With wide eyes, she asked, “Are you sure?” She could barely contain herself.
“I’m sure.”
“Oh, thank you, Dr.Cain. I even made a sign for the front door.” She waved a ‘CLOSED FOR WINTER SOLSTICE,’ sign at me and immediately started gathering her things. “Are you coming tonight?”
I nodded, slightly amused at her energy.
She continued, “Do you have a costume?”
My eyebrows rose. “Do I need one?”
She huffed. “You went last year, didn’t you?”
For the past two years, I hadn’t attended, wanting only to work and keep to myself. Since joining the ski patrol and making a larger network of friends, I had ventured out more often, but not that often. “No, I didn’t really know many people.”
She shrugged on her heavy coat and stepped into fur-lined boots. “I have a closet full. I’ll run home and get you one.” She looked me up and down, taking in my full breasts and curved hips.
“Go ahead, say it. Your clothes might be too small.”
She scrunched up her nose. “I’ll try and find one that flatters.”
I tilted my head. “Thank you for your political correctness.”
She laughed and ran out the door. “I’ll be back in thirty.”
I waved as the door shut behind her and she shuffled over the frozen ground to her car.
While I waited, I shut down my computer, locked the office behind me, and made myself comfortable in the lobby.
She struggled in the parking lot with a heavy garment bag over her arm, dwarfing her.
I stood and opened the door, stepping out to help her and she shook me off. “I got it. If you try and take it, I might drop it.”
I held the door open as she carried the bag in and set it on the reception desk. “Is it a wedding dress?”
She laughed. “No, but it is gorgeous. It might be actually be the perfect length for you. I had to wear heels. You can probably wear snow boots and be more comfortable.”
I took the bag from her. Awkwardly, I put it over my arm, adjusting my purse so it wouldn’t fall. “I was going to leave when you came back. Can you lock the door behind us?”
She followed me out. Turning to lock the door, she said over her shoulder, “Sure, sure. Don’t you want to look at it first?”
“It’s the only costume I have, so it either works or it doesn’t. Looking at it won’t make a difference.”
She laughed in surprise. “That’s very logical. And, so you know, it has room in the hips, but you might…” She gestured that my breasts might spill out the top.
“I’m sure I can manage.”
“Okay, then, I’ll see you tonight.”
Tentatively, I walked to my car, trying not to slip. Night was settling in, the darkness closing in on the town. The solstice would happen later tonight, but the celebration at the park had already started.
Chapter 7
White fairy lightsdraped from tree to tree, wrapping the townspeople in a bubble of celebration. Beyond the lights, thick woods loomed. Children were told not to venture past the tree line.
I observed the party from the edges. Druids and fairies, goddesses and kings, danced around the bonfire. Children in elf costumes chased each other. The scene was magical and ethereal.
My own costume was a long white skirt of a gauzy material, topped by a gold leafed corset. Over my shoulders, I wore a white, fur-lined wool cape. Gold embroidery traced the shoulders and ran down the front to the hem. To stay warm, I wore white snow boots.