces. She still didn’t catch a glimpse of Colton, or anyone else she knew. She relaxed a little, taking in the hot drink and large tree, a large silver menorah already lit beside it. That was new, and nowhere near as large as the tree. The main attraction was well over a hundred feet tall, a point of pride and joy for the town. It was thoroughly strung with white lights — Ruby remembered one year they boasted using one hundred strands — and she realized she did actually enjoy these moments of celebration. She’d never gone to the Rockefeller tree lighting when she lived in the city, too full of anxiety from her youth, but now she was faced with a pang. She’d left Oak Valley behind, needing something new. But now that she was back, she was wondering if she actually had walked away, or if she’d carried most of it with her this whole time.

“Good evenin’, everybody!” Macy Weathers hopped onto the makeshift stage in front of the tree, microphone in hand. The town busybody was also the Town Supervisor — Oak Valley was too small for an actual mayor, and Supervisor was the next best thing — and Macy never failed to find the hottest news before anyone else. Ruby didn’t mind the gossip as much, but being in New York, the slight southern accent always bothered her.

“How’s everybody doing?” Macy beamed at the crowd, her gray hair curling below her blue Santa hat and above her green scarf. The town cheered and responded as she walked the stage, waving her arms to amp them even more.

“As the kids say, who’s ready to get this party lit?” Macy laughed at her own joke before continuing. “Followin’ the tree lighting, there will be live music from several local bands and free hot apple cider from Willow Farms. You can partake in the Holiday Penny Social in the parking lot behind the church. Festivities will conclude at 10 p.m. Now are we ready?”

The crowd cheered.

“I can’t hear you! I asked, are you ready?” Macy put her hand to her ear in mock-listening. Ruby rolled her eyes. No wonder she avoided this thing like the plague.

Macy picked up the lighting cords and made a big show of inching them together before slamming the plug cord into the outlet cord. The tree burst into tight and the crowd erupted. It really was beautiful, covered in thousands of white lights and casting a soft glow on the crowd. The first band started setting their equipment up onstage while most of those in the front slowly made their way out. Ruby and her mom inched closer to fully take it in.

When they were in front of the tree, a light flurry started. Ruby looked up the length of the tree, feeling comfortingly small in its grandness.

“It’s something, isn’t it?” her mom asked, doing the same thing.

“It really is.” Ruby hadn’t been able to be home for the days, let alone weeks, leading up to the holidays. She glanced at her mom, whose pale face was warmed in the light. Ruby didn’t know how this next year would turn out, but being here, now, she was filled with gratitude for the time she had with her mom.

“Well, kid. Penny Social or home?” Beryl turned to her, crunching her empty paper cup.

“Um…” Ruby looked around. She hadn’t seen anyone she knew, but staying for the bands or milling about the Penny Social might change that. “Let’s get takeout before everyone else has the same idea. Here, give me your cup, I see a trash can. You should start heading to the car, it’s cold out.”

She grabbed the cup from her mom and worked her way through the crowd, tossing both cups into the can. When she lifted her eyes from pushing them down, she caught the one person she regularly dreamed about.

Colton Taylor stood beside his sister, Katie, and a few others Ruby recognized. They were off to the side of the stage, slightly masked by the dark.

But Ruby would recognize those shoulders anywhere, the way his baritone voice filled any space. Katie said something and he laughed, throwing his head back.

Ruby was petrified.

This was it, the moment she’d dreamed and dreaded.

He shifted and glanced around, doing a double take, noticing her.

8

No.

It couldn’t be her.

Colton kept his jaw from dropping. He knew Ruby was back in town, but it was another thing entirely to see her for himself. A ghost lit gold from the lights of the tree, her red curls loose about her shoulder. Her mouth was slightly parted, a deer in the headlights as she stared back at him.

She was more beautiful than he remembered, even thirty feet away.

He was frozen in place, every way this could play out running through his head. They broke up not because they didn’t want the same things, but because she wanted them right then and he needed to stay home, to help with the family shop while he went to the local state college. Sure, he’d gotten a full ride and it helped propel him into professional stardom, but he chose to stay local. The one thing Ruby swore would be the death of her.

Colton didn’t know losing her would be the death of him, and at that point, it was too late.

“Is… Is that Ruby?” Katie asked, pushing against him, squinting as if to get a better look. “Oh, shit,” she whispered, turning back to the group.

Dragan and June also peered over, cautiously looking back at Colton.

He faced forward, avoiding anyone’s gaze. When he risked a glance back at Ruby, she was gone.

“Well, if isn’t Colton Taylor.”

Colton tried to shake the buzz from his body, looking around until he spotted Cara Griffin strutting towards them. Her girlfriends tagged along, about five of them if he included every petite woman with glossy, waved hair and full-glam makeup who walked behind her. They were all beautiful, sure. He understood why guys fell over, craning their necks to get a look. But none of those girls had ever done anything for Colton. And the way Cara rested her hand on his bicep only strengthened his aversion.

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