Cozy Hometown Christmas by Meredith Summers

Author:Meredith Summers [Summers, Meredith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Leighann Dobbs Publishing

Chapter 14

By the time Kristen got to the skating pond, most of the skaters had left. There was one couple twirling in the middle and a roaring fire in one of the firepits. Someone was sitting in front of the fire, and Kristen’s heart jolted when she realized it was Mason.

Her knee-jerk reaction was to run in the opposite direction, but her feet didn’t comply. Besides, she had come here to check out the area for her plans, and she intended to do just that.

As she stood there wavering, he looked up, and their eyes met. He smiled, the fire casting warm shadows on his face and highlighting the crinkles at the corners of his eyes.

“Fancy meeting you here.” He stood and gestured toward one of the chairs around the fire. “Have a seat. The fire’s nice.”

Kristen ventured farther and held her hands out to the fire. It was cold out, and during the short walk from the car to the skating pond, her fingertips had almost frozen. But even with the chilly air, the night was fantastic. She loved these nights. The stars seemed much brighter in a dark winter sky, and the blanket of snow made everything much cozier.

“What brings you here?” Kristen nodded toward the pond. “Do you skate?”

Mason laughed. “No. You wouldn’t want to see that unless you like to see someone fall down.” He sat back in his chair. “I just wanted to come and see the area in person. When we rode by it on the sleigh ride, I realized I should probably come and get a sense for the scale of what I’m going to be trying to decorate.”

Interesting. So they’d come for the same reason.

Kristen took a seat. Mason threw another log on the fire, causing sparks to fly up like winter fireflies. She should’ve been nervous, maybe even a bit standoffish, since he was her competitor, but she didn’t feel that way at all. Maybe it was the way her mother had said Kent wasn’t so bad or how Mason had helped Myrtle at the wreath making or how he’d given her the blanket on the sleigh ride even though she could tell he was cold. Either way, she was starting to think that maybe he wasn’t so bad either.

“What brings you here?” Mason asked.

“Same as you.” Kristen surveyed the area. “Scoping out the pond and the surrounding area. I have my father’s drawings, but there’s nothing like seeing things in person.”

“Yeah, it does make a difference. I didn’t realize it was that big an area.”

Kristen took a stick and poked at the fire, causing new sparks to fly out. “So your dad really wants the advertising sign from winning this contest, doesn’t he?”

Mason sat back and thought about that. “I guess so. Honestly, it’s the first thing I’ve seen him get excited about since Mom left.”

Kristen glanced up at him. His mom had left? She knew the big hole her dad passing away had left in their family, and she imagined it might be similar for his dad.

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