It was one of those pretty digital cards featuring a Christmas scene with carolers singing while embellishing a tree in town square. The scene reminded him a little of the tree that was decorated outside of the Dragonfly Pointe Inn.
Thinking of you. Have a beautiful Christmas. J.
He sat straighter and laughed because she’d added a heart emoji with her name.
It was the first time he’d heard from her since she’d left for her mission, although Jack had been sending pictures of anything and everything he was interested in, including the town, the inn and all the decorations.
He’d even taken a shot of the sunset on a cold, wintry night from the top of the Crystal Rock landmark which was located at the tip of Dragonfly Pointe.
Jack was falling in love with the town and when spring arrived, he might consider moving into a house once he investigated all the available properties surrounding each of the three lakes.
Jack had been sending Janelle emails nearly every day, even though she might not be receiving them, he wasn’t going to give up his pursuit.
That’s right. Tonight, he had something better, he realized, grinning at his phone.
A visit from St. Nick, he wrote, adding a couple hearts and a smile before sending the video.
* * *
Awakening a couple hours later to the sound of wind blustering against the windows, Jack stood from the couch, moving away from the warmth of the fire to look through the living window to the street below.
“Oh, no,” he murmured. “Look at all the snow.”
It was after midnight, he realized, glancing at the watch he was still wearing and changing the television channel. Sure enough, there was a local alert, and according the announcer on the weather channel a few moments later, there had been several accidents in northwest Wisconsin.
Nick and Emma probably weren’t sitting around watching television, he figured, grinning and picking up his phone
Strange, he thought, when no one answered. “Maybe I’ll take a quick shower and hit the sack.”
A few moments later, his phone began buzzing.
“Nick?” Jack answered.
“What’s up?”
“I wouldn’t recommend driving back tonight if you don’t have to. You haven’t had that much experience driving on icy roads. There’s been a bunch of accidents tonight and they’re asking drivers to stay off the roads.”
“Geez,” Nick murmured, peeking outside through the bedroom window. “How many inches did we get?”
Jack heard Emma answer in the background. “I’d say about six. It’s still snowing, so they’ll probably wait a little longer to plow. They usually get the roads out here during the early morning because of the guests.”
There was humor in his voice when Jack asked, “Have you been with Emma this entire time?”
Nick cleared his throat, apparently putting the phone on speaker. “I have.”
Jack laughed. “I won’t ask what you’ve been doing.”
“Sleeping, for one,” Emma answered loudly.
Jack laughed harder. “Hi there, Emma. Matt and I got along great. I had dinner with his family tonight and then we went out for a few beers afterwards. I figured I might need to make a few new friends in case Nick became otherwise occupied.”
Nick sounded sheepish. “Sorry, Jack.”
“For what? I’d have done exactly the same thing if I were lucky enough to be you.”
He could hear Emma snicker. “I’ll pick up Nick’s clothes tomorrow morning and send him home as soon as the roads are clear.”
“I’d appreciate that, Emma,” Jack answered, becoming solemn.
Emma continued, “If you two aren’t busy, there’s something I’d like to do tomorrow afternoon before dark, when I’m done with my obligations at the inn.”
“Sure. Nick and I don’t know too many people in town.”
Emma continued, “We’ll try and remedy that tomorrow night.”
“What have you got in mind?” Nick murmured, apparently disconnecting the phone.
Looking at his phone in consternation, Jack laughed again, muttering out loud, “Well, Jack. I’d definitely say you’re on your own.
* * *
Later that afternoon at the Christmas tree farm, Emma had a wide smile on her face, watching as Jack and Nick dragged the freshly cut tree along the path ahead. Apparently, she couldn’t believe that neither one had ever been to a tree farm before, since it was something she’d been doing with her parents her entire life.
Emma’s parents weren’t around for the holidays and were cruising the Caribbean, but she’d talked with them several times.
Nick looked back at Emma. “Have you got ornaments and lights?”
“I do. But I thought we could all go back into town after unloading the tree at the cabin and pick up some snacks for the small party I’m going to have tonight.”
“You’re having a party?” Jack asked.
“We’re having a party,” she answered, giving him a grin. “Kind of like an open house. Since my parents are away on a cruise, I decided last minute to rent a cabin if one was available so I wouldn’t have to be home alone. And since a lot of my friends work at the inn, I thought it would be a good way to celebrate together, since almost everyone has to work during the holidays.”
Nick looked at her quizzically when they reached the parking lot. “You live with your parents?”
“It’s only temporary,” she answered, scrunching her nose. “My landlord hiked up the rent of my studio, and even though I could have afforded to stay there, it wasn’t worth it. I’ve got noisy neighbors for one, and he never does repairs in a timely manner. Plus, he’s not so good about having our parking lot plowed, and I don’t know how many times I’ve had to call a friend or my Dad to drive me in to work. Although there’s a shuttlebus that runs around town a couple times a day, I work a lot
