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Claudine shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Didn’t you two used to be high school sweethearts ?”
Cami almost choked on the Santa dust. She coughed into her hand. “I-uh. That was ages ago. We haven’t spoken in years.” High school sweethearts was one way to put it. She had lost her virginity to him, but she wasn’t exactly up to telling her realtor about that .
“You know he’s the mayor now.” Claudine baited her with information .
“Oh?”
“Mmmhmm. Voted in right after he returned from Afghanistan. He’s a local war hero. And I know I’m a lot older than you two, but he’s grown into a handsome man. Not the boy you once knew. He’s quite the looker in a uniform and a suit. You know my Ralph was a veteran .”
“Yes, I do remember.” Cami would have described him as panty-melting hot .
“There’s just something about a soldier isn’t there? I remember when Ralph would shine his medals and his boots.” She sighed audibly. “Did you ever see Evan like that ?”
Suddenly, Cami felt the need to have her space to herself again. She didn’t want to hear news about Evan Jacobs. And she certainly didn’t want to be the focus of one of Claudine Francis’s matchmaking schemes .
There was no hiding that look of disappointment on the realtor’s face. “Well, I thought it might be fun for you to reconnect. I could set it up you know. Maybe a nice quiet dinner at Hurricane’s. Do you remember how charming Carol makes the place? Candles. Greenery. And of course, you can’t forget the mistletoe .”
Cami cast a warning glance in her direction and placed Santa on an end table. Mistletoe was the last thing she wanted right now, and it certainly not be anywhere near Evan Jacobs. She couldn’t think of a worse combination .
“All right. All right. I’ll let you get settled. Looks like you have your hands full here. We’ll talk Hurricane’s another night .”
“Thank you.” Cami walked her to the door. “For everything. You helped make the move back easier. I couldn’t have done it without you, Claudine. Truly.” She would just have to pretend she had sidestepped her history with Evan. What happened was long ago. She had hoped everyone had forgotten, but she wasn’t going to be that lucky .
“Of course, dear. That dusty old shop downstairs has been closed up for years. Just wait until everyone sees what you’re going to do with it. And just in time for Christmas .”
Cami smiled slowly. “I guess we’re all a little anxious then .”
Claudine patted her arm. “I’ll check in on you this week. Good night .”
“Good night, Claudine .”
No one locked their doors in Harpers Point, but it was hard to break the old habit from living in the city. Cami slid the chain latch into place and turned to the mountain of work in front of her .
As far as apartments went, this one had the makings of something out of a southern design magazine. The sprawling exposed beams overhead were original to the building. One full wall was covered in exposed brick, casting a warmth over the entire room. It needed paint here and there, and it probably wouldn’t hurt to have a plumber take a look at the pipes and tell her what was responsible for that squeaking sound .
But Cami knew this place was special. Living over her great aunt’s shop didn’t happen by accident. She didn’t believe in accidents .
Two
Evan
H arpers Point was the kind of place where everyone knew what happened before it could be posted on social media. It was just that kind of town. Neighbors were close. Families closer .
There was almost no need for the Point Post , but Lexi Hale had taken on the job of editor a year ago. And after generations of Hales putting out a bi-weekly paper, she was determined not to be the one to run it into the ground .
Trying to run a town like that was a job that required a certain amount of patience and vision .
Evan walked up the front steps of city hall, a building that also doubled as the post office and around the back was the one-room police station. It was efficient and quaint. Maybe it was also the reason news spread faster than wildfire .
“Good morning, Mayor,” Goldie Crawford waved wildly from the sidewalk. She yanked hard on her poodle, Miss Pudding’s collar. The dog was dressed in a red and green argyle sweater. That dog had more clothes than some children in town .
“Good morning.” Evan nodded, gripping a cup of coffee in his right hand. The warmth soothed the pain in his left hand that hit him from time to time on freezing damp mornings like this. Winters were the hardest part of living in Harpers Point .
“I’m ready for the bake sale. I have five pies and three cakes,” she announced. “I’ve baked up a storm this year. And wait until you taste the cinnamon cakes. I’m trying something new with cinnamon and …”
Fuck. If he didn’t get inside, he’d be stuck out here half the morning discussing Goldie’s family recipes. “Good to know. Thanks for the hard work. The firehouse will appreciate it .”
He took the rest of the stairs and walked inside the brick building before Goldie and Miss Pudding tossed out more about the annual holiday bakeoff. It would probably be the first of ten times one of the local village women tried to ensnare him in conversation. He was lucky to have escaped before Goldie brought up her niece who would be in for the holidays .
