Kissmas Wishes (Love In All Seasons 3)

I can’t help but smile. “Are you asking me to go to a craft class with you?”

“Why? Is that a bad idea?” he asks. “I just thought I wouldn't have to dress up for it.”

“No, it's perfect. It's exactly the kind of date I would want to go on.” We stand there looking at one another with goofy smiles on our faces. Finally, I speak when my stomach begins to growl. “All right. I suppose we could have a quick bite to eat before we head out. I could make us some grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup?”

Not too long later, our tummies are full and we're back in our coats and hats and walking down the street toward the community center. Filson reaches out and takes my hand and my stomach flip-flops with butterflies. It's like we’re finding love for the first time.

He notices. “What's got you in such a good mood?”

Feeling safe with our hands linked, I tell him what I’m feeling, “I was just thinking how nice it is to hold your hand and how you and I are one another’s firsts. First everything,” I say. “It makes me feel really special.”

Filson pauses on the sidewalk where the streetlamp glows, high above us the stars are out, the moon hangs in this night sky. He wraps his arms around me and tilts my chin up with his forefinger, making me feel light and lovely as I bask in his smile.

He leans down and kisses me gently. It's soft and it's slow and it makes my heart flutter. When he pulls back, my eyes are closed.

“That was perfect,” I whisper, wanting to hold on to the moment a little bit longer.

Filson groans. “God, I like kissing you.” He says it so simply and yet it’s so true. I hold onto it.

I’m surprised that such a tender moment could be shared with this man who's always seemed so rugged and cold and set apart. “When you kiss me,” I tell him, “it's like I see a softer version of you. Does that make sense?”

Filson nods. “I get what you mean. When I kiss you. I feel like I could do anything, even take over the world.”

“We don't need to take over the world,” I say, his hand back in mine as we walk down the street. “Tonight, we're just going to take over the community center with our wreath-making skills.”

He laughs. “I’m not exactly skilled at making wreaths.”

“I'll teach you.”

The room at the community center is practically empty. There are only about six of us. The other people in attendance are retired women who realize the importance of making things for others. I wouldn’t expect for Filson to know the women here, but the moment he walks into the room, several of them perk up and walk over to give him handshakes and hugs.

I lift my eyebrows, listening as Shelly from down the road thanks Filson for shoveling her driveway after the first snow of the year. And Nan hugs him, telling him that her fireplace is working better than ever thanks to him clearing out the chimney.

“What’s that all about?” I ask, sidling up to him.

He shrugs his shoulders, running a hand over his beard. “It’s nothing. Just helping people out when I can.”

“Doesn’t seem like nothing to them,” I say, as Trudy comes over and thanks Filson for fixing her rain gutters this fall.

“And this man wouldn’t even let me pay him,” Trudy tells me. “He’s a generous one. A keeper for sure,” she says, giving me a wink.

After a brief how-to lesson by a local nurse named Carla, we get to work. Each of us is given a pair of sheers and a bundle of wire and she explains how to wrap the garlands together and how to attach boughs of holly to the center of each wreath and then how to wrap a red velvet ribbon to the center.

It takes us a bit but after a while, we get the hang of it and soon enough we've each made two wreaths.

“Oh, those look so great,” Carla says. “These will be so appreciated by our families.”

We're just chatting about the soup kitchen and when my phone buzzes. I reach for it, turning away to take the call.

“Hello,” I say. “Who’s this?”

“Oh, Maple, I’m glad you picked up. This is Sheriff Montgomery. There’s an incident down at the soup kitchen.”

“An incident?” I repeat. “What does that mean?”

“Nothing to be too alarmed about, but someone was walking past and saw that there was water pouring out the front door. Water pouring everywhere. I got inside and it looks like a pipe burst. Not surprising with this weather. I stopped it for now. Turned off the water.”

“Oh, God, okay. Don't worry. I'll be there in a minute. I'm just at the community center. Thank you so much.”