Be her friend, not a creeper. He shifted on his feet.
“Did you find it?” Noel slid his hands into gloves.
“I did.” She came to a halt, noticing Waylon for the first time. “Hey, Waylon.” Her lips curved into a smile.
“Hey.” He groaned inwardly. That’s it?
Starr turned to her brother. “Are we driving?”
“No. Dad suggested we take the Metro. The streets closer to the White House are closed for the tree lighting.”
“Makes sense.”
“Everyone else literally just walked out.” Noel pointed out the door. “So we can still catch up.”
“Did you volunteer to wait for me?” Starr asked.
“Of course. Waylon too.” Noel held the front door open.
Waylon begged his cheeks not to flush or show how the nonchalant comment from Noel affected him. Well, rather, what Starr thought about Noel’s comment.
They headed down the street to the Metro stop. Waylon pulled his beanie farther down on his head as he followed Noel. He glanced at Starr, noting her short legs trying to keep up. “Slow down, man.”
“Thanks.” She shot him a grateful look.
“If you were back in New York, what would you be doing?” He slid his hands into his coat pockets.
“Well, I’ve been to the lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center. But most likely, I’d be working.” Sadness darkened her eyes.
Why did that make her sad? He went with a neutral question instead. “What did you do all day?”
“Relaxed. You guys?” She motioned between Noel and Waylon.
For a moment, Waylon had forgotten Noel was with them.
“I was knee-deep in paperwork at the bank.” Noel shot her a look as if to say What else would I be doing?
Starr shook her head. “Of course you were. What about you, Waylon?”
“I stocked shelves in between customers.”
“Oh, I should check out the store.” She clasped her gloved hands together. “Are you open on the weekends?”
“Just Saturday.” His mom had never worked on Sundays, choosing to observe a day of rest.
He bit back the sigh at the thought of her. All around the shop were memories of her, and now he was making new holiday memories without her. It didn’t seem right, but sitting in his place all alone didn’t make it any better.
They slowed as the bus stop came into view. The rest of the Lewis family still waited by the sign. Noel walked faster and went to stand by his father, so Waylon took a step closer to Starr.
“Whenever you choose to come, I’ll give you the grand tour.”
“Thanks.” She tucked her chin, then peered up at him through veiled lashes. “Have you been to the tree lighting before?”
“Never.” Excitement had added a little pep to his step when he’d closed up shop.
“You’ll love it. We’ll have to make sure it’s memorable for you.” She buried her chin, as if the thirty-degree weather was unbearable for her.
He wanted to cheer her up. “How ’bout we start with a selfie?” He pulled his cell phone out of his coat pocket.
Her head jerked up. “Yes!”
Why did her enthusiasm unlock something within him? He lowered his head next to hers. She smelled like Christmas—all cinnamon and sugar—and the urge to nuzzle his nose to her neck overwhelmed him. His face heated at the thought, but he focused on smiling like this was just a friendly picture.
“Say Christmas lights!”
Starr chuckled. “Christmas lights!”
Waylon snapped a few photos and then straightened. He showed her his favorite.
“You can’t even see a height difference.” Her gaze roamed from his feet to his face. “How tall are you?”
“Six feet.” His lips quirked. “What are you? Five feet?”
“And one inch,” she added smartly.
He bit back a chuckle. “Oh, five-one. My mistake.”
“Hey.” She nudged him. “That extra inch is very important.”
“I’m sure. Probably gets you on all the rides, huh?”
“Ha.” Her lips twitched, showing she took the joke in stride. “What about you? Six feet even isn’t impressive.”
“Sure it is. Don’t you know the taller you are, the smarter you are?”
Her mouth gaped. “What?”
Waylon shook his head. “Sorry, that sounded a lot funnier in my head.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m actually a little mortified. Hopefully apologizing isn’t difficult with my big foot stuck in my mouth. Forgive me?”
She studied him a moment. “As long as you admit I’m smarter, all is forgiven.”
“Oh, you’re definitely smarter.” Cute too. Why did Noel’s little sister have to be so captivating?
“I know.” She winked, then followed her family onto the bus.
Waylon sat next to Starr, and she told him about New York and what the city looked like decorated for Christmas.
“Is it colder up there?”
“Nope. It was in the fifties when I left.”
He sighed. “That sounds nice right about now. Think we’ll freeze when we get to the White House?”
“Definitely.” She grinned. “Will you wimp out?”
A bark of laughter flew from his lips. Noel turned around, raising an eyebrow. Waylon gulped. Was that a Stay away from my sister look or What’s so funny?
He looked down into her pretty eyes. “I won’t wimp out.”
“Neither will I. But if you do wimp out, you owe me a hot chocolate.”
“Deal.”
They continued talking until they filed off the bus and walked toward the White House. After going through security procedures, Waylon found himself on the lawn in front of the National Christmas Tree. His head inclined back as his gaze swept the full height to view all the ornaments on the way to the top, where a single star stood.
“It’s beautiful,” Starr said.
“Agreed.”
“Hey, you two,” Noel said, coming up to them. “Dad wants to get seated.”
Waylon motioned for Starr to walk in front of him. He placed a hand against her back, making sure no one else bumped into her. Soon they were seated with the rest of the people.
Then the president and first lady walked onto the stage. Waylon couldn’t help but feel a little awestruck.
He leaned down to whisper in Starr’s ear. “This is amazing.”
She nodded, eyes focused forward.
He tuned in as the crowd around them began counting down. “Three . . . two . . . one . . .”
Silence filled the air for a long moment, then it was swallowed by the crowd’s applause as the tree lit up. Waylon whistled with a few other citizens. This truly was a majestic sight. How many lights were strung together to make the blue spruce stand out like that? How many ornaments had they used?
His mom would have loved to see something like this. Maybe even wished for the opportunity to make an ornament or two. His smile slipped as the realization that she wasn’t here to enjoy this punched him in the gut once more.
A tug on his arm caught his attention. Starr motioned for him to lean closer.
“Don’t forget to take a pic.”