Page 78 of Eight Days of Christmas
An incoming text chimed on his phone, and he pulled it from his jeans pocket.
Ricky: Tree Lighting Festival tonight at 8:00?
He usually met up with Ricky and Kelsey at the festival, along with a few other friends from high school. The last two years, Landon and Norah had joined them.
Leo: I’ll be there.
Ricky: Right on. I’ll bring the beer.
Leo: Sounds good.
He chuckled after sending the text. Pineridge’s Tree Lighting Festival was an alcohol-free event, only serving hot cocoa and kettle corn. But that didn’t stop Ricky from sneaking booze in anyway.
The Tree Lighting Festival had live music, dancing, and the lighting of the town’s tree. It was all very simple, but Leo embraced it; he found it familiar and comforting and God knew he needed both things right now. But the best part of the evening was when they all ditched the festivities and went out on the local rink for a game of beer ice hockey.
His phone chimed again. He groaned. Probably Ricky again, asking him how much beer was too much. But a smile tugged at his lips when he found Isabella’s name on his screen.
Isabella: Not gonna lie, I was so sad to wake up to an empty bed.
Leo: Sorry. I had some work things to take care of. Trust me, I didn’t want to leave.
Isabella: The note was sweet.
Leo: Just sweet? I was going for sexy.
Isabella: Fine, it was both.
He chuckled out loud.
Leo: Still meeting me at the festival?
Isabella: Wouldn’t miss it.
Freshly showeredand bundled up in his dressiest flannel, peacoat, knitted scarf, and double pairs of alpaca socks, Leo searched for familiar faces in the crowd. He waved and nodded hello to a few of his dad’s friends, Hannah, an attractive barista who worked at The Local Grind coffee shop, and Joey who played on the high school hockey team with him ages ago and now sat bundled up and confined to a wheelchair. If it hadn’t been for that one bad decision senior year to get behind the wheel after drinking, Leo knew Joey could’ve made it in the NHL. Joey’s wife Vanessa held his hand and when she waved to Leo, he headed toward them to say hello.
“Hi, Vanessa.” He bent, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“Hey, Leo. It’s good to see you.”
Leo shook hands with Joey, leaning into him for a manly hug.
“It’s been a while. You’re a busy guy to get a hold of,” Joey said.
“Yeah, just got back from Michigan. It was beautiful there.”
“Made it back just in time for the wedding,” Vanessa said.
Ricky jogged toward them. “Hey, man. There you are.” He hooked an elbow around Leo’s neck.
Leo jabbed Ricky in the gut, causing him to back off.
Ricky chuckled as he moved around to the back of Joey’s wheelchair and gripped the handles. “I need to steal this guy for a bit, you cool with that?” he asked Vanessa.
She chewed on her lip, considering. “Fine. Just don’t get him in any trouble. I’m still trying to butter up Mrs. Chen after you guys plowed through her sunflower field and blamed it on Joey.”
“Hey, that was not me.” Leo stuck up his palms in surrender. “That was a solo operation.”
She narrowed her eyes but smiled.
