Page 7 of A Perfectly Splendid Christmas (On the Way to Christmas)

After splitting an enormous piece of warm chocolate cake smothered in chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream, Drew paid the

check before he and Kacey walked outside. She was certain she wouldn’t eat another bite of food for at least a week.

The dark sky sparkled with bright stars, and the air was crisp. Kacey breathed in the scent of a nearby woodburning fireplace.

Drew nodded down the street. “I parked at the end of the block.”

“Do you still have that old Beamer?”

“No.” He chuckled. “I got rid of it after I graduated from college and got my first teaching job.”

“What a shame. It was a classic,” she said as they started down the street together, passing the Warner movie theater, heading

toward Scoops, the ice cream parlor.

“More like a money pit.” He smiled at her. “I got myself a practical Honda Accord.”

“How grown-up of you.” She bumped his arm with hers. They walked in comfortable silence for a moment, and Kacey soaked in

her company and their surroundings. “Pretty soon all the light poles will be decorated with candy canes. I love when they

decorate downtown for Christmas.” She looked up at him. “So are you going to have the choir practice something other than

‘Joy to the World’?”

“No, I figured we’d just sing that a dozen times for you next Tuesday and Thursday.” This time he bumped her arm as she laughed.

“We’re planning to sing the usual Christmas favorites.”

“I look forward to the variety. I did talk to Riley and Colleen, and they promise to be quiet.”

“I got the impression that you didn’t tell Dani about my conversation with the two chatterboxes.”

“No, I didn’t. I promised Riley I wouldn’t tell her as long as she and Colleen behaved next week.”

“That’s a good plan,” he said as they walked past the Christmas Shop.

When they reached the end of the street, he pointed to a black Honda Accord. “Well, here it is.”

She ran her finger over the door. “Very pretty.”

“What do you drive?”

“A mint-green Prius.”

“Very practical and eco-friendly.”

She shrugged. “It was a great price, and I appreciate the gas mileage.”

He pushed a button on his key fob and the locks popped. Then he opened the passenger side door for her. “After you.”

“Wow. You have such nice manners.” She climbed into the seat and he closed the door for her. Then she fastened her seat belt

while he jogged around the front of the car. “This car is lovely, but don’t you miss the Beamer breaking down every day?”

He shook his head and laughed. “I do miss the adventures we had, but I don’t miss paying a mechanic all the time.”

She relaxed in the seat as he headed down Main Street and then turned left onto Rosemont. “This was fun.”

“It was.” He peered over at her. “We should do it again.”

“Definitely. I really want to see your house. I always wondered what the inside of that place looked like.”

“You won’t be impressed.”

“Sure I will. After all, I need to meet those cats.” She looked at him. “Does the gray cat always look annoyed?”

He laughed. “Yes, Loki is marked that way. He has a permanent scowl.”

“Interesting.”

When Drew steered down her street, Kacey felt her smile wobble. Their wonderful evening together was coming to an end.

He turned his car into her driveway and slipped it in Park before turning toward her. “Hand me your cell phone?”

“Of course.” She fished her phone from her pocket, unlocked it, and gave it to him.

Drew typed on her phone and then his phone dinged. He pulled his out of his pocket and typed on it next. Then he handed hers

back to her. “We have each other’s numbers now.”

“Perfect.” She slipped her phone into her coat pocket. “Thank you for a wonderful evening.”

“No, thank you.” His smile lingered on Kacey’s face a beat longer than necessary. “I’ll be in touch soon.”

She pushed open the passenger side door and climbed out of the car. She closed the door and hurried up the front steps of

the house. When she turned and waved, Drew’s horn tooted before he backed his car out of the driveway.

Happiness blossomed in her chest as she unlocked the front door and stepped into the family room, where Mom sat on the sofa

watching Last Christmas .

Mom’s expression lit up, and she pressed Pause on the remote. “How was your date?”

“It wasn’t a real date, Mom.” Kacey flopped down on the sofa across from her mother. “It was fun to get caught up. We reminisced,

ate too much, and laughed a lot.”

“That smile on your face makes me think it was a real date, Kacey.”

She shook her head. “We’re just friends, Mom. Plus, he applied for a job in Newton, and I’m going back to Charlotte eventually.”

“I always thought you two should have dated. You got along so well. And he’s so good-looking.”

Kacey laughed and pointed to the television. “I love this movie. I’ll watch the rest of it with you.”

As the movie came back to life, Kacey pulled off her coat, settled on the sofa, and pondered what it would feel like to have

Drew in her life permanently.

“All right, everyone.” Drew addressed the choir the following Thursday afternoon while he sat at the piano at the front of

the room. “Let’s take it from the top. Ready?” He began playing the introduction and then held up his hand for the children

to start singing. “Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...”

While they sang, his mind wandered through the past week. Kacey had lingered in his thoughts since their dinner last Saturday

night. They’d been texting, but they hadn’t connected in person, since she said she had a big project to finish for one of

her clients.

He had hoped to catch her after choir practice on Tuesday, but when the session ended, Riley and Colleen hurried out of the

classroom. By the time Drew left, the bakery was dark.

Although he enjoyed their banter over text, he couldn’t help but wonder if she had used her job as a reason to avoid him.

Perhaps she wanted to keep her distance, since she planned to go back to Charlotte. Or maybe she had a boyfriend waiting for

her there.

Still, he knew she’d had a good time Saturday night, and he longed to see her again. He hoped today she would come to the

choir room to fetch the girls instead of them rushing off to the bakery to meet her.

When giggles erupted from the back row, Drew scanned the choir until he found Riley and Colleen with their heads bent. He

sighed. It was time to separate those two.

Drew stopped playing and clapped his hands. “All right. Let’s take a break.” He stood and nodded to the back row. “Riley,”

he called, and her head popped up, her eyes wide. “I’d like you to come and sit in the front row, please.”

“I-I’m sorry, Mr.Murphy.” She blinked, her cheeks flushing bright pink.

He nodded. “Just come sit up front where you won’t be so disruptive.”

“Okay.” Riley glanced at Colleen, who looked equally embarrassed, and then with her eyes cast down, she shuffled to the front

row and sat on a metal folding chair beside a first-grade boy. She looked down, studying her purple jeans.

Drew returned to the piano. “Let’s take it from the top now.”

After a few more run-throughs of the song, he noticed parents had gathered at the back of the room. He spotted Kacey leaning

against the wall, grinning and holding a bakery box, and his heart lifted.

When the song ended, the adults clapped.

“Great job today,” Drew called to the kids, who were busy stowing their music and gathering up their coats and backpacks.

“See you next Tuesday. Practice the songs at home so you learn the words.”

He closed his music folder and slipped it into his backpack as the mother of one of the fourth graders approached with her

redheaded daughter in tow who was fiddling with colorful beaded bracelets on her wrist. “Hi, Mrs.Wagoner.”

“I wanted to let you know that Patti is going to miss practice next Tuesday. She has a consultation with an orthodontist.”

“That’s fine. Thanks for letting me know.” He looked at Patti. “I hope your consultation goes well. You know, I had braces.”

The little girl’s hazel eyes rounded. “You did?” Her face pinched. “Did they hurt?”

“My teeth were a little sore, but the cool part was being able to pick what colors I wanted for my rubber bands when I went

for my checkups. The orthodontist has so many colors.”

“Did they have purple?”

“They sure did.” Drew met Patti’s mom’s gaze, and she gave him an appreciative smile. “You’ll do great.”

“Thank you,” Patti said.

“See you next Thursday,” Drew told them. He turned to the next mother waiting to speak to him and realized he had a line.

His hope to talk to Kacey deflated.

After speaking to two more mothers about their children’s schedules and answering a father’s question about logistics on the

day of the Christmas Tree Lighting, he faced the back of the room and was surprised to find Kacey still there, smiling as

Riley gestured widely while talking.

Drew shouldered his backpack and approached them.

Kacey smirked at him. “I was happy to hear a different song today.”

“Well, I chose the song with you in mind.”

“I thought so. This is for you.” She held the bakery box out to him.

“Wow. Thank you,” he said, taking the box. Then he nodded toward the door. “How about I walk you to your car?”

“I’d love that.” When the girls scampered toward the exit, she called, “Slow down, girls! No running!”

The girls, however, continued past the people milling about the hallway and out the front door to the sidewalk.

Kacey shook her head. “They listen so well, don’t they?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “They know where you park, right?”

She nodded as he held the door open for her. “My car is behind the bakery.” She looked up at him as they stepped out into

the cold evening air. “How did Riley and Colleen do today at practice?”

He grimaced, and she groaned. “It’s all right. I moved Riley to the front of the room.”

“Separating them is the only solution. I’ll talk to her again.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll just keep them separated. It’s an exciting time of year for the kids.” He lifted the box lid,

and his mouth watered as he took in the assorted cookies. “These look amazing. You’re going to send me into a sugar crash

if you keep feeding me your delicious treats!”

“We had some leftovers today. Dani will bake more in the morning.”

“How did your work project go?” he asked as they followed the girls through the alley between the bakery and the gift shop

next door toward the parking lot.

She rubbed her hands together. “I turned it in last night, and my boss was really happy. I heard from her this morning.”

“That’s fantastic.”

The girls rushed over to the mint-green Prius and grabbed the door handle.

“I won!” Riley announced.

Colleen shook her head, and her long black braids swished back and forth. “No, I did!”

“You both did,” Kacey announced. Then she spun to face Drew. “Do you have plans tonight?”

“No, I don’t.”

“If you don’t mind a noisy family, you’re welcome to join me at my sister’s house. Tonight is game night.” She held her hand

up. “I mean it when I say it’s noisy.”

He rubbed his chin. “Well, I am a teacher, so I’m used to noise.”

“That’s right! How could I forget?” She chuckled, then shared the address. “It’s just a couple of blocks away from my mom’s

house.”

He pointed to his car parked a half-dozen spaces away from hers. “I’ll follow you.”

“Perfect. I just have to drop Colleen off first.”

Excitement filled Drew as he hurried to his car.