Fun days before Christmas
1409 Words
Elise stepped outside that morning, bells chimed gently in the cold air, and strings of warm lights crisscrossed the streets like threads of gold. Snow crunched softly beneath her boots as townspeople moved with purpose and excitement, laughter floating behind them in visible puffs of breath.
It was December twenty-third.
One day before Christmas.
The day she was supposed to leave.
Elise stood on the front steps of Liam’s house, She stared down the long, tree-lined road that led out of Winter Haven.
Then she exhaled slowly.
The night before, Sheriff Jones Journey had mentioned road closures for the final round of festivities parades was still ongoing, candle walks, the bell tower lighting. Half the town would be shut down until late evening.
She checked her phone again. Still no clear route out.
Elise closed her eyes briefly.
Figures.
But the irritation she expected never came.
Instead, she felt… relief.
“I’ll go out for a bit,” she told Mrs. June, who nodded knowingly.
The town square buzzed like a living thing.
Music spilled from every corner , carols blending seamlessly into rhythmic Spanish guitar. A group of dancers twirled near the Square, their skirts flashing red and gold as bells chimed at their ankles. The air smelled of sugar, spice, roasted nuts, and something warm and buttery that made Elise’s stomach rumble.
She wandered without direction, wanting to see more of the town.
At the Starlight Market, wooden stalls lined the square, each one glowing softly. She stopped to admire handcrafted ornaments, glass globes etched with scenes of Winter Haven’s landmarks, wooden figurines painted by hand, candles infused with lavender and citrus.
A woman at one stall pressed a cup into Elise’s hands. “Hot chocolate,” she said warmly. “With orange peel. French recipe.”
Elise took a sip.
Her eyes widened.
“Oh,” she murmured. “That’s… incredible.”
She laughed softly to herself, a sound she barely recognized. When had she last laughed without forcing it?
She moved on, letting herself be pulled into the flow of people. A choir began singing beneath the Winter Bell Tower, their voices rising and falling in harmony. When the final note rang out, the bell tolled once deep, resonant, powerful.
Applause erupted.
She attended the candle walk next. A volunteer handed her a small candle wrapped in paper. As dusk settled, hundreds of tiny flames lit the path through the Square, casting flickering shadows on ancient stone walls. Someone whispered a prayer nearby. Another laughed quietly.
Elise walked slowly, absorbing it all.
For once, she didn’t feel like an outsider.
She ended the evening at a small café tucked beside the plaza. She ordered a pastry dusted with powdered sugar and sat by the window, watching the town glow.
Her reflection stared back at her softer, calmer.
What am I doing here? she wondered.
And then, Why don’t I want to leave?
When she returned to the mansion, dusk had deepened into night.
The house was warm, lights glowing from every window.
She stepped inside quietly.
Laughter drifted from the living room.
Liam sat on the floor, Casey perched on his lap. He was helping her assemble something, a wooden music box. Casey’s brow furrowed in concentration as she followed his instructions.
“No, like this,” Liam said gently. “Slowly.”
“I’m trying,” Casey huffed, then giggled.
Elise watched from the doorway.
This was not the distant billionaire businessman as usual.
This was a father.
Present. Patient. Soft.
Liam looked up and saw her.
For a moment, the world seemed to still.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” she replied, smiling.
Casey waved. “Elise! Daddy’s teaching me how to fix Mommy’s music box.”
Elise swallowed.
“That’s wonderful,” she said.
Liam met her gaze something unsaid passing between them.
She realized then that Winter Haven hadn’t just delayed her departure.
It had… changed her direction.
And maybe, just maybe, she was exactly where she was meant to be.
Night settled into the mansion like a held breath.
Elise lay awake in the guest room, staring at the ceiling, listening to the faint sounds of the house. Somewhere down the hall, a door clicked softly. Pipes hummed. The wind brushed against the windows like fingers asking to be let in.
Her mind refused to rest. She rolled onto her side, pulling the blanket closer, when a sound reached her ears.
A soft thud.
Then another.
Muted. Careful. Like someone pacing.
Elise sat up.
She waited.
There it was again the faint scrape of footsteps through the wall they shared.
Liam.
She hesitated.
Before she could overthink it, she slipped out of bed.
The hallway was dim, lit only by the soft glow of wall lamps. She padded forward slowly until she stood before the door beside hers.
His door.
She lifted her hand paused then knocked gently.
Silence.
Then footsteps.
The door opened.
Liam stood there in a dark sweater, sleeves rolled up, hair slightly disheveled. His eyes widened just a fraction when he saw her.
“Elise?”
“I “ She swallowed. “I heard you moving. I thought maybe… I don’t know. You couldn’t sleep too”.
He studied her face for a moment, then stepped aside.
“Come in.”
His room was nothing like the rest of the house.
It was quieter. Warmer. Lived-in.
Books lined one wall. A single framed photo sat on the nightstand turned face-down. The bed was neatly made, but the space felt… human. Not curated.
She stood awkwardly near the door.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yes. Actually no, I can’t sleep I don’t know why” she replied.
A faint smile touched his lips. “Winter Haven has that effect.”
She glanced around. “Why is your room right next to the guest room?”
He leaned against the dresser. “The upper wing of the house just seemed too lonely ever since Grace died, so I moved downstairs where most of the staff stay and visitors too.” He responded
“Oh.”
“I wanted to be close,” he added. “Casey’s room is the one opposite mine.” He said walking towards his bed to sit on it.
“ I figured by the childlike decorations” she laughed and sat by the foamy cushion near the door.
She crossed her arms loosely. “They were staring today.”
He nodded. “They always do.”
“Why?” she asked. “Why are you so popular? You’re like a mini celebrity over here, freaks me out sometimes, how can a whole town be up in your business, at George Town I can bet my neighbors don’t even know me “
He exhaled slowly, and smiled eyes drifting to the window. “Because they’ve watched me be alone for a long time. And this town is smaller than George Town, every one Knows everyone”
She tilted her head. “Wow, must be tiring knowing people are watching your every move”
“Yeah ,” he agreed. “And I thinks it’s also slightly because my dad was once the sheriff of this town.”
She stepped further into the room. “Well you should have led with that.”
“Liam laughed, he said. “I should have but where the fun in that? .”
“Why did you really knock?” he asked quietly.
Elise hesitated.
“Because,” she admitted, “I realized today that I don’t want to leave.”
His breath stilled.
“Staying here for a year would be perfect, but I do have work, Hannah, my mum and dad who would probably kill me” she chuckled
“ well you are welcome to always visit anytime you like, I’m sure Casey would love that, as for this town? Winter haven would be winter haven, it’s small and needs to trust you, best way to do that is to join in an activity this year, that’s if you are up for it”
“Let’s see about that I just might” Elise yawned
“You should try to sleep,” he said gently. “Tomorrow will be louder.”
She nodded.
At the door, she paused. “Thank you. Liam”
He held her gaze. “Thank you Elise”
And She left before the moment could become something else.
- Writer
