“I met your sister today,” Eric told Todd.
“You did?” Todd chuckled. “Don’t let her spook you. She’s just… that way.”
Eric hadn’t mentioned to her that he’d met anyone on his walk earlier.
“What way?” she asked from the back seat.
“Lacey has a gift. My grandmother, if she was alive, would have believed that she could see into people.”
“Oh?” Eric asked. His voice sounded a little off.
“What did she say to you?” Alice asked.
“Nothing.” He glanced over his shoulder towards her. “Just… welcome to Pride,” he answered as Todd turned off the truck. They had parked across from the grocery store, but she could just see the town square out the window and gasped.
The little area where the Christmas lights and trees were last time was filled with people all dressed in holiday cheer. There were tables where people were handing out hot drinks and a huge bonfire in the middle with several smaller ones scattered around. People gathered around each one, trying to stay warm as the snow continued to fall.
“It’s the official Christmas town hall lighting,” Megan said as she started to get her son out of the car. Todd rushed over and nudged her aside and took his son, setting him down in the snow. “I’ve got Sara, you take Matt and head on over to get warm.” He waved his wife away as he reached for his sleepy daughter in her car seat.
“Official?” Alice asked. “Aren’t the lights already lit?”
Todd chuckled in response. “You’ll see.” He shifted his daughter in his arms so he could grab the thick blanket and toss it over her sleeping body.
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to the rest of our family.” He motioned.
Eric walked over and took her hand. “Well, you wanted to come along.” He nudged her. “This looks amazing,” he said softly.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “Who does this sort of thing anymore? Especially in a major snowstorm?”
“Apparently, Pride does,” he said as they caught up with Todd.
For the next half hour, they were introduced to a few people, including Todd and Lacey’s younger brother, Iian, who was deaf. They met his wife, Allison, who, they were shocked to find out, was one of Alice’s favorite artists. She even had a print of one of the woman’s pieces hanging above her bed in her dorm room.
They also met Lacey’s husband, Aaron, who was the town doctor. They had a daughter who was fast asleep in a stroller.
There was a loud whistle and everyone’s attention turned towards an older gray-haired man.
“That’s the mayor,” Lacey said over her shoulder.
“We all thought you were the mayor of Pride,” Todd said under his breath, earning him a poke in the ribs from Lacey.
“Shh,” she said as the mayor started to speak.
“Welcome to Pride’s annual town hall Christmas lighting. I’m especially pleased that everyone could make it in such beautiful weather.” There were a lot of chuckles from the crowd. “Now, I know everyone’s cold and tired and probably wanting to get back home to their warm houses, so I’ll make this short…”
“That would be a first,” someone shouted from the crowd, causing more laughter to erupt.
“Okay.” The mayor chuckled. “I just have to thank a few people”—there were a few groans—“without whom this beautiful display wouldn’t have been possible.” A few cheers. “To the Jordan family, your consistent support of Pride would make your father proud.” There were cheers. “To Patty O’Neil.” There were even more cheers. “Patty, you know exactly what you mean to this town.” Everyone clapped. “And Dr. Gerard Stevens.” The crowd grew quiet. “Doc, you will be missed by many. This year, our lights are dedicated to your memory.”
There was a moment of silence, then the mayor nodded and the entire square burst into a million bright lights. She’d never seen so many in her life. Not even the malls in the city could have beat the small town’s display. The lights bounced off the crisp snow, no doubt causing a haze of light above the small town.
“I bet Santa can see us through the storm now,” Matthew Stevens said to his mother.
Alice hadn’t realized she was crying until Eric pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her.
“Are you okay?” he asked, using his gloved fingers to wipe the tears away.
“Yes, it’s just… so amazing.” She sighed and rested her head against his chest. “I wish we could stay here forever,” she said under her breath.
“Me too,” he agreed, and they stood by the fire, looking out at the millions of lights.
When the crowd started to thin, Todd turned towards them. “We can hit the store and get those supplies now. I’ll meet you at Patty’s.” He motioned to the store just down the street a little. “I’ll get Megan and the kids settled in the truck first and then head in.”
They walked quickly towards the store. It was less than a city block away and someone had cleared all of the sidewalks, but still, they had been outside for almost an hour, and when she stepped into the store, she realized just how cold she’d gotten.
“I’ll get us a cart,” Eric said and moved over to get one.
“Did you enjoy yourselves?” Patty asked from behind the counter.
“Yes.” She smiled. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”
“I have some hot chocolate here. The moment the lights were flipped, I hightailed it back here. I’m too old to be standing around in the cold for too long.”
Alice walked over and made two cups of hot chocolate, then handed one to Eric.
“It doesn’t take age to realize you spent too much time in this cold,” he said easily, causing the older woman to chuckle.
“True.” She glanced over when Todd walked in. “Stocking up?” she asked them.
“Yes, we ran out of everything,” Eric answered. “I guess we didn’t realize that we’d be in town this long.”
“From the sounds of it, you’ll be enjoying Christmas with us as well,” Patty called after them. “Better stock up for at least one more week.”
While they walked through the aisle getting items from Eric’s list, she thought of trying to find something for Eric for Christmas.
She hadn’t expected to see him, but now that she knew they would be stuck here together, she wanted to have a present for him to open on Christmas morning.
Glancing out the main window, she saw a small store across the way and came up with a plan.
“I… I’d like to go across the way and get a few other… personal things.” She motioned to the drug store out the front windows.
Seeing the store, Eric nodded. “I’ll finish up here and meet you back at the truck.”
“Thanks,” she said and disappeared outside quickly.
Crossing over to the drug store, she glanced towards the windows and, instead, ducked into a small boutique, silently praying that they would have something that could pass as a gift.
She found several items and by the time she walked out, the small bag tucked deep in her purse, she noticed Todd and Eric loading the groceries into the covered bed of the truck.