Cassidy nodded. “Just like Emily’s. Just like the bookstore. I know Maple Falls isn’t exactly a big fan of surveillance cameras, but something needs to be done.” She shifted the shopping bag to her other arm. “Have we at least brought it to the sheriff’s attention?”
Mayor Bloomfield chuckled. “Oh, Cassidy. I know people have been worried about the so-called Gingerbread Jerk, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I think we’re just seeing a string of odd coincidences. Something more innocent is going on. Nothing to get worked up over. Maple Falls is still a safe place.”
Her eyes drifted toward Mr. Alders again.
The mayor followed her gaze. “You know, big-city living can make the imagination run a little wild. Maybe you’re still adjusting.”
Cassidy liked Mayor Bloomfield, truly. And she loved the way he dressed, but right now, she did not like the way he was dismissing her. She realized she wasn’t going to get any further with him.
“Thanks, Mayor. Have a good night.”
He tipped his head. “You too, Cassidy.”
Outside Liam’s shop, Zach, Madison, Emily, and Kit were already waiting. Zach made quick work of tossing broken ornaments and snapped lights into a trash bag while Madison swept up the scattered debris. Cassidy and Kit worked together to assemble the reindeer from the saved directions.
They worked in silence, trying to recreate the magic Liam had so carefully crafted.
Zach had only been able to bring a couple of trees from the farm. The potted ones sold out fastest. Thankfully, not all had been destroyed. A few were just damaged. Cassidy, wearing thick gloves, carefully snipped broken branches and helped string the new lights. The side of the building, thankfully, was untouched. A big wreath still hung in the front window, centered with a bright red bow courtesy of Liam’s mom. Zach had picked it up when he’d gone to get the trees—turns out, she’d been working on it all along.
“I don’t know,” Madison said, stepping back, hands on her hips. “I think it looks even better than before.”
“High-five to the best Christmas decorators in town,” Kit agreed, going up high.
Cassidy had to agree.
There was something simple and beautiful about it. The farm-style reindeer, the warm lights, the hometown charm… It reminded her of his family farm. Comforting. Real.
A place where she could see herself belonging.
And now he was gone and she flat-out missed him. It was crazy how used she’d gotten to seeing him, spending time with him. And now it was just silence.
She knew he had to be hurting, and even though part of her was furious for jumping to conclusions, she hated that for him.
Cassidy looked at the storefront one more time and silently wished he could see it.
Maybe then he’d know how much he meant to her.
THIRTY-EIGHT
CASSIDY
Tuesday, December 16th
Cassidy flipped the “Open” sign to “Closed” at the Cocoa Corner, pressing a hand to the glass for a moment as she looked out at the softly falling snow. The glow from the twinkle lights around her window reflected back, dancing over the trays of truffles and the cocoa mugs she’d just hung up to dry.
It wascrafting nightat the Cinnamon Spice Inn. Cassidy thought she might have to miss it with all the chocolate orders coming in and last-minute Christmas prep, but tonight she promised herself she would go, even if just for an hour. She needed it, needed the connection, the laughter, the warmth.
She tugged on her red wool coat and black stocking cap, locking the shop behind her before stepping into the winter night. Snow crunched under her boots as she made her way down Oak Way, passing the twinkling lampposts wrapped in garlands, the darkened windows of Liam’s farm shop, and the warm glow spilling from the bakery next door.
The Cinnamon Spice Inn stood at the end of the street like something out of a storybook. Its white clapboard exterior was strung with warm white lights, and evergreen swags draped theporch railing, tied with crimson bows that fluttered in the cold breeze. A wreath of pinecones and dried oranges hung on the door, the scent of cinnamon and clove already reaching Cassidy before she even stepped inside.
Cassidy had loved the Cinnamon Spice Inn from the moment she’d laid eyes on it. She hadn’t seen it before Madison and Zach renovated it in the fall, but they’d done a beautiful job.
Inside, a deep green rug with gold swirls greeted guests at the door. Off to the side, a charming Christmas village had been set up, complete with fake snow and miniature houses that lit up. There was even a tiny ice rink with animatronic skaters. She couldn’t help but think of the time she and Liam had gone skating together, and everything that had followed afterward.
She shook the thought away, allowing her senses to ground in the present. The inn always smelled like the cinnamon rolls it was famous for. Cassidy didn’t know if it was from Kit’s baking or if they had fresheners plugged into every outlet.
With snow falling outside and a roaring fire in the hearth, she could see why everyone in the town loved the inn so much. And that wasn’t even counting the twelve-foot spruce in the great dining room, wrapped with thousands of white lights and blown glass ornaments.
