Page 143 of Small Town, Big Storm

Thirty-Eight

Poppy

“Wait!”Gertie calls as we walk by.

Storm’s fingers tighten on mine, but his expression isn’t angry.Amusement dances through his gray eyes.“Aren’t we old news by now, Gert?”he asks.

“Yes,” she says, busting up to us, her gemstone necklace bouncing with each step.“So do something interesting.”

He snorts.

But she’s still talking, “Anyway, I need you all to come with me for the grand unveiling.”

“What’s an unveiling?”Holly asks.

“It’s—” I stop.“Actually, I’m not sure what it is in this case.Where do you want us to go, Gertie?”

She links her arm through mine and smiles up at Holly, who’s sitting on Storm’s shoulders.“Your mommy had a great idea.I was able to make that into something epic.”A beat.“That’swhat we’re going to unveil.”

I have an inkling what she’s talking about.

And I’m not certain it’s going to beepic.

I allow her to drag me along Main Street (and past the turn-off for the beach) anyway.

“Who’re you young hunks?”she asks, eyeing the gaggle of hockey players who’ve joined us in our trek.

“Smitty,” the tall, bushy-bearded defenseman Storm introduced me to earlier says.“And you know Shep, I presume.”

“Oh,doI,” Gertie says, abandoning my arm for Smitty’s and listening as he introduces the rest of the Hawks players in attendance.

Smitty plays for the Grizzlies, so I’m not exactly certain why he’s here when it’s Storm and his teammates from the Hawks who were practicing.Though I suspect it’s partly because of what I learned from Violet this afternoon: the man is obsessed with joining the ranks of her company, Blue Line Matchmaking.She pairs up hockey players through an intense (and skilled) matchmaking process.She also—and I don’t have the full story of how it all happened yet, especially because Violet doesn’t seem the type to mix business with pleasure—but somehow Vi matched herself with a hockey player of her own.

Ace Ambrose is gorgeous, strong, skilled, and has a smile that could melt the iciest of hearts.

He also plays on the Hawks with Storm and the others and is completely smitten with Violet.

Which is good.

Because I just met Vi, but she’s awesome, and if he didn’t love her like he should…

Well, I’d be siccing the Cedar Hollow Mafia on him.

Clarke, Griff, and Reed, who’s perched his son, Asher, on his shoulders—a la Storm and Holly—dutifully follow Smitty and Gertie, Ace and Violet trailing them.Shep indicates Clover to precede him, but she just glares and all but glues herself to my side.

“You know,” I say, “I think if you just told him you weren’t interested, he might get the picture.”

Her cheeks go red and she glances over at me, eyes sparking.“Don’t you think I’ve tried that?”

I study her edgy expression.

No, I don’t think she has.

Hence, Shep trailing after her like a persistently adorable puppy dog.

Still…

“Want me to get rid of him?”