Everyone around her responded with a rousing “Merry Christmas!” that practically knocked her off her feet.
“Oh! My goodness,” Katie said. “Wow.”
“Welcome to Evergreen,” he said. If that surprised her, she would be in for a real eye-opener after spending a little time here.
She was still juggling her big leather tote bag for her ringing phone.
It’d be nice to run into her again. Maybe even over hot chocolate and a fresh kringle at the Kringle Kitchen one morning.
In a small town like Evergreen, it wasn’t a stretch to think they would bump into each other.
And with that, a mental list of ways to improve those odds ticked off in his mind.
Chapter Two
Katie finally silenced her phone as she pulled it out from the depths of her tote bag. With her feet firmly planted in the middle of this overwhelmingly Christmassy town, she answered it. “Hey, Mom.”
“Katie, hi. You made it okay?” Mom had probably been tracking the train and knew the second it had arrived here in Evergreen. That woman had a plan for her plans.
“I did. I just got off the train. I’m walking toward town this very minute, in fact.” In the distance, a jazzy version of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” played. She sucked in a deep breath of fresh winter air.
“Is it wonderful?”
“The air smells like pine. There’s a light snow falling. Not gonna lie, I already feel pretty relaxed. Everything okay there?” She grabbed the handle on her suitcase, her other hand holding her phone to her ear while rolling her bag down Main Street.
Mom gave her a play-by-play of her day so far, which wasn’t all that uncommon. They talked all the time, but Katie didn’t need all of Mom’s aggravations seeping into her vacation-time, and it was already stealing her Christmassy vibe.
Katie half-listened to her mom as she looked at the cute shops and a tiny white church. Potted spruce trees decorated with shiny red bows flanked the tall double-doors. It couldn’t hold more than fifty people from the looks of it. The sharp pitch of the roofline over the entrance rose to a point that seemed twice as tall as the church was wide. A bell tower showed off a trio of shiny bells that hung in random positions as if they’d stopped ringing mid-swing.
Who knew places like this—so much like the ones in the miniature Christmas villages that were so popular—actually existed? She made a mental note to visit the church while in town.
“I won’t say it’s been my best day,” her mom went on. “Now, I need to find a writer to help fill the cover story for our next issue.”
The cover story? “Oh, dear. Wait.” She made herself concentrate on the phone call. “I thought you brought on that sports reporter who was going to do the story about inventing a new extreme sport—”
“I did. He broke both of his hands in the process.”
“Yikes. That is extreme. So you’re—”
“I’m wondering if you want to throw your hat in the ring.” Mom’s words had come across more as a challenge than an opportunity. Mom had made it no secret that she’d much prefer Katie come work at the magazine rather than chase the dream of being a novelist, even though her debut novel had received wonderful reviews. She knew Mom meant well, but it still stung.
“You want me to write a cover story?”
“Well?”
Katie couldn’t lie. The cover held appeal, but she needed to focus on what she really wanted, and that was to write her second novel. If she didn’t get down to work soon, she might lose the readers she’d already won over with the first book. It was hard to build a good following in such a flooded market. If she was going to succeed in making a living as a novelist, she needed to write.
In the heavy sigh that came across the line, Katie could picture the stress lines pulling across Mom’s forehead. It was so hard for Katie to not pitch in to help her, but she’d been putting her own dream aside for so long now.
“I’m really in a jam here.”
“But I just started a vacation.” With her phone still to her ear, she turned around. There were so many cute shops nestled together on this road. She was itching to explore and enjoy this place.
“I know, but this story possibly could lead to something bigger for you. We’re going to be hiring additional full-time staff in the new year, and this would help move you to the front of the line.”
Katie pressed her lips together. She didn’t want to be short with her mother, but this wasn’t how she wanted to spend her vacation. She hadn’t even had a chance to unpack her suitcase yet. And working at the magazine was not her end goal. “Mom. We’ve been over this. Freelancing is one thing, but working at the magazine is not on my radar. I’m excited to write my second novel. I’m here to get in writer mode again.”
“I know, but you’re really good at this too, and it’s still writing. And it’d be nice to get you something, you know, stable.”
Katie bit her tongue. There it was. “I know. Mom…” She sighed. Just say no! “I don’t think I can right now.” Almost a no.
“Take a few hours and see if an idea occurs to you, and—”
Katie waited, but there was nothing but silence from the other end of the phone. “Mom? Hello, Mom? Are you there?” She jabbed at the buttons on her phone. Her battery was completely exhausted. She grimaced as she rummaged through her bag for her charger, but couldn’t put her hands on it.
She’d last had her charger in her hand when she’d been talking to that guy; she must’ve dropped it. She looked back toward the train depot.
At that moment, the long blast from a horn sounded. She could hear the train chugging along the track, working to pick up speed to get visitors back to the city.
She lifted her tote back onto her shoulder and rolled her suitcase down the sidewalk in search of a store to buy a new phone charger.
On Main Street, a man and woman hurried past her, carrying a life-size Santa figurine under their arms like a canoe. This part of town was teeming with people. Every storefront and window was in the process of being decorated—absolutely humming with holiday activity. There was almost a sizzle in the air; she felt a rush of the contagious joy while neighbors helped neighbors turn Main Street into a real-life Santa Claus lane.
Maybe she’d read one too many articles about this place. But even that thought couldn’t keep her from humming a chorus or two of “Here Comes Santa Claus” as she continued her search for a convenience store.
Townspeople wrapped wide ribbons around the black street lamps, garlands swagged the front of every store, and she’d never seen so many different decorations. Nutcrackers, candy canes, bells, and bows were going up all over town.