The following Wednesday, for her afternoon off, Frankie ventured into downtown Hummel. As Christmas drew nearer, Hummel grew busier and busier by the day and there was nowhere busier than Hummel's shop sector.

Shop Row, as the locals called it, consisted of four stores. A jewelry store, a boutique, an antique store, and a large thrift store that was popular among the youth. These were the only stores of their kind in town and so that was where the tourists went. With Hummel Ski Lodge's annual Holiday Gala that coming weekend, Frankie wasn't surprised to find the stores packed with people.

Frankie made a stop first at the print shop for the first half of Dan's present, then she stopped by the stationary store for the same black frame she bought every Christmas and birthday for the second half of Dan's present before she made her way to Shop Row.

On her way there, Frankie paused in front of the boutique window and marveled at the rainbow collection of handmade scarves they had on display. Frankie knew those scarves. Those were Griffith scarves. Everyone in town could recognize Nina's design and quality.

There was a particular scarf among the collection that caught Frankie's eye. It was sea green with a mix of turquoise and dark blue thrown in for contrast and a shot of coral that pulled the whole thing together. Nina's specialty was her color sense.

Frankie thought of Hannah when she looked at that scarf, her warm green eyes, and how they glowed when she laughed or cried or when she looked at someone she loved. Frankie had to keep moving or else she'd spend every single penny she had saved on that scarf just so she could see Hannah open it on Christmas morning. But even with every penny she had saved, Frankie still didn't have enough.

Frankie knew she'd fit in better at the antique store next door and wasn't surprised to find the place packed when she entered the cluttered space. This was where Hummel locals and tourists shopped together. Frankie recognized some of the people browsing and headed towards where a blonde head stood in the coats section, a large stroller in front of her.

"Hey. Find anything good?"

Lacey turned at Frankie's greeting.

"Well hey yourself! And no, unfortunately. Got any ideas for what I could get Corey's mom? Do you think she'd like this?"

Frankie didn't think Lacey was joking as she held up a leopard print coat. Her eyebrows were too close together and she was frowning. Frankie knew Corey's mom and knew it was the last thing she'd wear.

"Uh, no. I don't think so. Got any ideas for Hannah? I've already got Dan's. I just need something for Hannah and Aaron and his wife."

"Nothing for Johnny?" Lacey asked, with a smirk, which pulled her out of her worry as she put the coat back. Frankie let her comment pass as she wasn't sure what Lacey meant by it and was concerned if she encouraged the mischievous look on her friend's face, she'd end up in trouble somehow.

"Where's Sammy?" Frankie asked, noticing a lack of three-year-old in Lacey's orbit.

"Over there."

Frankie followed the direction in which Lacey nodded and found Sammy hiked up on Johnny's hip, the two of them looking through the shelves of toys together. As Sammy giggled at something, Frankie could feel all eyes migrate to the two of them. The locals looked away with a smile but the tourists stared with wide eyes.

Johnny Stephens, holding a little boy with dark hair. Their assumptions were written on their foreheads.

"That's got to be annoying," Frankie muttered under her breath.

"What is?"

Lacey looked up from a vintage purse she was inspecting and followed Frankie's eyes to the crowd of shoppers gawking at Johnny and Sammy.

"Oh. Yeah. That."

Frankie noticed something felt off in the people's stance, like they were half-frozen, reaching for something.

"Why isn't anyone taking a picture? Isn't that what they do in this situation?" Frankie asked.

"What do you think the 'NO CELL PHONES' signs all throughout town are for?" Lacey replied.

Frankie followed Lacey as she pushed her stroller through the narrow wandering aisles.

"What, those are for Johnny?"

Lacey nodded, her eyes going wide at the memory.

"The first time Johnny came to visit after the band blew up, he was particularly mobbed. It was around this time and there was a busload of tourists from the ski lodge and the Holly Inn. Everyone wanted a picture, everyone wanted to talk to him. He couldn't enter town without someone calling his name. He hid out at his parent's house for his entire visit and the only way anyone saw anything of him was if they went to him."

"What happened after that?" Frankie asked.

"Dan," Lacey answered.

"What did Dan do?"

"Called a mandatory chamber of commerce meeting. He's the president so he can do that. He asked the town to invoke a no-cell-phone role in their shops. And to help discourage any fanatic behavior in their shoppers. They had all seen it happen to Johnny. No one had to think twice. It was a no-brainer and a unanimous vote. He even made sure to talk to the lodge and the people over at Holly Inn. They agreed and now they prep their visitors on the regulations surrounding Johnny if he's ever in town."

"Wow," was all Frankie could think to say. She wasn't surprised at Dan's actions, it sounded exactly like something he would do. She was simply impressed with the power he possessed, the position he held in the community.

"It's not surprising, really. Dan is the patriarch of this town. He and Hannah are the closest thing we have to royalty," Lacey said.

"Royalty?" Frankie asked. "How?"

Lacey looked up at her, skeptical. When Frankie's face read confusion, Lacey continued.

"Sometimes I forget that you didn't grow up here. Hummel Farms is the reason Hummel exists in the first place. Without Hummel Farms, there is no Hummel."

Frankie knew this. She was aware of how many different people the farm store alone benefited by having their products sold there. But the history of the town she had never gotten in full.

"Dan's family set up shop here something like two hundred years ago. They started Hummel Farms, named it after themselves and the town sprang up around them. It changed to Stephens when every one of the Hummel sons died during the first World War and Greta Hummel was the only one left. She married a nice man just returned from the war, Jonathan Stephens. The family name changed but Hummel Farms kept going under their authority."

"They really are like royalty," Frankie said, her brain trying to absorb everything Lacey had said.

Lacey patted her on the shoulder and said, "You got some big shoes to fill, Frank. You'll be the first non-Hummel to take over once Dan passes the farm to you and Aaron. You'll be running this town just like he does!"

Lacey moved on but Frankie felt as though her shoes were glued to the floor. She suddenly felt horribly under-qualified. She wasn't Dan. Dan knew everyone. Dan was kind and friendly and got along with every single person he met. If anyone had a problem they couldn't figure out, they took it to Dan. He was famous for taking in strays, helping out anyone who needed a job, finding them a place to work, a place to sleep, get food. Anyone out of work who came into town was sent to Dan. If there wasn't a position at the farm, he'd find somewhere in town that was hiring.

The people of Hummel respected him, listened to him, loved him. Frankie could feel herself pale in comparison.

Panic started to rise in her stomach. She moved just in case she needed to vomit, heading for the check-out counter and the door.

Frankie returned to the earth when she found she was at the check-out counter and Gary, the guy who ran the place, was waiting for her to say something.

"Hey, Gary. Is the... is the guitar-"

She couldn't finish a thought but Gary smiled anyway, sending her a wink as he retreated further into the depths of chaos behind the counter.

"It's still here. I've reorganized a few things and I thought it would look better behind the counter, out of sight."

Frankie couldn't hear the humor in his voice, his friendly tone alluding to Frankie's once-a-month tradition of coming into the antique store and asking to see the same vintage guitar every single time.

Gary laid the guitar gently down on the counter in front of Frankie. Her hands hovered over it, afraid to touch its cherry red body, to even smudge the white plastic panel protecting the wood from pick scratches.

It was one of Victor Romero's guitars. He had found it at a thrift store and restored it himself. It was something he did quite frequently. He had to sell several of his guitars when they left town to earn some extra money. This was the last one of his left in Hummel and Frankie's personal favorite.

She had never had a guitar of her own. She had learned on her dad's when he was a kid but he had taken it with him when he left. The one she used now was Johnny's. And the cherry red, small-bodied, acoustic guitar was the prettiest thing she had ever seen.

A low whistle startled her out of her revelry. She turned and found Johnny and Sammy looking over her shoulder.

"That is a beautiful guitar," Johnny said.

"One of Victor Romero's last, I'm afraid," Gary said.

Johnny's eyes went wide, looking from Gary to Frankie then back down to the guitar.

"How does it sound?"

Frankie shook her head at his question. She didn't know. Not really. She had strummed the strings but only while it was laying on the counter. She hadn't dared to hold it in her arms, pressed against her core. She knew once she did, she would never want to let it go. She didn't have the money to walk out with it yet.

"Take Sammy, will you?"

Johnny passed Frankie the toddler and picked up the guitar from the counter. Frankie watched every single move he made, noting the respect and delicacy with which he held the instrument. He ran a hand down the strings and the whole room seemed to hum. Frankie's heart soared and then clenched at the sound. She tightened her grip on Sammy's legs just to release some of the tension pulling at her heart.

"It's beautiful. Victor sure knew how to make them."

Johnny placed the guitar back on the counter and Frankie was simultaneously relieved and disappointed.

"How much?" Johnny asked.

"$500," Gary replied.

Each time Frankie heard that number, her heart sank.

"Frankie here likes to come in at least once a month and check on it. I'm guessing to make sure it's being treated well."

Now Frankie could recognize the friendly tone in Gary's voice. She smiled but hid it as she felt her cheeks turn red.

"Does she?"

She could feel Johnny's eyes on her and started to move away so the moment would dissipate.

"Lacey's probably-"

Frankie's feeble attempt at an escape turned futile when Lacey herself appeared.

"There you guys are. Alright, Sammy, time to go home. Naptime."

Sammy's complaints were silenced once he was settled back into the front seat of the stroller and started rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Lacey, before you go," Johnny reached out to keep her within arms' distance. He looked to Frankie to make sure she was still there too and hadn't run off. "The lodge asked me to perform at their gala this weekend. They said I could invite anyone I want. Mom and Dad were already going but I figured the two of you would like to come as well. Lacey, you could bring Corey if you want."

Frankie's reply was "But I don't have anything to wear" while Lacey's was a resounding "Of course!"

Lacey turned to Frankie.

"I have just the dress for you, Frankie. Don't you worry." Turning back to Johnny, her face lit up with pride. "Congratulations! This is a big deal! They're lucky to have you! I'm sure you'll kill it."

"Thanks, Lace."

Frankie caught a hint of red in Johnny's cheeks as he looked down at his boots at Lacey's compliment.

"Frankie," Lacey said, "Be at my house Saturday afternoon. We can get ready together. We'll talk details tonight when you come over to babysit. As for right now, I gotta get these two home."

To affirm her mother's point, Evie was starting to wake up and her cries were soon to follow if she was contained within a closed space for much longer.

Johnny and Frankie waved goodbye as Lacey raced for the door. Frankie turned back to the check-out counter but the guitar was gone. Gary was helping out another customer and so Frankie decided it was time to leave. When she headed for the door, she realized Johnny was following her.

"Need a ride home?" she asked, as the chill wind raced to meet her.

The sky was dark overhead, the sun was gone and it wasn't even five o'clock. The Christmas lights decorating Main Street created a golden glow that filled the air, the tall iron street lamps assisting in creating the romantic ambiance of Hummel's quaint downtown.

"Sure," Johnny answered.

They started down the street at a leisurely pace. Frankie was parked a few blocks away and at the rate, they were going, it would take them double the amount of time that it should've to get there. But neither seemed keen to speed up their pace.

"Got any ideas for a gift for my mom?" Johnny asked.

Frankie stopped in front of the boutique before they could pass it by. She looked down at the sea-green scarf. She pointed to it as Johnny came to a stop next to her.

"That. You should get her that."

Johnny nodded, recognizing in it the exact color of his mother's eyes, his eyes. He shrugged with a smile as he pulled the boutique door open for Frankie.

"Whatever you say, Frank. You're the boss."

A/N:

Where are all my thrift store people??

Let me hear you say "HHHEEEYYY!!!"

Gotta love a good thrift store. And a good thrift store scene.