Page 51 of The Lie That Stole Christmas

“Oh my gosh,” Ashley exclaimed, and a genuine laugh echoed through the room.“That is amazing.”

“Aren’t ugly sweaters usually reserved for parties?”he joked.

“As far as I’m concerned, it is a party every day for the entire month of December.”

As if his eyes had a mind of their own, they met Ashley’s.Her teeth slid over her lip as her attention bounced between him and Lena.Something about the look tugged at him, though he couldn’t have said why.

Lena placed one more piece of paper on the table and straightened, folding her hands on the table in front of her.

“The light guy is coming today.”Lena glanced at the red watch with the Santa Snoopy face.“He should be here in forty minutes, so I can meet him as soon as we’re done here.He’s going to put the lights on the big evergreen on the south side of the estate and the bushes leading down the walkway.”

“The sleigh is currently being prepped,” Carter added, so you can check that off the list.

“Perfect.What about the hot cocoa station?”Lena asked.

“That’s usually in the guesthouse,” Ashley offered.

“Last year the heat in the guesthouse wasn’t working, so we moved it to the carriage house,” Carter said.“But the heat is working, and the guesthouse is ready for the hot cocoa station.”

“I can do it,” Ashley offered.

Carter’s attention snapped to Ashley along with Lena’s.

“You will?”Carter asked.

“I said I wanted to help, so I’m going to help.”

“I thought you wanted to help with the planning, not serving all of Holly Glen hot chocolate.”

“Too bad, I already put her name on the list,” Lena said, turning the paper toward them.

She had a spreadsheet with each task and a column for who was assigned.Ashley’s finger dragged down the column, sliding back and forth from task to name.

Hot Cocoa Station: Ashley.Sleigh: Clint.Cookies: Tiny.Lights: Lena.Tree lighting ceremony: Carter.Budget: Carter.Vendor Contracts: Carter.Equipment Rental: Carter.Decorations: Lena.Grounds preparation: Wendell.Setup Crew Coordination: Carter/Lena.

“Wow, Carter, you pretty much have your hands in the whole process,” Ashley said.

Carter shrugged.“I like to keep busy, especially around the holidays.”

Her finger continued scanning, and his eyes followed.Safety planning: Carter.Weather contingencies: Carter.

Ashley’s finger halted on an empty column.“Why is Santa TBD?Grandpa plays Santa every year.”

Lena glanced at Carter, and he didn’t know how to tell Ashley.

“Not for as long as I’ve been running the show.Last year, we were down to the wire.All the Santas had been hired out, and your grandfather refused.Carter finally stepped in.We had to add a lot of extra cushion, but we made it work.”

“But why?”Ashley asked.

“Carter doesn’t exactly have the physique of Santa.”

“Neither does Grandpa.”She shook her head.“Why wasn’t my grandfather Santa?”

“He hasn’t made an appearance at the festival since… well, you know,” Carter said.

Silence descended on the room, and Ashley’s eyes dropped to the spreadsheet, lingering on the empty space beside Santa.Understanding dawned on her face, and she looked back at him.“Grandma Lily.”

Carter nodded.