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His fingers moved deftly across the keyboard, his brow furrowed in concentration. There was a calmness to his actions—the total opposite of her earlier storm of frustration.
"What brings you to Snow Hill?" she asked, attempting to fill the silence.
"Seemed like a good place to get away from it all. My job lets me work from anywhere with decent internet," he replied, his eyes still on the screen. "Ironically, that's the one thing giving us trouble today."
Grace chuckled. "That's the dream, isn't it? To roam the world and take your work with you? Sorry, I’m a travel blogger. It’s kind of my thing."
Ethan glanced up at her, a hint of contemplation in his gaze. "It has its perks. But sometimes I think having a place to call home would be nice, too. Settling down with someone instead of always being on the move?"
She shrugged lightly, a flicker of something unidentifiable stirring inside her. "Uh, yeah. That could be nice, I guess."
"You just need to get to the point where you realize it's less about the place and more about the people you're with."
At that moment, the laptop screen refreshed, showing a successful connection. Grace was immensely relieved. She was still riding the high of her date with Tommy last night, and there was no part of her that wanted to surrender to Ethan’s suggestion.
The sooner he took his life-is-all-rainbows-and-butterflies ideas away from her, the better.
Ethan pushed the laptop back toward her, a look of satisfaction on his face. "There you go. Should be good now."
"Thanks, Ethan. I appreciate it.”
He stood up, his smile still lingering. "Happy to help. Nice to meet you, and good luck with everything.”
Watching him walk away, Grace annoyed herself by contemplating his words, despite her best efforts not to.
Not a place, but the people.
She exhaled slowly, brushing it away so she could write. Except that her earlier inspiration was totally absent now, so she opted to check her email instead.
Right away, Grace spotted yet another message from the overly enthusiastic reader who’d been bombarding her with tips for her article. It was the third email she'd received since she arrived, and while she appreciated the effort, the frequency was starting to grate on her nerves.
Hi Grace!
I simply must tell you about the most amazing hot chocolate stand in town! You absolutely cannot leave Snow Hill without trying their peppermint-infused cocoa topped with a mountain of whipped cream. It's life-changing!
Yours,
Snow Hill’s Biggest Fan
With an internal groan, Grace typed out a polite response, thanking the sender for their enthusiasm and promising to try the hot chocolate during her stay. She hit send, wondering who could possibly be so invested in this town and her article on it. Whoever it was, the way they signed their emails was clearly true.
"Here you are, dear," Joan said, entering the room with a steaming mug topped with whipped cream and a cinnamon stick.
"Thank you," Grace replied, gratefully accepting the treat. She cradled the mug in her hands, allowing the warmth to seep into her fingers as she took a sip. The rich mocha flavor of the coffee mingled with the velvety texture of the whipped cream, brought a smile to her face.
"Enjoy," Joan said, patting Grace's shoulder before leaving the room.
Moments later, Grace glanced up from her laptop as the front door of the Snow Hill Inn swung open with a gust of frosty air, and Tommy strode inside. His booming laugh echoed through the foyer, instantly warming the room like a crackling fire.
Grace felt her heart do a little somersault in her chest at the sight of him. There was just something about his broad shoulders and easy smile that set her pulse racing, and she glanced at the half-empty mug next to her laptop. No, it had to be the caffeine, right?
She internally scolded herself, attempting to refocus on her work. But it seemed that her fingers had gone on strike, hovering uselessly above the keyboard as her gaze remained fixed on Tommy.
He hadn't noticed her yet, too busy ushering a stunning brunette into the foyer and taking her coat.
"Welcome to Snow Hill Inn," Joan said warmly as she joined Tommy and the woman, extending a hand.
Grace watched as Tommy slung his arm around the brunette's shoulder as she greeted Joan, and her stomach gave an uncomfortable twist.
