A spirited rendition of “Deck the Halls” rang through the store’s speakers, and a suspiciously strong scent of pine filled his nostrils, causing him to wonder if either plug-in air fresheners or powerfully scented candles were hidden among the decorations.
Kacey fluttered around the store, checking out displays of ornaments. Drew looked out the large glass window, where folks decorated the light poles with garland and light-up candy canes in preparation for the festival.
When he turned, he spotted an ornament for Kacey, and he smiled as he picked it up and headed toward the cashier, where Kacey already stood in line.
After they had both paid, they met at the door leading out to the street.
“Here you go.” She handed him the bag.
He held out a bag to her. “And here’s yours.”
He pulled out a beautiful classic wooden guitar with the year printed on it. He smiled and felt warm all the way through. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She lifted her chin. “You said it was your favorite instrument.”
“I love it.” He pointed to her bag. “Open yours.”
She smiled as she pulled a banana split ornament from the bag. “Oh, Drew! Is this to commemorate all those times we shared a banana split at Scoops?”
“Of course.”
“I love it.” She slipped the ornament into the bag and nodded toward the door. “Let’s stop at the bakery for some Christmas cookies and then decorate that perfect tree.”
Drew and Kacey spent the afternoon decorating the tree, eating cookies from her sister’s bakery, drinking eggnog, and listeningto Christmas music. They reminisced and laughed, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such an enjoyable day.
When the tree was done, Drew turned off the overhead lights, and they stood in front of it, admiring their work.
Kacey smiled up at him. “I was right. It’s perfect.”
“Yes, you were.” He felt the overwhelming urge to kiss her. As he started to reach for her, she crossed the room and flipped on the lights.
She pointed to the television. “How about we watch a movie?”
“Sure.”
“Do you have popcorn?”
“Who doesn’t have popcorn?”
She laughed on her way to the kitchen. “You find a movie, and I’ll make the popcorn. Is it in the pantry?”
“Yes.” Drew found the remote, flipped on the television, and sat down on the sofa.
Soon the aroma of popcorn coupled with the sound of popping filled the house, and he smiled. If only he could find a way for this day to never end.
***
Later that evening, Kacey flopped down on the sofa across from her mother’s favorite chair. “It was the perfect day, Mom. We never stopped talking and laughing.” She told her about decorating the tree and then watching a movie together. “I’ve never felt this close to a man.”
“You love him, don’t you?” Mom asked.
Kacey sighed. “Yeah, I do, but we want different things. He’s pursuing a job in Newton, and I’m planning to go back to Charlotte eventually.”
“What if there was a way that you could find a compromise?”
“How?”
“What if you worked remotely from Newton?”
