AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tommy smiled coyly. "Well, Snow Hill is definitely a special snowflake of a town. Glad to hear you appreciate it. Sure you wanna leave so soon?"
"You sound like Ida," Grace teased, hoping to lighten the mood with the cult-like tone of the town. "Or even that mystery emailer who's still on my back. But as much as I'd like to drink the hot cocoa flavored Kool-Aid and stay awhile, this is my life."
She'd said the last part with a one-shouldered shrug, but Tommy's expression grew serious, genuine concern in his eyes. "How often are they emailing you? And what exactly do they say?"
Grace shrugged again, this time with both shoulders. "It's not a big deal. Honestly, it's pretty common for people to reach out like this."
"Still," Tommy insisted, his protective instincts clearly taking over. "Gimme a name so I can look into it."
Grace sighed, touched by his concern—even if he was a bit bossy about it. "The emails are signed 'Snow Hill's Biggest Fan.' There's no actual name."
She took out her phone to show him one of the emails as proof, but as she scrolled through her inbox, she noticed a new message from the inn in the town she was supposed to visit next. She opened it with a stab of her thumb, and the subject line announcing "Bad News" made her gut clench.
"You've got to be kidding me," Grace whispered. She scanned the message informing her that her reservation had been canceled due to overbooking, dread and something she couldn't name coiling within her.
"What'd they say?" Tommy asked, not waiting for her to answer before plucking the phone from her grasp.
Grace let out a huff of shocked laughter as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Really, Officer Nosy?"
His smile grew wide as he read the email, but as he handed her back her phone, he schooled his features into something of an amused apology. "Sorry, I was worried it was the super fan, but it turns out it was good news."
"Guess you didn't see the subject line."
"Eh, it's a matter of opinion. Anyway, looks like you're not leaving so soon, after all," he said, trying—and absolutely failing—to hide another smile.
And unfortunately for everything she held dear about her lifestyle, her rules, and her nomadic heart... Grace found her own lips twitching. It was hard not to smile when a guy like Tommy was looking at her like she'd just given him an early Christmas present.
Well, no. He wasn't looking at her like she'dgivenhim a present. He was looking at her likeshewas the present... and it was intoxicating.
Before either of them could speak, someone bumped into a display of ornaments, causing several to crash to the floor. Patrons rushed to help Ms. C clean up the mess, but Grace and Tommy remained lost in their intimate bubble, the promise of something special kindling between them.
"Ready to go?" Sofia asked from beside them, making Grace jump and causing Tommy to break eye contact only to glare at his sister.
"Yeah—um, yes." Grace nodded, but what she'd meant as a casual gesture made her feel a little like a bobblehead. "We should go."
Tommy glanced at his watch. "Will you be at the inn for dinner later?"
"Duh," Sofia replied with an eye roll. "I told you I would be."
"Notyou," Tommy shot back.
Sofia scoffed as she linked her arm through Grace's. "Oh, you meant Grace? Yes, she'll be there. Haven't you heard? We're best friends now."
"Shocker," Tommy said with a smirk, then turned his focus to Grace. "Careful with this one. She's trouble."
Sofia swatted his arm, and Grace's heart fluttered at the thought of spending more time with him. It was so distracting she didn’t give any thought to how uneasy Sofia’s comment should’ve made her.
She also barely heard their continued banter as he threatened her with jail time for assaulting an officer, and then as Sofia started to usher Grace toward the door with their arms still linked—because they werebest friendsnow, apparently—Tommy caught her eye, his voice warm and sincere. "See you tonight."
Then he turned for the register with his purchase conveniently hidden from Sofia's sight.
Grace couldn't take her eyes off him as he walked away, struck dumb by how handsome he looked in his uniform and how strange it was that after such a short time, the man had done what she'd thought was impossible: made her want to stay longer.
So much so that the cancellation of her next trip suddenly felt like she'd—or maybehe'd—made it happen with sheer will alone.
Either that, or it was the famous Snow Hill Christmas Magic she kept hearing about.
CHAPTER8
