Christmas in Evergreen Tidings of Joy - Nancy Naigle Page 0,63
base. Katie steadied it, and let Michelle check for position, until she finally gave them a thumbs up.
Thank goodness it’s easier to level a snowman middle than a banner across Main Street.
“Katie, I have to hand it to you, building snowmen as a whole town is a great way to spend a morning,” Michelle said. “We might have to make this an annual part of our celebration schedule.”
“Fine by me. Can you name it after me? How about Katie’s Snowman Day? Or better yet, we could make it non-gender specific and call it Snowbody’s Perfect Day.”
“We might have to vote on that,” Michelle teased.
“I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve built a snowman. I used to love rushing out to Prospect Park to make a snowman during the first snowfall,” Katie said. “It’s been years since I’ve done it, though.”
David stuck a long branch into the body of the snowman to make an arm. “It’s fun.”
“Hey, David, want to help me roll the head?” Katie waved him over.
“Definitely.” He ran to catch up to her near a big drift of snow piled by the trees.
Nearby Hannah, Ezra and Thomas scooched a whopper of a snowball into place for a sturdy foundation, followed by a nice, round belly.
“Look at that.” Ezra, bundled up in a black ski jacket and heavy knitted scarf, lifted his cheeks to the sky, letting the sunshine wash over him. “Whew. Despite the chill, it has turned into a beautiful day, huh?”
“Ezra, I’ve never seen you like this.” Hannah patted the snowman’s midsection. “It’s like you’re floating.”
“I am actually very happy! One day Lisa introduces me to someone, and wham, I’m moving to Boston. You just never know where you’ll find the right person who will change your life. Now, when I move up there, my romance will be two blocks away, and only because I took a little risk.”
David rolled the head for their snowman across the park slowly, building it bigger and bigger until he made it all the way over to where the others were.
“That’s just the right size.” Ben picked it up and plopped it right on top. Now Mr. Snowman was nearly as tall as him.
“Do you ever wonder how much risk is too much?” Hannah asked.
“What’s too much? Even if you’re unsure what it will be at the end, isn’t it always worth a try?”
Katie overheard Hannah’s conversation and wondered if she wasn’t talking more about herself and Elliott than Ezra and his situation. Katie would bet the advance on her next novel that there was very little risk in that area. Those two were meant to be.
Yearning a bit for that magic Hannah and Elliott so clearly had, an emptiness fell over her. Time had gone by so quickly, and she’d be leaving all of this behind. She watched Ben. Her stomach filled with tingly wonder. If only.
She could easily picture being with him. Walking hand in hand, silly inside jokes, snuggling up to his shoulder as he played his guitar by a firepit on a cold night. Even ice skating and laughing until she couldn’t breathe every time she fell. But as much as she cherished every single moment here in Evergreen and every person she’d met, she knew deep inside she could never live in this town. She loved the city. It was where she was meant to be.
Across the way, Michelle and Ben put buttons on the front of their snowman.
Thomas took in a big swig of winter air as he watched Michelle and his son working together.
“You two okay?” Katie asked.
“Yeah, sure,” Hannah said. “Katie, you can keep a secret, right?”
“Of course. Besides, I’m getting ready to leave town. Pretty much any secret would be safe with me at this point.”
“I’m going to miss you. We all will,” Hannah said. “But while Michelle is busy, Thomas, I have something I have to give you.” She turned back to Katie. “Don’t tell anyone.”
“I promise.” Katie leaned in, now even more curious about what it was.
“Merry Christmas. I have a present for you.”
Thomas tilted his head. “It’s pretty early for a Christmas present, don’t you think?”
Hannah pulled an old leather ring box from her coat pocket. “This is too special to wait. Merry Christmas.” Flipping the box across the snow, Thomas caught it midair.
Puzzled, he opened it. “What’s this?”
“I found it,” she whispered. “It’s Mom’s wedding ring. I know it is. It was in the Tinker Shop in a vintage bail jar full of glitter. Remember