Snowflakes and Surprises (Evergreen Hollow Christmas #2)

Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

It had been a few days since Nora had come in and browsed through Leon’s catalog, but she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that she didn’t know what to do about the chandelier. She’d felt down ever since Leon had called and told her it wouldn’t be possible to get it, and she’d been holding on to a small hope that maybe something would come through after all, and he’d call her back with the surprise news that he’d managed it. But there hadn’t been any call, and when she walked into the Sugar Maple to pick up a few things that evening, there was no indication from Leon that he’d heard anything new.

She picked up some plain candles in case the storm knocked out the electricity, and batteries for flashlights, putting them into a basket along with some pretty Christmas-themed placemats that she hadn’t seen before, just for fun. As she walked to the counter to check out, she saw Bethany walk in, dusting off her boots as she closed the door behind her.

“I closed up the groomer’s a little early, with this storm coming in,” Bethany explained, when Leon looked surprised to see her. “Hey there, Nora.”

“Hi.” Nora knew she didn’t sound as enthused as usual, but she couldn’t help it. The date of the party was getting closer and closer, and she had no idea what she was going to do. She knew she needed to snap out of it and figure something out, the way everyone else seemed to be so confident that she’d manage, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the chandelier had been the perfect focal point, and nothing else would be as good.

“What’s wrong?” Bethany came around the corner of the counter, reaching for the same catalog Nora had been looking through last week and idly flipping through it as she looked up at Nora. “Did something happen?”

Nora blew out a sharp breath, and she saw the knowing look on Leon’s face. “Well—you know I’m throwing a Christmas party at our house this year.”

“Of course.” Bethany grinned. “The whole town is talking about it. After what you did with the festival last year, everyone is excited to see what you’ll do with your own unique event.”

It should have made her feel good—everyone anticipating her party. It was what she did best, after all. But that was precisely what made her feel so anxious and down about all of it now. She’d been so sure it would be perfect, and now she’d lost a major part of what she’d had planned.

“Well, I had all the decorations planned around this chandelier I picked out for our formal living room.” She reached for the catalog, flipping through the pages until she could point it out to Bethany. Even just looking at the picture, she felt a complicated mixture of disappointment and excitement. It was so perfect, and yet it was impossible to get. “I was going to order it, but it won’t come in time. It just can’t get here.”

“I tried,” Leon chimed in, running a hand over his beard. “Just nothing I can do about it, much as I’d like to.”

“I know. It’s not your fault.” Nora sighed. “But now I just can’t find anything I like as much. Nothing feels right. And the party is getting closer, so now I’m starting to feel stressed and overwhelmed.”

She broke off as Bethany frowned, a determined look settling over her face. “Okay. We’re going to figure out a way to make this work.”

Nora looked at her quizzically. “There isn’t one. I know Leon pulled all the strings he could already, he tried his best.”

“That’s true, I did,” Leon agreed. “That chandelier just isn’t getting here in time for Christmas.”

“Well…” Bethany peered at the picture again. “Your husband is awful handy. And you love projects, Nora. So do a lot of us. What if we tried to DIY it? We could make something gorgeous, I bet.”

Nora’s stomach instantly sank again. She knew Bethany meant well, but she just couldn’t imagine how that would possibly work. She couldn’t see anyone being able to make what she’d seen in the catalog, and she didn’t want to settle for something that wouldn’t measure up. But she also didn’t want to make Bethany feel bad by suggesting that her idea wouldn’t look good enough to put in her house.

She let out a slow breath, trying to think of what to say. She was already disappointed about the whole situation, and it just seemed to be getting more complicated by the moment.

“I don’t really know how we could pull that off,” she said slowly. “It’s not exactly an easy thing to DIY. Where would we find the materials anyway?”

“I bet there are plenty of people in town who have crystal-like trinkets they’d donate.” Bethany had that determined note in her voice that Nora recognized, when she’d made up her mind to come up with a solution. “We could use those, and assemble them into a real pretty chandelier, I think.”

“They won’t match,” Nora pointed out. She felt a twist of anxiety as she tried to picture it. She didn’t know how to explain that she’d had a certain vision in her head, and a makeshift chandelier assembled out of donated crystals wasn’t that. She tried to picture it, and then imagined how disappointed everyone would be if it was finished and she didn’t like it. If they came to the party and it wasn’t the centerpiece of her living room.

She’d have to use it, if she agreed. She was finally beginning to feel as if she fit into Evergreen Hollow again, like she belonged here at last, but it would be the debacle over the festival planning all over again if they crowdsourced the chandelier and then she didn’t use it.

Big-city Nora, too good for what she can get here at home.

“It’ll be up on the ceiling,” Bethany coaxed. “No one will notice that they don’t all perfectly match. Once it’s up there and lit up, all anyone will see is how pretty and sparkly it is.”

“I don’t know…” Nora bit her lip.

Bethany was so certain of her idea, but Nora just couldn’t see how it would work. And she hated disappointing anyone.

Just then, as she was trying to think of a way to let Bethany down gently, the door chimed as someone else walked in. Nora looked up, and saw Sabrina Burns dusting snow off her knee-high boots.

“Sabrina!” Bethany called out, as if she’d just had an idea. “Do you think you could run an ad in the Gazette ? We want to see if anyone has a certain type of item that they’re looking to donate, and I bet that would be a good way to get the word out.” She pushed the catalog to the edge of the counter. “Nora needs to DIY this chandelier for the party. I was just telling her there are probably plenty of people who have vintage crystals that we could use. We just have to find and collect them.”

Nora winced, trying to hide it. She wanted to tell Bethany no, that this wasn’t the way she wanted to go about any of it, but what other option did she have? The chandelier wasn’t going to get here in time no matter what she did, and she couldn’t find another centerpiece that she liked.

Maybe a mismatched chandelier would be better than nothing at all.

Sabrina peered at the catalog. “Sure,” she said, glancing up at the other two women. “I think that would work. I can put an ad in the help wanted section, if you can come up with the wording.”

Bethany had already torn a piece of paper off of a notepad, scribbling out some ideas.

“What about this?” she suggested, pushing it over toward Nora.

Nora needs a Christmas miracle!

A Christmas party needs a centerpiece, and Nora needs a chandelier. Have crystal trinkets, glass pieces, or vintage glass beads? Bring them by Sugar Mill, and leave them with Leon!

You’ll get to see it all lit up at the Christmas party, December 21st!

Bethany glanced at Nora. “What do you think?”

“I think everyone will be excited,” Sabrina chimed in, reading it over. “Evergreen Hollow is all about coming together and helping each other out. This is a perfect opportunity.”

Nora smiled, nodding at last. “All right,” she agreed. “We’ll give it a try.”

She remembered the year before, how she’d been so sure her way was best, and in the end it had only been perfect when everyone had come together to contribute. Maybe this would be the same.

She felt hopeful that it might be, after all.