“Huh?” Paige asked, watching Gannon help Gabby wade through the snow. “Oh, no. She just called and said she had a new use for cafeteria trays, and here we are. But, you’ve got to admit, this is a pretty spectacular example of Merry’s holiday fun.”

He heard the jingle then.

“Oh my God. What is that?” Paige asked, her blue eyes lighting up under the red of her wool cap.

“That, my poor deprived director, is a gourmet hot chocolate truck,” Noah announced. “Want some?”

“More than I’ve ever wanted anything from a truck in my entire life!”

Noah led the way to Elva Janerly’s renovated ice cream truck. The smells of chocolate, vanilla, and melted marshmallow wafted out of the truck’s open window.

Kids clamored for their place in line.

Cat sidled up next to Noah, her cheeks flushed from the cold and snow.

“Is this the famous hot chocolate I’ve been hearing about for weeks now?”

“It is indeed,” Noah announced. “Elva must have gotten the truck back from the garage.”

Cat craned her neck to peer past the dozen kids in line in front of them. “Ugh. This is going to take forever.” She cupped her hands over her mouth. “Hey, guys! Snowman making contest happening right now at the bottom of the hill. Winner gets a free hot chocolate!”

Like magic, the kids whooped and dashed out of line in a mad rush to create an award-winning snow man.

“Nice work, Cat,” Paige praised.

Cat stepped up to the window. “Elva, I’d like to buy these snow monsters a drink.”

Elva, a stern-looking woman in her late fifties leaned through the window conspiratorially. A stout New Englander, she was most often frowning and squinting at the sun than smiling. But the woman had the best hot chocolate recipes on the East Coast. She made a fortune every Christmas Festival and had magazines and food bloggers begging for her recipes.

“Would you be wanting the regular hot chocolate or the special hot chocolate?” she asked, producing two metal flasks from beneath the counter.

Cat looked at Noah and grinned. Noah bit back his instinctive reply. Of course, Elva was breaking who knew how many regulations by not having a liquor license. But was it really a battle he felt he needed to win today?

“What the hell,” Noah shrugged. “It’s a Snow Day. We’ll take the special. Just make sure none of the kids get one.”

Elva tossed off a salute. “You got it, boss.”

Gannon joined them with Gabby riding on his shoulders. The little girl yanked his cap off his head and threw it in the snow, giggling at her own joke.

“Give me that beautiful little girl,” Cat demanded, reaching up to pluck the baby off Gannon’s shoulders. “Who’s the best niece in the whole universe?” Cat asked, nuzzling Gabby’s chubby cheek.