“Persia left a shopping list on the telephone table in the foyer, just a couple of things, so I’ll stop by the General Store and pick up what she needs,” I said. “First I want to talk to Frankie about the ‘Home for Christmas’ party and all the other events we’ve got planned up until Christmas. I also haven’t seen the Villa since she decorated it. I’ll bet it looks amazing.”

“Who is she going to get to be Santa Claus?” Quinn asked as we got out of the Jeep. “Noah Seeley?”

For the last few years, Noah, who owned Seely’s Garden Center, had been the town’s Santa Claus for Christmas in Middleburg after taking over from B. J. Hunt, who owned the funeral home. The first time Noah went to B. J. for help figuring out how to put on his Santa outfit, he said B. J. made him lie down on a table because he was more used to dressing people when they were in a horizontal position.

It was as good a time as any to ask Quinn. “Actually,” I said, “she was hoping you’d be Santa. She asked me to ask you if you’d do it.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You. Come on, be a good sport. You look good in red.”

“I’ll look like a furry tomato in that getup. What about Eli?”

“He’s playing the piano for the caroling evening and he’s already agreed to dress up. Knowing him and what a ham he is, he’ll be an elf or one of Santa’s helpers. Maybe even one of the reindeer.”

Quinn shook his head and I could tell he was trying to imagine Eli dressed up as Rudolph. “I don’t think so—”

“Oh, come on.” I twined my hands through his. “Please?”

He hesitated. “Well, I guess I could—”

I kissed him on the mouth, silencing the rest of his words. “You’re an angel. Thanks so much. You’ll be great and the kids are going to love you. I’d better get over to the Villa and tell Frankie that you said yes. Talk to you later.”

“Think about it,” he called after me. “That’s what I was going to say. I guess I could think about it.”

I feigned deafness. “Frankie’s got the suit. I’ll bring it home tonight.”

FRANKIE HAD MADE THE wreath hanging on the front door using grapevines from the vineyard and decorating it with the little silver bell and the ornaments she had borrowed from my mother’s collection the other day. She’d also woven narrow red and green ribbons through the vines like lattice, added a hand-lettered sign that read HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS, and finished it with a big loopy red satin bow.