“Are you saying it’s going to be better than last year’s event?”
“I sure hope so, Ruth.” There are still some things I want to find, and I’m running out of time. I want this year to be different from all the others.
Alyssa’s eyes twinkle. “Want to get some hot chocolate?”
“Um,” I start, not knowing what to say.
Smiling, Caleb sets her down. “You can come if you want, Bree. If I remember correctly, wasn’t the hot chocolate one of your favorites?”
“Good memory,” I reply, impressed at his recollection. “I like it piled high with whipped cream too.”
Caleb chuckles. “It’s crazy the kind of random stuff we remember.”
I nod. “Exactly. Just like I know you used to drink your hot chocolate with not one, but two peppermints.”
His eyes widen. “Right. How did you know that?”
It’s one of the nights I remember from the diner. I don’t know why it sticks out in my mind, but it does. “A group of our friends decided to meet up at Aunt Mathie’s diner the night of the tree lighting. You sat three seats down from me at the counter, and I remember us all getting our drinks and the waitress setting two peppermints down beside your mug of hot chocolate. I watched you put them both in and wait for them to melt.”
By the surprised look on his face, I can tell he didn’t expect me to say that. “Wow. I didn’t think you paid that much attention to me in high school.”
I roll my eyes. “We may not have been best friends, but you were still a pretty cool guy. I liked talking to you in English class.” Alyssa snickers, and I wink at her. “Are you ready for that hot chocolate now?”
She nods excitedly. “With extra whipped cream.”
Caleb bursts out laughing, and we start toward Aunt Mathie’s, which is only two blocks away. “What about the peppermints? We could put one of your candy canes in it.”
Alyssa sticks her tongue out and gags. “No, thanks. I’ll eat my candy canes like normal.”
Caleb and his mother both giggle and shake their heads. When we get to the diner, Caleb opens the door for us. Ruth gasps when we walk in, and she takes Alyssa’s hand. “Oh, Alyssa, you have to come with me, sweetie. You see that table over there?” She points to a booth in the corner where Mrs. Perkins, my old History teacher, and her granddaughter, Cassie, sit. Cassie is the same age as Alyssa. “That’s my friend Vera and her granddaughter, Cassie. You might see her in school tomorrow.”
Ruth lifts her brows at Caleb, and he waves them off. “Go. Have fun.” Ruth takes Alyssa over, and they end up sitting with Vera and Cassie. Caleb clears his throat and motions toward a table. “Shall we?”
We sit down at an empty booth, and the waitress comes over to get our orders. We both order our hot chocolates just the way we like, only this time, he got his with a candy cane instead of two peppermints. Mine has a mountain of whipped cream along with a few marshmallows. I look back at Alyssa, and hers is piled high as well.
“She’s so adorable,” I say, turning back to Caleb. “She looks just like you with your brown hair and brown eyes.”
He smiles and looks down at his drink. “I love her more than life itself.”
“I bet you do.”
When he lifts his gaze to mine, he narrows them. “How did you know her name earlier?”
I wink. “Santa knows all.” We both laugh, and I wrap my hands around my mug. The warmth feels good on my hands. “Actually, Jody knew you were in town and figured you’d bring your little girl by some time to see him.”
Caleb averts his gaze to Alyssa, who is talking animatedly to her newly found friend. “I wanted to get her out of the house for a while. We’re drowning in moving boxes.”
He tears the plastic away from his candy cane and sets it in his hot chocolate. Taking my spoon, I stir the whipped cream into my drink. “I’m sorry about your wife, Caleb. I can’t imagine what that’s like.”
He blows out a sigh. “It hasn’t been fun, but Alyssa and I are working through it. I quit my job in Charlotte so we could move back here to be closer to my folks. So far, it’s working out okay. I didn’t realize how hard being a single parent was going to be.”
“I wouldn’t know, but I can imagine. My niece is four years old and a handful.”
His brows furrow. “I don’t remember you having any siblings.”
I take a sip of my drink and laugh. “I don’t. Do you remember Lindy from high school? She was my best friend.”
A smile spreads across his face. “Oh yeah, I do. She was the loud one in the group.”