Now that Michael’s dangling legs were no longer an obstruction, he slid over a bit closer to Melody. The smell of warm vanilla and peppermint alighted in the breeze, and he debated whether or not to tell her she smelled good or she looked nice—or neither since her mother was sitting right beside him.
Melody smiled at him, and said, “You look really nice,” as if she’d been reading his mind.
“Thanks,” he replied. “I was just about to say the same thing. I mean, that you look nice. Not that I look nice.”
She giggled, and he hoped she knew him well enough now that his silliness wasn’t enough to send her running for the hills. “Thanks.”
An older gentleman stopped to say something to Sarah, and he watched Melody’s eyebrows raise and then lower. She stared at her mother for a long moment and then, with a hesitant smile, said quietly so that her mother and her friend couldn’t overhear, “I see him at church, but I don’t know who he is.”
Reid took a closer look at the man. He didn’t think he’d ever seen him before. Glancing at Melody, whose hands were folded in her lap, he looked at Sarah who was smiling and laughing at whatever the gentleman was speaking about. When a break came in the conversation, he said, “Hello,” and extended his hand.
The older man was dressed in a long gray coat and a matching hat. His smile was friendly, and he took Reid’s hand, giving it a shake and said, “You must be Reid. I’m Curtis Haywood. I go to church with Sarah and Melody.” He smiled at Melody, who gave a slight head bob and then smiled in return.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” Reid said as the man released his hand.
“Likewise,” Mr. Haywood replied. “Sarah said you sure did a nice job on her attic door knob. I’m not very handy myself. It’s nice to know if something happens around my place there’s someone I can call.”
“You do that,” Reid assured him. “I’m glad to be of service.”
Sarah smiled at both of them and then asked Curtis a question about something that had happened at church last week, and Reid returned his attention to Melody. Quietly, he said, “That’s Curtis Haywood. He goes to church with your mom.”
“Yes, thank you. I caught that,” she said, clearly trying to hide a smile.
“He knows you.”
“I heard. I know who he is now. It’s just been a long time since I’ve seen him.”
“Well, apparently, you’ve seen him at church recently.”
“Okay, smarty pants,” she whispered sharply. “I mean, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen him and knew who he was.”
Mr. Haywood said loudly enough for all three of them to hear, “It was nice to see you all. Have a nice evening!” They all wished him a good night, and Reid watched Sarah’s face as the gentlemen disappeared into the crowd. He wasn’t sure, but he thought there might be something there.
Returning his attention to Melody, he couldn’t tell if she’d noticed anything, and deciding there were better topics to be discussed, he glanced around and made sure he could still see Michael, who was standing nearby with two other boys, and then asked Melody, “So what’s your favorite part of the parade?”
She seemed to think for a moment, tipping her head to the side. “Well, it’s usually the part when Santa comes by,” she finally said.
“But not this year?” he asked, wondering why she was hesitant.
“No, probably not,” she said with a shrug.
“Why not?” he asked, curious as to what she was getting at. She had that twinkle in her eye that meant she was toying with him.
“Because it’s at the end,” she said.
“And?”
“And that means the parade will be over.”
He nodded, a sheepish smile spreading across his face. “I see. Then maybe our favorite part should be whatever is first.”
“The Grand Marshall is first,” Melody explained. “And I have no idea who it is this year, but yes, that can be our favorite.”
Off in the distance, they began to hear the sounds of a marching band, and Reid assumed that meant the parade had begun. He watched Michael to see if he had noticed, but so far there had been no reaction. Melody cleared her throat, and he looked back at her, an expectant expression on his face.
She licked her lips. “My mom said that she’d take Michael back to our house for a little while after the parade—if you want.”
Before she even finished the phrase, he interrupted. “Yes. Of course. That would be awesome.”
Melody began to laugh. “You’re sure you trust her? I mean, she did teach elementary school and run a home daycare, but….”
“How much does she charge? A thousand dollars an hour? Sold.”
She was laughing even harder now. “I don’t think she was planning on charging anything.”
“Doesn’t matter. Whatever she wants. She can literally have my first born child—for a few hours.”
“Speaking of your first born child, I think he just realized the parade is starting.”
Reid looked over to see Michael jumping up and down. He gave Melody a smile and then got up to approach his son. Even though there was a good view from the bench, Melody had mentioned some of the floats may throw candy, and he could see Michael flinging himself into the middle of the parade route in an attempt to snag a Tootsie Roll.
“Look, Dad! Here they come!” Michael shouted. The noise from the marching band grew louder as a bright red convertible approached with a sign reading “Grand Marshal.” An older woman and a few children, who might have been her grandkids, sat on the top of the back seat, waving, and the crowd began to cheer and wave back. Behind them, the Washington High School Marching Band from the local high school came into view playing “Jingle Bell Rock” and Michael could hardly contain his enthusiasm. Reid put his arm around his son’s shoulders and smiled. He knew they’d both remember this evening for a long time, and once he realized that Melody was standing next to him now, he knew it would be a night he would never forget.
For the next thirty minutes, they stood together on the edge of the sidewalk watching streams of floats, another marching band, cars, horses, and all sorts of Christmas characters come by. Whenever anyone threw candy, Michael instinctively dove for it, even though after he pocketed a few pieces, Reid made sure he gave the rest to the other children around them. When a gingerbread house float complete with faux gumdrops and white icing came by, Michael laughed with glee. But nothing compared to his expression at the very end when Santa’s sleigh glided by, complete with two real reindeer and Mrs. Claus.
As much fun as it was to watch Michael enjoying himself. Reid was also very aware that Melody seemed happier and more relaxed than he had ever seen her before. Despite the Christmas music and all of the memories she must have associated with this parade, she seemed to forget all of those things and lose herself in the magic of the moment. At the sight of Santa’s sleigh, the twinkle in her eye and the joy in her smile gave him a glimpse as to what she must have looked like as a child, full of wonder and possibilities.
Santa’s sleigh was passing right in front of them, and Reid slipped his arm around Melody’s shoulders. She smiled up at him, and he couldn’t help but hope part of her happiness was due to him and not all because of the jolly elf in front of them. She was clapping and bouncing up and down just a bit, though not as ferociously as Michael in front of them, and as they stood poised on the sidewalk together, Reid could have sworn Santa winked in his direction. Whether it was real or imagined, it made him smile even more broadly. If that was Santa’s way of spreading Christmas magic, then Reid would gladly take some.
Once the sleigh had passed them by, Michael stepped off into the street a foot or so and waved, shouting, “Bye, Santa Claus! I’ll see you tomorrow at the library!” The other children joined in with similar choruses, and Reid glanced around at all the friendly faces. If any town could generate some Christmas magic, he believed Charles Town might just be the place.