“Gotta take advantage of the season,” Grant said. “We’re going to be lighting the tree this weekend. Santa’s coming for the kids. Fun and games for them. The whole town comes out.”
He pulled off his mitten to reveal a slim glove and reached under the bar for two shot glasses, both made of ice, and a bottle of schnapps.
“Here’s some fun and games for adults,” he said, grinning. “In honor of your first time in our Wharton Wonderland, this one’s on me.” He poured the schnapps into the glasses. “In fact,” he said, producing a glass for himself, “I’ll join you.”
They held their glasses aloft. Tess caught Wyatt’s eye and said, “Happy days.”
Wyatt cleared his throat, his eyes glistening. “Happy days.”
The three of them clinked glasses and downed the schnapps. Not Tess’s usual drink of choice, but somehow, out here in the cold, it seemed like just the right thing. It slid down her throat and warmed her from the inside out.
“Some wine with our lunch?” Wyatt asked.
Tess grinned. “You may have to carry me out of here, but sure.”
“Oh, the dogs will pull you,” he said. “No problem.”
Grant chuckled as he poured wine into two plastic cups and popped lids on them. “Hey, I hear we may be doing some ghost hunting at your place later,” he said to her.
“Oh?” Tess said. “You’re part of Jane’s crew?”
“I am,” Grant said. “I do a little bit of everything around here. Jane does the woo-woo spirit stuff. I get the recordings on video.”
Tess smiled at him. What an interesting, quirky fellow, she thought. She and Wyatt made their way back to their hay bales and settled down onto them, the dogs curling up at their sides.
Tess felt the warmth of the fire on her face, not too hot, but enough to take the edge off sitting in the cold. Or maybe it was the schnapps, she wasn’t sure. She snuggled the heavy, fleecy wool blanket around her—it looked as though a sheep had just been sheared and she was surrounded by its wool.
Wyatt unzipped his backpack, produced their baguette sandwiches, and handed one to Tess.
As she unwrapped her baguette, she thought about the fact she had never been on a winter picnic. How could that be?
She had lived in the Twin Cities all her life—a place famous for its long, cold winters. Getting through those below-zero temperatures in style was a source of pride for Minnesotans. Every year, the capitol city of Saint Paul held its Winter Carnival in the middle of downtown, which featured concerts, activities, and an ice-sculpting contest. Its twin city, Minneapolis, just across the river, held its Holidazzle Parade, featuring lighted floats that made their way down Nicollet Mall, made famous by the intro to The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
In Duluth, just down the lake’s shoreline from Wharton, there was Bentleyville, which had grown out of one man’s light display in his own yard into a twinkling wonderland that people walked through in the city’s Bayfront Park.
People bundled up and enjoyed winter in this part of the world. And yet Tess had never done much of it herself.
“Wyatt, this is perfect,” she said, taking a bite of her sandwich. “What a wonderful day. So much fun.”
“I thought you might like it,” he said, his face softening. “I hoped you would.”
“We have to come back for the tree lighting this weekend.”
We. She hoped she hadn’t coupled them too soon.
“Oh, for sure,” Wyatt said. “It really is a lot of fun. Like Grant said, most everyone who is still in town comes out for it.”
The weekend seemed a world away to Tess. There was a lot to get through between now and then.
“Do you think all of this will be over then?” she asked, wincing.
“This business at your house, you mean?”
Tess took a sip of her wine. “Yeah. I just want things to be back to normal. I’m hoping that by the weekend . . .”
“You can count on it,” Wyatt said.
Tess wasn’t sure where he got his confidence, but she made the choice to go with it, at least for the moment. And this moment was perfect. She wasn’t about to let worry about what may or may not happen in the future—even just hours in the future—mar the beauty of this bright, sunny day, as she sat with the man she was rapidly falling for, watching the dogs run and play like puppies, and feeling the cool sting of winter on her cheeks.
Finished with their sandwiches and wine, it was time to go. Tess hated to leave their hay bale and the crackling fire, but La Belle Vie awaited them. She took a deep breath and got to her feet, ready to face whatever they might find.