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Chapter 49
The parade wasn’t long. After a few more floats, some horses, a couple of clowns, and some classic cars, Santa was spotted coming around the corner. Lorelei and Anson giggled and shouted, jumping up and down. All along the sidewalk, children clapped and waved at the big man, some even shouting their Christmas wishes.
Santa looked an awful lot like Sheriff Parks, even with his fake beard and stuffed tummy. The kids didn’t seem to notice. He waved and tossed candy from atop his sleigh, his plastic reindeer fastened up the roof of the pick-up truck towing his magical sled atop a flatbed trailer. It was decorated with fake snow and Christmas trees so that it looked as if Santa was flying over the top of a forest of lighted trees.
“Well, that’s that,” Memory said, turning toward him, her hands deep in her pockets. “Until next year.”
“That was impressive. Especially that ginger
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Christmas Memory Chapter 50
Kirsten and Maison’s house was nice, though she apologized several times for the mess of toys strung throughout. It was understandable, since she had two small kids, and part of Dak was a little jealous. Having a messy home because one had children was a blessing.Bryce, Sheila, and Ellie made their way in, Ellie delivering Memory her missing items from work, and they all sat down to a meal of beef stew and buttered bread with sweet tea and cookies for dessert. The stew was delicious, which was surprising considering how everyone in Memory’s family said they couldn’t cook, and he appreciated Memory’s thoughtfulness when she brought him water to replace his tea since all Kirsten had on hand was sweetened already. The conversation was light, peppered by Lorelei’s laughter and Anson throwing carrot bits and green beans on the floor and smashing them in his hair.Dak helped clear the table. “I don’t
Christmas Memory Chapter 51
Twenty-seven. That was the number of texts Memory had gotten between 6:00 AM and 3:30 PM when she closed the shop and headed across town to the fairgrounds where the annual snowball fight was held. She didn’t want to go. In fact, the list of things she’d rather do than compete in the snowball fight included medical procedures, trekking through raw sewage, and/or scaling steep inclines lined with banana peels. But her sister’s dares and threats were inescapable. Memory had to go. She had to participate. And she had to win.With any luck, she’d be on the same side as Kirsten, and then it wouldn’t matter.Memory found a parking spot and dropped her keys in her pocket. She left her phone hidden under her car seat, along with her handbag, because she didn’t want it to get smashed or wet. The forts were already up, and she could see kids practicing, running around throwing snowballs at each other. It must b
Christmas Memory Chapter 52
The mayor’s secretary, Barbara, a woman with poofy blonde hair and glasses that took up half of her face, stood beside him holding a large burlap sack. As people stepped over to her, she opened it wide, her smile mirroring the bag.“Ready?” Dak asked, his hand still on Memory’s arm.“I was born ready,” she muttered. Dak laughed loud enough that a few people turned and looked at them, and Memory hid her proud smile at cracking him up as she headed for the bag.“Purple!” Kirsten shouted, holding her buff up and looking around. A few of the other purple players congratulated her on joining their team. Memory noted a lot of the purple team were men. Tall, strong men who probably ran at least five miles a day. Lorelei drew purple, too, but Maison came up with a red buff. Kirsten laughed and pointed at her husband. “I’m going to smash you in the face with a snowball
Christmas Memory Chapter 53
The other woman leaned back slightly, and Memory hid a smile. It wasn’t like her to shock other people, but sometimes people changed. Her sister had to lose this battle, and if that meant Memory had to throw some snowballs, so be it.Mayor Charles gave the signal, and a flurry of snow kicked up on both sides of the field as both teams began to form snowballs as quickly as they could. Memory did her best to scoop handfuls of snow and round them off quickly while still watching what was going on. Dak only had two snowballs in his hand when he took off for the other team’s fort, two other men on each side and the kids leading the way.Snowballs started flying almost immediately. Dak was the closest and biggest target, so he was bombarded quickly. Many of them missed the mark as he ducked and dodged, but several hit, and Memory found herself praying none of them hit him in the face. He was inching his way closer to the enemy for
Christmas Memory Chapter 54
Memory’s grip on the seat of the bench was so tight, she would likely see white knuckles if her red gloves didn’t obscure her hands. Staring at a pair of brand new, shiny, white, leather skates that had somehow managed to work their way onto her feet was intimidating. She couldn’t remember exactly how she’d gotten here.The week had been a whirlwind. She’d been so busy at the store. Ellie was a blessing for certain, working extra hours when needed. With Christmas only three days away, everyone in town, and lots of visitors, had been in for last minute gifts and décor. Memory hadn’t even been able to make it to see Santa with Lorelei the day before, which was disappointing.When Dak had stopped by Saturday afternoon with a gift wrapped box in his hands, she realized she hadn’t even spoken to him for almost a week, not since the snowball fight. She’d waved at him a few times through t
Christmas Memory Chapter 55
Talking and skating was hard at first, but after Memory made it around the lake once, she felt fairly sure that she wasn’t about to fall and bust her backside. Dak carefully let go of her arm for a second so that he could turn around the other way, and she was relieved when she could latch on to him again. By then, more people were arriving, and even though the area of the lake roped off for skating was fairly large, it would be more difficult to navigate with extra people sailing by. Dak was good at steering around obstacles though, so Memory decided to try to relax and let him take charge.“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Dak said, watching where they were going and avoiding areas of congestion. “Why is the town called Christmas Falls?”“What do you mean?” Memory asked, praying she could talk and skate at the same time.“Well, there’s no river, no falls. Why Chri
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Slowly, Dak's head rocked back and forth. “I thought you looked familiar.”A smile spread across her face. “I left my shopping bag on the bench that day, the last time I went skating, and you brought it to me.”The crooked grin on his face confirmed she was right. “How did you know my name, though?”“Your friends. They shouted at you that they were leaving, and they called you Cody. I’ve always thought there was something familiar about your eyes, but I never put two-and-two together. Dakota... Dak... Cody. Of course, it makes sense now.”“Wow, Memory. That’s crazy.” He ran a hand through his hair, still smiling at her. “It was only a few moments of interaction at best. Although, I must admit, I had already spent a good deal of time staring at you that day. And you’re right... you did fall down a lot. I really wanted t
Christmas Memory Chapter 57
“What’s that?” He twerked an eyebrow at her, staring into her eyes.A reply on the tip of her tongue, Memory almost blurted out she knew where he could find a space that would work. But Lorelei shouting, “Aunt Memory! Uncle Dak!” had her head whirling around.Her niece was skating at her full-force. Memory turned, letting go of Dak, her hands out, hoping Lorelei knew how to slow down before it was too late. Apparently, she didn’t. The little girl skidded, her skates turning sideways as she tried to stop herself, but she didn’t do it in time. She collided with Memory, knocking her backward, and sweeping her legs out from under her.Memory’s arms went flying up, her feet shooting into the air, and the sky loomed overhead. She braced herself for the sting of ice connecting with her backside, but strong arms wrapped around her, swooping around her and catching her right befor
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