She had a long history with Andy Miller, most of it spent with her refusing to speak to him. But the boys had hired him to do some work around the lodge over her objections, which had led to her forgiving him, and she’d actually come to consider him a really good friend over the past few months.
And with his help, she was going to make this a Christmas Eve party Josh and Katie would never forget.
Chapter Three
Josh pulled into an empty spot in front of the barbershop and killed the engine.
Katie was on a stepladder, hanging Christmas lights around the big window. She must have been at it for a while because she’d stripped down to a sleeveless red shirt, and he spotted a fleece hoodie tossed onto a mound of garland at the base of the ladder.
That was Katie. For as long as he could remember, Rose had had to threaten Katie to get her to wear a coat, because she was never cold. And, while the temperature was hovering in the low forties, the sun was so warm he’d left his own sweatshirt at home since the long-sleeved henley was more than enough. Fortunately, it was forecast to be a very brief warm spell, because they couldn’t afford to lose what snow they had.
He leaned against the tailgate of his truck and crossed his arms. “Need a hand?”
She looked over her shoulder and made a face. “This sucks.”
“That’s a festive attitude.”
“Mom always does the decorating.”
But she’d been sick and now she was in the hospital. “You could just skip it this year.”
“I could.” She climbed down the ladder and joined him on the tailgate. “But it would be the first year in the history of the Whitford Barbershop it’s not decorated.”
Sometimes Josh had to remind himself that, while Katie might be just one of the guys, every once in a while she’d do that complex woman thing where what was going on in her mind didn’t make any sense. But this time he thought he might get it.
Earle Davis died when Katie was nineteen, the year after she graduated from high school. Even as a clueless sixteen-year-old kid, Josh had felt her pain. She and her dad had been close, and it had been painful to watch another man move in and run the shop for Rosie, who hadn’t been willing to sell it outright. And when it became clear that guy was an idiot, Josh had watched Katie get through school and work her way through the licensing requirements so she could take it back.
In Katie’s mind, the barbershop and her dad were all wrapped up together in an emotional ball and, especially with her mom sick, decorating the shop for Christmas had probably become the most important thing in the world.
“I didn’t think it would take this long,” Katie said. “I was going to get this done and then go to the hospital and visit Mom.”
“Why don’t I give you a hand and then we can drive over together?” It was Thursday and, while he’d talked to Rosie on the phone, he hadn’t seen her since they’d brought her in Monday.
She laughed. “Sure, now you show up to help. All that’s left is to wrap the garland around the damn pole.”
“Good, let’s wrap the pole and grab some lunch before we hit the road.”
They made quick work out of merrying up the place and then she grabbed her hoodie before jumping in his truck. She looked the barbershop over and nodded. “That’s better.”
It was definitely cheerful. She didn’t plug in the lights when she wasn’t going to be around, but the garland had plastic candy canes hung in it, and all kinds of Christmas vinyl cling decals were stuck to the massive pane of glass. “Ho ho ho. Let’s go eat.”
They went to the Trailside Diner, not only because it was really the only place to go, but because he hadn’t seen Paige in a while. She lit up when she saw them walk through the door, her dark ponytail bouncing as she half jogged over to hug each of them.
“How’s Rosie?”
“She’s getting better,” Katie said. “She’s starting to get grumpy, which is a good sign.”
“Oh, good. When is she coming home?”
Katie shrugged. “She’s not sure yet.”
“When I talked to her on the phone yesterday,” Josh said, sliding into a booth, “she said her lungs weren’t as clear as they wanted yet. And she still has no appetite.”
Paige sighed. “Even though she’s getting grumpy, it’s best if she stays there, then. They won’t let her vacuum or clean the ovens, at least.”
“Katie’s going to move into the lodge for a little while to make sure she’s not cleaning our oven, either.”
“Really?” Paige asked, but she arched an eyebrow and drew the word out, like reeeeeeaaaaally. He wasn’t sure what that was about. The Northern Star was practically Katie’s home. She didn’t sleep there and she wasn’t there every day, but she’d more or less grown up there.
“Yeah, really. What’s Mitch up to?”
Paige glanced down at the rings on her left hand and smiled. “He’s finishing up some advance work on a job in Southern California so when he comes home in a few days, he won’t have to leave again until the middle of January. One more week and then he’ll be home for a whole month.”