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CHAPTER1
Grace
Grace steppedout of her Uber, her heart skipping a beat as she took in the sight of Snow Hill, dressed to the nines in its festive best. The town seemed to sparkle with holiday cheer, every window adorned with decorations that danced merrily in the gentle breeze. It was everything she’d heard it would be, and she couldn’t wait to see more.
"Thank you, Charlie," she murmured as her driver met her at the trunk to retrieve her bag, her eyes still drinking in the scene before her. "This is going to be perfect."
She could almost imagine the comments her article would receive once she posted it. She’d gotten more than a few requests for a holiday piece on this tiny Pennsylvania town, some of them complete with photos to back up their claims that it was the most amazing Christmas destination in America.
And from where Grace stood, the photos of the town square hadn’t done this place an ounce of justice.
“My pleasure,” Charlie replied, closing the truck and crossing his arms. “I’m gonna look up your article about the town. Next week, right?”
Grace grinned, nodding at the older man. “Yep, and be sure to tell your wife to follow my blog, too.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” he said with a teasing shudder. “Before I know it, she’ll have me packing my bags for weekend trips every time I turn around. You’re gonna ruin my relaxing football Sundays.”
“You do you, Charlie,” she fired back, casually bumping his shoulder with hers. “Maybe it’ll just inspire her to take weekend girls’ trips with her sister.”
“Now you’re talking.”
As a travel writer, Grace had taken countless Ubers, but she made it a point to exchange names with her drivers at the start of each one. Sure, sometimes she spent the drive silently reflecting on whatever city she’d just visited or experience she’d just had… and yes, sometimes her drivers weren’t the chatty kind.
But when they were like Charlie, sharing experiences and chatting away the miles? She lived for it. Grace adored learning about different cultures or lifestyles through her Uber drivers. From a practical standpoint, their wealth of knowledge about people, places, and things to do had helped her provide her readers with amazing travel tips more times than she could count.
But there was another, more personal reason she loved those talks, too. She always went in hoping she’d come away with a reminder of just how big the world was. A reminder that everyone had their own strengths and struggles… their own paths to walk. It made her feel grounded, which helped a lot when people inevitably questioned when she would settle down, balking when she said she likely never would.
“How long are you staying again?” Charlie asked, fondness for the town seeping into his expression.
She’d spent the ride from the Philadelphia airport hearing all about how Charlie’s parents had taken him to Snow Hill for holiday day trips when he was a boy, and how he continued that tradition with his own family. It’d warmed Grace’s heart to hear that the rumors about this town were true. According to Charlie, Snow Hill was as much of a lifelong tradition to the people in this area as she’d heard it was, and she couldn’t wait to discover why firsthand.
But not for long, and this snow-globe-worthy town wouldn’t become a holiday tradition of her own, no matter how enchanting it turned out to be.
“I’m leaving next week,” she replied.
“Well, maybe when you come back next year, it’ll be at the same time we’re in town, and we can say hello,” Charlie said with a quick grin.
“Yeah, um… that would be great.”
She wasn’t lying. It would be great if she actually thought she’d be back. Grace rarely returned to the same destination twice, and despite her best intentions, she’d never learned how to keep up with a single tradition.
That beach in Bora Bora she swore she’d return to every year on her birthday? She hadn’t been back since the first time.
That annual, multi-author travel series she and some writer friends intended to do every July? Her friends had continued it, but Grace had yet to plan her summer well enough to join them.
She didn’t even own Christmas decorations for her shoebox-sized loft in New York, let alone put them up on the same date every year with a cup of cocoa in hand. She wasn’t anti-Christmas or anything, but with a life like hers, she simply never knew if she’d be home for Christmas to enjoy them.
"Anyway, I better get going. Enjoy your stay, Grace,” Charlie said before getting back into his sedan.
She said her farewells before he pulled away from the snow-dusted curb, and then she spun, more than ready to get to work. She may have no interest in traditions of her own, but she couldn’t wait to explore the traditions of Snow Hill and then put them to words for the enjoyment of her readers.
"You must be new in town!" a cheerful voice called out, breaking through Grace's reverie.
She turned to see a woman bundled up in a bright red scarf and matching mittens, her face alight with a welcoming smile. Grace suddenly felt like she’d stepped into one of those classic Christmas movies where everyone knew everyone, and every newcomer was welcomed with open arms. It was almost too perfect to be real.
"Hi," Grace replied with a surprised smile. No one in the City greeted strangers this way, and it never failed to startle her when she traveled to small towns and was met with a welcome wagon. “Yes, I’ve just arrived."
"Well, welcome! I'm sure you'll love it here. Everyone does." The woman's enthusiasm was infectious, and Grace couldn't help but return her smile.
