Page 40 of Snowed Inn For Christmas
“I heard that they got the roads cleared, so we can head into town.I thought we could visit some stores and do some Christmas shopping if you'd like.Thanks to that blizzard, I haven’t had a chance to get anything for anyone yet, and it’s left me feeling a little frazzled myself.”I made a silly face, hoping it would drive the point home.
“What’s frazzled mean?”
“It’s kind of like, silly,” Julie answered for her.“And I think that’s a fantastic idea, because I’ve been feeling a little frazzled myself.”
“Well, then, I guess there’s only one thing left to do,” I said, wiggling my eyebrows and pressing my palms together as I pretended to be working out some evil plan.“Let’s go shopping!”
“Yay!”Daisy cheered, climbing off her mother’s lap to give me a high five.
I knew that we were all worried about when and where Joel would appear, but I wasn’t going to put Christmas on hold and ruin a child’s holiday just because some asshole was obsessed with the woman I loved.
Twenty-Four
Julie
My palms were sweatydespite the below-freezing temperatures outside.Even though the roads had been cleared, that didn’t mean that the weather had improved.Snow blew around us, dusting the freshly cleared streets as we made our way down Main Street.
It had been years since I’d been to Silver Falls, and I’d forgotten just how charming the small town was at Christmas.The street was lit up with strings of soft white Christmas lights and pretty red bows tied to the light posts.All the shops were busy with people bustling about, trying to finish their Christmas shopping.I knew how much Daisy would love going into each of the shops because they all felt so magical, but we were headed to the one store that could top all of that: Silver Falls Express.
Silver Falls Express had everything a child could ever dream of, from toys galore to Santa’s workshop, where they could watch the elves make toys.There was also an area in the back of the store where children could visit Santa and take pictures with him.I’d brought the letter Daisy had written so we could drop it off at the North Pole.I figured it was the best way to bring back some of the holiday cheer and ignite the Christmas magic she so desperately needed.
We pulled up outside, and her eyes widened in shock as she stared at the gigantic store in front of us.
“What is that?”she asked, leaning forward to try to see it better.
Patrick and Gage laughed as they unbuckled and climbed out of Patrick’s beast of a truck.My parents had decided to stay at the inn and work on a few things there—though they wouldn’t tell me what.We figured Patrick’s truck would be the best to get us through any bad weather—or to run someone over with, as he put it.
I helped Daisy out of her booster seat and watched as Patrick smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and refused to let him set her down.I laughed and took Gage’s hand as he assisted me so I didn’t fall on my ass trying to get out of the truck.Between the lift and the black ice that lurked beneath the thin blanket of snow, I had a lot counting against me getting out successfully on my own.
We walked into the store, and I grinned when I saw Daisy’s eyes light up.The store was packed, which I expected, but I couldn’t stop the panicked feeling that kept threatening to consume me as I realized just how many people were there.Not only was it easy for a child to get lost in a place like this, but it was also incredibly easy for someone to blend in with the crowd and watch us without our noticing.
“Everything will be fine,” Gage assured me, pulling me into his side as his fingers gently dug into my hip.“We’ve got eyes on everyone.You just need to focus on shopping with Daisy.”
I nodded, forcing a smile as I tried not to let my worry ruin the day for her.
“Okay, my love, where should we start?”I asked, pulling her to the side so we were out of the way as I bent down and smiled at her.“Do we want to shop for toys first?Or should we go say hi to Santa real quick?”