Chapter 17: Chapter 17
The downtown area was similar to a lot of the towns Dak had visited recently, looking for the perfect place to start his new endeavor, but there was something slightly different about Christmas Falls, something special he couldn’t quite put his finger on. The Christmas decorations hanging from the lamp posts and strung around the trees were the same white lights, red bows, garland, and cartoony characters as everywhere else, seasonal flowers blooming from the flower beds while banners announced where he was and that he was welcome there, but an excitement seemed to hang in the air that he could only describe as a certain kind of Christmas magic he couldn’t ever remember encountering before.
Growing up in Carmel, he’d visited Christmas Falls a few times as a child, but never for longer than a few hours, and even then he didn’t feel as if he’d gotten a true sense of what it was like to celebrate Christmas in this town. Now, as an adult with his own agenda, he had the opportunity to slow down and take it all in. His first impression was that Christmas Falls would be a wonderful place to embark on this new journey, if only he could find the perfect place to go along with that spark of energy he felt radiating all around him especially in the heart of the town, the city square.
No large courthouse adorned the center as Christmas Falls wasn’t the county seat. Rather, it was a park at the middle of it all, full of evergreen trees, with a large Christmas tree decorated with bright red and gold bulbs right in the center. The lighting ceremony would be held Friday night, and Dak planned to attend. He had a feeling it would be a chance to see the town at its very best.
Finding the shop Ellie had mentioned wasn’t difficult. But before he headed into The Memory Box to tell her hello, he noticed the shop next to it, the one on the corner, was vacant. Peering in the window, he could see it was a good space with lots of light and windows on two sides. It seemed odd to him that no one was using it for anything. While other parts of the town might’ve been suffering from the recession still, the square seemed to be bustling, with people coming in and out of the various stores, the donut shop sending out customers by the baker’s dozen, and the coffee house he’d visited the day before may as well have had a revolving door.
Filing the state of the building away for later, he pushed through the door of the quaint shop, the bell announcing his presence. No other customers milled about, but it wasn’t Ellie standing at the counter. It was a young blonde woman, and even with her back to him as she straightened some items on a shelf, he had the idea she was about to take his breath away. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back in gentle waves, and the soft light of the store gave her creamy skin a soft glow. When she turned and looked at him, her blue eyes twinkled along with the dancing Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling, and her smile was as angelic as any of the tree toppers on the shelves.
“Hi,” she said, her voice a mix of the pleasant tone any shop owner would use to greet a new customer and the same effervescent surprise Dak felt bubbling up inside of him. She turned all the way around now and took a few steps toward him, pausing at the corner of the counter where the cash register sat. “Welcome to The Memory Box.”
“Thanks,” Dak managed, pushing his hands deep into the pockets of his black coat. He tore his eyes away from her and glanced around, not sure what else to say. He’d suddenly forgotten why he was even there. “Nice place you have here.”
“Thank you,” the woman replied taking another step closer. She looked around, too, nodding, as if she had needed his validation before she could agree. “I like it.”
He chuckled at her. “From the name, I was sort of expecting antiques, I guess.”
“Well, it’s more of a... gift shop. Pieces people can build memories around, that will become antiques in the future.”
“Right.” He sounded like an idiot—at least to his own ear—and when he glanced back at her, he couldn’t hold her gaze for very long. She was just too strikingly beautiful, and he hadn’t been expecting that at all. In fact, he’d been prepared for Ellie’s kind, familiar face, a loud greeting, and maybe a hug.
She wasn’t really looking at him, either, though, and as she reached up and ran a hand through her hair, she asked, “Can I find you help something?”
Dak’s eyes darted to her, widening slightly, and he watched as the apples of her cheeks turned a bright pink.
“Uh, help you find something.... Can I help you find something?” She shook her head and pressed a hand to her forehead.
Biting back a chuckle so that she wouldn’t feel any more embarrassed, he said, “I was actually looking for someone. Is Ellie around?”
“Oh, uh, she just went down to the coffee shop. She’ll be back.”
“Great,” he said, spinning around for a second again, not sure what he should do with himself. He could look around the store, but a sort of awkward silence was beginning to settle over them, and he didn’t like it. “I’m Dak, by the way.” He pulled his hand out of his coat and offered it to her, taking a couple of steps closer to her as she slowly moved forward, extending her hand as she came.
“Memory,” she said, her hand warm and soft, just as he imagined it would be. He shook it but tried not to hold onto it for too long; his pulse seemed to vibrate in time to the flickering Christmas lights all around him as long as her skin was on his.
He nodded, not sure whether or not he should comment on how unique her name was. He’d had no idea the shop owner and the store would share a name. He stuck his hand back in his pocket, wondering what he should say next.
“That’s, uh, an interesting name,” she said, taking the words out of his mouth. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone named Dak before.”
“Really?” He tipped his head to the side, wondering if she realized how different her own name was. “You know, like Dak Prescott.”
“Who?” she asked, shrugging.
“Dak Prescott. The quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.”
She shook her head again, her hands coming up slightly before she dropped them again. “I’m sorry. I don’t know who that is.”
“He’s a football player.”
“Right—I don’t really have time to watch sports. Or TV for that matter.” Memory looked around her, waving at the store as if that explained everything. He got the impression she worked a lot. “But I’m sure he’s a great baseball player.”
“Football.” She nodded. “I’m not named after him or anything. I think he’s younger than me....” Dak realized he was starting to ramble. “I was just saying... there are a few other people named Dak in the world.”
“I’m sure there are.” Her smile was friendly, and he got the impression she wished she’d never commented on his name. “I’ve never met anyone else named Memory either, though, so I guess I shouldn’t talk.” She giggled, a nervous titter that mingled nicely with the soft Christmas music playing in the background.
“It’s a beautiful name, but no, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone with that name before either. I’m sure there’s a story there.” He hoped his smile was as friendly as hers. As he’d gotten over the shock of seeing such a beautiful woman standing in an unexpected place, he could feel himself calming down a little bit. It wasn’t as if he always had trouble talking to attractive women. Dak wasn’t sure what was wrong with him, but he needed to get it under control, or she was going to think there was something wrong with him.
Memory looked at the clock on the wall as if she were out of ideas of topics to discuss. “I can’t imagine what’s keeping Ellie. I would’ve thought she’d be back by now.”
“Well, the coffee place was pretty busy when I walked by there. I’m sure she’ll be back soon.”
Nodding, Memory took a step backward and glanced around for a second. “Did you, uh, know Ellie before? I mean... did you just meet her? Here? In Christmas Falls?”
“Yeah, I met her at the inn. We had dessert together yesterday.”
“At the cookie party?” Memory asked, grin pulling the corners of her mouth. “She mentioned it at dinner last night.”
“You had dinner with Ellie?”
“She came into the diner while my dad and I were finishing up.”
A chuckle escaped his lips. “That Ellie seems to be everywhere at once.”
“Yeah, except for here,” Memory replied, her arms folded. She didn’t look upset, just anxious.
“I’m not in any hurry.” Dak pulled his phone out and checked the time so he wouldn’t have to yank his coat sleeve up over his watch. “But if you have work to do, I can wait for her outside or....”
“No, it’s fine. You’re welcome to wait here, of course. I’m actually pretty caught up right now. Ellie is such a fast worker! It just amazes me how much she can get done when she’s stocking the shelves.” She was shaking her head in disbelief.
Not sure what to say, Dak made a, “Huh,” sound in the back of his throat. It was hard to believe someone of Ellie’s age being too quick on her feet, but Memory either had low expectations, or Ellie really was something else. “She used to own a shop like this. I’m sure she told you. So, maybe she’s just figured a few things out over the years.”
“Maybe,” Memory agreed, though he could tell she wasn’t convinced. “She sure has been a blessing to me. I’m not sure what I would do without her, and this is just her second day.”
“I can definitely see that being the case,” he replied, thinking of how fond he’d grown of Ellie already, having just met her.
Before Memory could say anything else, the door came open, the bell dinging as a blast of cold air blew in, and Ellie burst through.