“Ten o’clock is perfect,” Cassidy agreed.
“I’ll plan out the route and let you know.”
“Perfect.” Cassidy knew Zoe regularly hiked the area. If anyone could plan the best route, it would be her.
Truthfully, Cassidy was more of an indoor girl—puzzles, baking, watching holiday movies on repeat—but she wanted to give something back to Liam. Yes, she was wildly attracted to him. And sure, he’d been kind to her at the tree lighting festival. But it was more than that. She wanted to show him he didn’t have to be alone in the shadows.
And maybe, just maybe… see if she could help him let the light in.
EIGHTEEN
LIAM
Saturday, December 6th
Liam was busy working on the front of his shop in between customers. He’d planned an all-natural, farm-inspired theme with everything real and rustic, including a large sweep of evergreen he was draping over the front façade.
He was up on the ladder, finalizing a corner of the garland, when Cassidy’s voice called up to him.
“Does that mean your leg’s feeling better?”
Liam had been so focused on the decorating that her voice startled him. His foot slipped down one rung, and he barely caught himself before falling the rest of the way.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!” she said quickly.
“It doesn’t count as a win if you kill me off,” said Liam. He eased himself slowly off the ladder. It wasn’t entirely her fault; the metal rungs were slick with snow, and his hands were half-numb from the cold. He hadn’t planned on staying outside so long, but once he started decorating, it was hard to stop.
“Maybe I should start wearing bells on my shoes?” she offered, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
He glanced at her outfit, half expecting to see another one of her famous Christmas sweaters, or at least a bright red coat, but instead, she wore faded denim overalls and a cream-colored wool coat. No cute hat. No glitter. She looked… subdued.
“You feeling alright?” he asked, folding up the ladder and propping it against the building.
“Yeah? Why?”
“No reason,” he said. He’d gotten used to seeing her Christmas sparkle, and prayed his gloom wasn’t already rubbing off on her. Who knows, maybe he was reading into it too much. Cassidy didn’t strike him as the kind of woman who cared what other people thought. No, she was the kind of woman who probably wore Christmas sweaters in August. He liked that about her, which was shocking. If it were anyone else, it would annoy the hell out of him.
He noticed she had a small square box in her hand.
“I just wanted to bring you a little thank-you gift for helping me with the chocolate earlier this week,” Cassidy said. “I know hot cocoa isn’t really your thing, and you were probably just feeling sorry for me, but still… it was nice.”
Liam felt like an ass. Cassidy thought the only reason he’d spent time with her was pity? Maybe that’s what had got him to hang out with her in the first place, but that wasn’t the reason he’d stuck around. Maybe her wide, nervous eyes and that dumb sweater and the way she’d looked so hopeful in the middle of the town square had tugged at something deep in his chest.
No, it wasn’t pity.
He’d stayed because of her.
Because she saw things he didn’t—little things, like how the lights reflected in the snow, or the way the carolers’ eyes shone as they sang. She didn’t just go through the motions; she truly found the wonder in them, and, somehow, standing next to her, he’d felt it too, for the first time in years.
He’d lived in Maple Falls his whole life, but with Cassidy beside him, he’d experienced more of the town’s magic than he ever had. Period.
And sure, yeah, he was going insane from wanting to kiss her, but it was more than that, too. So much more.
“Feeling sorry for you?” Liam repeated. “Not even close. Now, if you had suggested caroling, it would’ve been a different story.”
“What? No caroling?”
“Dear God, no.”
