A Chance This Christmas(8)
“I’ve pined.” He shot her a virtuous look that made her smile. “But you’re right. I could use your help, too.”
“I can’t imagine what I might have to offer you.” She’d spent the last eight years perfecting her craft as a designer—and failing to gain any kind of commercial traction. Work had become a source of frustration where once it had fueled her every creative instinct.
“I could use your help getting this town to remember its roots.” He downshifted as they reached the first signs of the old Olympic Village.
She couldn’t imagine how she could help in that department, but she was curious what he had in mind.
“Are you referring to its history before it became Yuletide?” She didn’t recall Harristown having that much going for it.
He drove slowly along Main Street. The local shops had closed for the evening, but the town still did a brisk restaurant business. A man-made toboggan run on one end shot sledders out into the frozen surface of the lake, and the line waiting for a turn was full of kids and families.
“No. I want the Yuletide town board to remember why they became a Christmas-themed village. These last few years it’s become all about the bottom line. They’re losing sight of what makes it special.”
She might have fallen out of her seat if she hadn’t been buckled in. “Seriously? My odds of success with that are about the same as if you’d asked me to lead the reindeer team when Santa goes out this year.”
Gavin stopped to wait for a car vacating a coveted parking spot on the street.
“Your father always had a real passion for what the town was about—”
“Embezzling?”
“It was a bad decision,” he admitted.
“A criminal decision,” she emphasized, knowing every other person in Yuletide would do the same.
“But before greed got the best of him, he had a vision for the town that was really exciting.” He backed into the spot and put the truck in park, and then turned toward Rachel with a new fire in his gaze. “A vision that got a whole lot of people engaged and believing in him. Every person who lived in Yuletide took on a role, from building the website to laying the foundation for the new gazebo and restoring an old carousel.”
She shook her head sadly, not sure why Gavin would want to remind the town of the past when they resented her father—and her—so fiercely. But then, he had looked up to her father at one time. No doubt he’d been hurt too when her dad had let them all down.
“Once upon a time, my father had the power to motivate people. That’s true. But he lost all credibility when he took the town’s savings. He’s like the Grinch who stole Christmas, only he never gave it back and I’m afraid resurrecting his dream will only remind people of what he did.”
What he’d done had been painful for every single resident of Yuletide. And in their resentment, no one had spared any sympathy for Rachel or her mother, both of whom had been abandoned with no explanation. The betrayal had been double for them, yet instead of getting any support for the community, they’d been suspected as accomplices. No matter that the police cleared them of suspicion within the first six weeks of the investigation.
“If you could ever get on speaking terms with the town council members, I bet you’d be able to motivate them.” Gavin’s green eyes locked on hers.
She laughed. What other response could there be? “No I couldn’t. They all think I’m guilty too. Besides, I’m fighting my own battle this week just trying to get Luke to let me go to his wedding so I can be there on Kiersten’s big day.”
“Luke is going to be glad to see you and put the past to rest.” He sounded so sure of it. “It’s his parents who soured on your family, not him.”
“Them along with the rest of the town.”
Outside the truck, a band of teens sprinted past at high speed, threatening each other with snowballs.
“No.” Gavin shook his head, resolute. “There are plenty of people here who don’t like how closed-minded the council has become. When the town started, there was talk about charity work for Christmas programs. None of it ever happened after your dad left.”
She remembered. People were naturally more giving at the holidays and her father had talked about trying to put that positive spirit into action. Had he ever planned to follow through with programs like that, she wondered? Or had he known all along he was going to ditch his family and his vision?
“What are you hoping to accomplish, exactly?” She glanced up the street toward the Mirror Lake Inn where Kiersten would be getting off work soon. An aesthetician, the bride-to-be worked at the luxury spa inside the hotel, and Rachel didn’t want to miss her chance to speak to her friend outside Yuletide.
Away from Mrs. Garrett.
“I’ve been pitching a nighttime cross-country ski event through town that would be a fundraiser for a good cause.” He leaned closer, his enthusiasm for the project obvious in his voice. “I’d pay for the cost of lighting, but I need the official approval of the mayor and the councilors. I thought it could be a way to raise awareness and funds for a kids’ group I work with that’s dedicated to fighting childhood obesity and making exercise fun.”
He did work for good causes like that? He’d certainly taken a different path in life than his wealthy parents who spent their time and money pursuing their personal passions rather than give anything back. Their visits to Lake Placid where Gavin went to school had been few and far between even when he’d been young.