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"It was good practice," Maggie had said with a laugh, "for when you really go out with someone"
But even to herself, she had sounded false and hollow
During the weeks leading up to Christmas, the island bustled with holiday activities, concerts, celebrations, lighting contests, and festivals What Holly looked forward to the hted boat parade Held by the Friday Harbor Sailing Club and the San Juan Island Yacht Club, it was a flotilla of decorated and fully lit vessels that went from Shipyard Cove to the yacht club and back Even the boaters who didn’t join the parade strung their boats with lights The last boat in the flotilla would be the Santa Ship, fro Street dock He would be met by musicians, and ride on a fire truck to the convalescent center
"I want to watch it with you," Holly had told Maggie, who had pro the shop, andarea was massively crowded, however, and the cheerful claie wandered through the multitude, past clusters of faroups of friends The lighted boats glittered and sparkled in the darkness, eliciting cries of exciteie realized she wasn’t going to be able to find Holly and Mark easily, if at all
It was okay, she told herself They would have a good time without her She wasn’t part of the family If Holly was disappointed that she hadn’t shown up, it wouldn’t last for long
But none of that helped to ease the tightness of Maggie’s throat, or the pressure of anxiety in her chest She kept searching through the crowd, past faht she heard her na, she turned and scanned her surroundings She caught sight of a girl in a pink winter coat and a red hat It was Holly, standing with Mark, waving to her With a sie made her way to the her hand
"Sorry," Maggie said breathlessly "It was hard to find you"
Mark sainst his side He glanced down at her face as he felt her drawing in deep draughts of air "You okay?" he asked
Maggie sht I’m not okay She felt like she had just had one of those drea that was always out of reach, one of those stuhtmares And now she here she most wanted to be, with the two people in the world she ht that it scared her
"You’re sure you don’t want to get a tree?" Mark asked the next Monday, as Maggie helped hilas fir onto his truck
"I don’t need one," she said cheerfully, sniffing the fresh traces of sap on her gloves while he tied the tree down "I always spend Christ?"
"Christo, I’ll leave a present for Holly under the tree, so she can open it Christie blinked, uncertain how to reply Did that mean he wanted her to spend Christ her? "I always stay with my fa the subject drop He drove her to the house at Rainshadow Vineyard, and together they wrestled the tree inside
It was quiet in the house, with Holly still at school Saone to Seattle to visit friends and to do soie smiled as she saw the proliferation of white paper snowflakes hanging fros "Someone’s been busy"
"Holly learned to make them in school," Mark said "Now she’s turned into a one-woman snowflake factory"
He started a fire in the fireplace, while Maggie unwrapped packages of white twinkle lights for the tree
Within an hour, they had set the tree in its stand and strung it with lights "Now for theher way into the narrow space behind the tree She plugged the light strand in, and the tree began to gliic," Mark said, but he was s as he stood back to view the tree
"What is it, then?"
"A system of tiny bulbs illuminated by the gie held up a forefinger significantly as she approached hination, his lips twitching
"Exactly" She gave hih her hair and grasped her head, and looked at her "I need you in ie couldn’tin its bluntness, in its directness She couldn’t turn away, could only stare at hireen eyes
"Not long ago I told Holly that love is a choice," Mark said "I rong Love isn’t a choice The only choice is what you’re going to do with it"