“I realized this morning that I don’t have as many ornaments as I thought I did for the tree. A bit of shopping might be needed.”
“Oh,” Penny said. “That’s easy. We can get ornaments at Cane Hardware.”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
Penny turned to Eva. “How about this. Daniel and I will get ornaments while you drive home to pick up your mom, and we’ll all meet back here to do the decorating.”
“You’ll wait for me before you start?”
“We will.”
“That soundsperfect,” Eva said. “Thank you! I’ll be back as soon as I can!” Without another word, she dashed out of the cafe.
“So,” Daniel said, turning to Penny, a gleam of anticipation in his warm brown eyes. “We’re finally free.”
A jolt of excitement shot through Penny. Was he saying that because he wanted to spend one-on-one time with her, without Eva hovering? “Indeed,” she said lightly. “A temporary reprieve from our grueling filming schedule.”
Daniel smiled. “The hardware store’s nearby, right?”
“Just across the square.”
“How about on the way there, you take me on that tour you mentioned?”
“I’d like that.”
When Penny turned to Holly, she found her friend looking at her with a small, knowing smile. Ignoring the flutter in her chest, Penny said, “We won’t be long.”
“No rush,” Holly said. “I’ll be here.”
Penny turned to Daniel. “Ready when you are.”
With a smile, Daniel gestured to the cafe door. “Lead the way, Penny Quinn.”
CHAPTER 16
Together, Penny and Daniel headed out into the bright afternoon sunshine. The air was crisp and pleasant with a light breeze carrying a hint of snow.
“Mmm,” Penny said, breathing in. “Snow is coming.”
Daniel’s brow furrowed. “You can tell by smell?”
“Kind of,” she said. “Though I suppose it’s not really a scent.”
“What is it?”
“More like a change in humidity and temperature.”
“I need to try.” He inhaled deeply, then exhaled, then did it again. “Sorry,” he said with a shake of his head. “I’m getting nothing.”
“It’s probably something you need experience with.”
He pulled out his phone. “Let’s see what the forecast says.” A few taps later, he smiled. “Flurries expected in a couple of hours.”
She touched her nose. “The nose knows.”
He laughed. “They we should get moving. Which way?”
“Let’s start in the square.” After checking for traffic, they crossed the street and headed down one of the paths winding through the snow-covered town square. Everywhere theylooked, snow-people and snow-creatures were there to greet them.
