A quick glimpse and I located my parents by the fireplace, holding hands. Dad was chatting with Mayor Slaughter and Mitzi and Dr. Raymond. While Mom was having a far more engaged conversation with Ms. Lewis and my heart swelled with hope for my friend’s future.

Somewhat off by herself, however, was the person for whom I’d done all this.

Grandma Jo.

Who at first appeared upset when she saw me and I had no doubt that she and my parents would have worked in tandem to give me the lecture of a lifetime about doing something incredibly foolish—even without knowing the full extent of what had happened—except her focus then shifted from me to Arthur.

And from Arthur to Esha.

Grandma Jo’s anger vanished at once. It was replaced by a gasp of shock followed by profound relief and a swift array of emotions that were still quite new for me to witness from her. Was it possible she had tears in her eyes? I couldn’t tell because Grandma Jo was suddenly striding across the crowded lobby of her beloved Hoyden Inn. And then, in front of the people of Christmas, family, friend, and folk alike, she took Esha Chakrabarti’s smiling face between her hands and kissed her into next Sunday.

And she didn’t even need a mistletoe trap.

Thirty-One

The snow stopped falling by around ten p.m. and less than an hour later, the sky was a pristine blanket of stars.

The Christmas Eve party was well past the official conclusion, having finally wound down close to eight thirty, and made me want to start grabbing coats for people so they would get the hint.

The good news was the townsfolk didn’t bail after Grandma Jo’s display of romantic courage. Heck, it might have made them stay longer, just for the gossip of it all.

But as I returned to offering appetizers to the guests (much to Arthur’s amusement), I was able to overhear most of the chatter. I might have been related to the subject of their conversations, but I was also there in a service capacity and people tend to forget who’s who while they’re choosing between a smoked-salmon/cucumber finger sandwich and a bacon-wrapped jalapeno, all while gossiping.

Still, they weren’t judging. Not that I heard. At least at this point. Some of that would inevitably happen later, because change can come easily for some, yet take longer for others. Grandma Jo understood that. I was just glad she finally stopped letting it shape her.

One person who wasn’t judging was Dr. Raymond. I have to give it up for the good dentist. As soon as he saw Grandma Jo and Esha kiss, he said, “Oh, okay,” then turned all of his focus to a triumphant Mitzi, who offered him some Christmas bark and a dazzling smile, both of which he merrily accepted.