Jorge placed a hand on his shoulder. “Braden, everyone is waiting for the milkshakes. There’s been a slight frenzy about them,” he explained. “People are really eager to put their orders in.”
Braden rubbed his hands together. “I’m on it. Give me a few minutes to take my coat off, wash my hands and get situated.”
Jorge nodded, then darted off to a nearby table to handle a party of six.
“I’m going to figure out how to make some more seating so people aren’t just standing around,” Piper said, shooting him a tremulous smile. “Let’s do this. God listened to my prayers and sent customers into the Snowy Owl. The very least we can do is feed them.”
* * *
Piper stood a few feet away from the fully decked out Christmas tree, admiring the way it shimmered and twinkled with red and green lights. A shiny gold star sat on top. The Snowy Owl had seen a steady stream of foot traffic in the past few hours. All the ornaments had been hung on the tree along with every garland Trudy had brought over from the inn. So many people had shown up to help trim the tree and order pies and milkshakes Piper could hardly believe it. Although Braden had been making milkshakes non-stop, he’d finally served up his last treat.
Hank, Sage and Piper’s niece, Addie, were sitting at a booth with Gabriel, the twins and Connor. Rachel was manning the counter and taking pie orders with Piper’s mother. All of the Norths had shown up. Braden’s parents, Willa and Nate, seemed to be radiating sheer happiness. It would be the first Christmas they shared with their newfound daughter. Piper knew it would be extra special for all of them. Although it still ached to not have her dad around during the holidays, Piper felt such joy for the Norths.
She watched as Braden headed over to the jukebox and turned up the music. The strains of “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” began to ring out in the diner. Braden walked over to his grandmother and held out his hand. Although Beulah tried to wave him off, Braden wasn’t taking no for an answer. He took Beulah’s hand and pulled her toward an open space near the tree where he began twirling her around to the upbeat rhythms. Moments later Braden’s grandfather tapped Piper on the shoulder and invited her to the makeshift dance floor. Although the space was very small, it soon filled up with throngs of dancers.
The vibe in the diner was heartwarming and uplifting. Before too long it was Beulah and her husband dancing cheek to cheek all alone in the middle of the diner. Piper let out a sigh. Braden stood a few feet away with his sister. The expression on his face as he watched his grandparents was touching. He looked exactly like the pint-size version of himself from their younger years—he was staring at them as if they were constellations in a star-filled sky. She felt a pang in her heart as she gazed at him. None of this would have been possible without Braden’s support and vision.
As the night wound down, everyone bundled up and headed outside for the tree lighting. Piper locked up the diner behind her. Despite the plummeting temperatures, a large crowd gathered on the town green. The velvety night sky was sprinkled with twinkling stars. Looking around her caused a feeling of warmth and light to flow through Piper. For so many reasons she’d dreaded the holiday season, but tonight had shown her that despite the huge hole her family would never be able to fill, they had so much to be thankful for. Family. Friends. Townsfolk. A feeling of gratitude swelled inside her.
Dear Lord. Thank You for blessings both big and small. I have so much to be grateful for, especially during this holiday season. Today showed me that I’m way more loved than I ever realized. And even though things are far from being fixed at the diner, You gave me a spirit of hope.
As the crowd thinned out and people began to head home, Piper found hers
elf still relishing the camaraderie of the evening. Even though she was tired, she was still having fun talking to old friends and sharing the news about the diner’s countdown to Christmas events.
“Hey, shouldn’t you be heading home? You must be exhausted.” Braden had walked over to where she was standing admiring the Christmas lights. There were only a handful of residents still hanging around, and even though it was nearing midnight, she wanted to savor the bliss of this very special evening.
“I think on some level I didn’t want this to end. All is calm and bright and beautiful. It’s been an incredible night, hasn’t it?” Piper asked. “I couldn’t have asked for more.”
“You pulled off a spectacular event. Everyone went crazy over your holiday pies. Rachel could barely keep up with the orders.”
“And what about your incredible milkshakes? They were as much in demand as the pies. The diner made more money tonight than on any other night over the last four years.”
Braden let out a low whistle. “Take a bow. You did it, Piper. If this continues, the diner will be in great shape before you know it.”
“I don’t want to get carried away, but I’m hopeful. Tonight made me feel like anything is possible.”
She felt breathless with excitement. Instead of wringing her hands about the diner, she was actually being proactive about solving her problems. And it was working. It felt amazing to put your faith in something and have it confirmed. Her belief in Braden had been validated. “I didn’t do it on my own. It was your idea to focus on holiday pies. We’ve always been a great team.”
“We have, haven’t we? Remember our science project in fourth grade?” Braden’s eyes twinkled with merriment.
Piper let out a groan. “Of course, I do. We frittered away our time and with one week to go we decided to kick it into high gear. We ended up making a demo of Mount Kilauea erupting.”
Braden clutched his stomach and let out a chuckle. “I’ll never forget the look of shock on Miss Beale’s face when the lava started overflowing like crazy. It was sheer pandemonium in the classroom.”
“We added too much baking soda. Rookie mistake.”
“True, but we ended up getting an honorable mention ribbon and our photo was in the Owl Creek Gazette. It worked out way better than we ever imagined.”
“That’s why I asked you to help me in the first place. You always get the job done.” Her grin had to be completely taking over her face. Hope was such a precious commodity, and tonight made her so excited about the Snowy Owl’s future. Suddenly, things didn’t seem so bleak. Braden always made her believe nothing was impossible. Despite their issues, there was no one else in creation who made her feel this way.
Braden shook his head. “Your idea about letting the townsfolk trim the Christmas tree at the diner was pure genius. You made everyone feel as if they were a part of things. And then people started ordering the milkshakes and sticking around for dinner. It was sheer holiday perfection.”
Piper rubbed her mittened hands together. “That’s what it felt like to me. Everyone came together to celebrate this joyous season. My family and yours, friends, residents, tourists. It couldn’t have worked out any better.” She let out a little squeal of happiness. Tonight had been wonderful! And empowering. She was filled with anticipation about Christmas and the possibility of what the future might bring. For so long now she’d been stuck in the past, in large part due to her father’s untimely passing.
Although grief was a long road to travel with many ups and downs along the journey, this Christmas felt different. The memories weren’t choking her. Instead, she was learning to cherish them.
“It was a brilliant evening. You’re the perfect person to run the diner, Piper.” His eyes radiated warmth and pure joy. “You’re carrying on Jack’s legacy with so much heart and soul. If he could see you now, he’d be bursting with pride.” His voice cracked with emotion. “Don’t ever doubt yourself. Because honestly, I never have.”
