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Tommy
"Hey,did you hear Grace is staying longer?" Nick asked Tommy as he joined him by the large tree in the foyer.
Tommy had been watching Grace move among the guests with an effortless ease, still chatting with his friends, of course, because he wasn't a total creep. But before he could tell Nick that he'd not only heard, but was thrilled about the news, a woman he didn't know grabbed Grace's arm excitedly and ushered her into the kitchen.
Tommy brushed away the urge to follow. He hadn't missed the way Grace had flinched away from the contact, but then Sofia went through the swinging door not a second later, and he relaxed.
Why he was so worried about her, he wasn't sure. But maybe it had a little to do with the mysterious Snow Hill Fan crowding her inbox.
Seriously, plenty of people loved this town. But who loved itthatmuch?
Tommy realized he hadn't answered Nick's question when his friend nudged him with his elbow. He shook his head, chuckling. "Sorry, man. Yeah, I heard. I'm pumped about it."
"Pumped, huh? Be careful," Nick warned. "I overheard her telling my mom that she never goes the same place twice. This is the first time she's ever extended a trip, too."
Tommy shrugged. "And yet, she is. First time for everything."
Nick cocked an eyebrow. "How are you this into her after a couple of days?"
With a grin, Tommy slowly turned his gaze to Nick, blinked once, and then swiveled to Nick's wife and children happily playing in the corner. "Pot, meet kettle," he deadpanned.
Nick bowed his head in mock shame, but before they could continue their conversation, Jack approached, his brow furrowed. "Have either of you met the woman who checked in last night?"
"Nope," Tommy replied, exchanging a glance with Nick. "Redhead?"
Jack nodded. "That's the one. Her name's Lena Rodriguez. Guess she's a travel writer, too."
"You think this town is gonna become flooded with writers now like it's flooded with movie stars?" Nick grumbled, taking a sip of his winter ale.
"Hey, it would be good for business when you own a dang inn," Tommy joked, leaning against the wall. "Shut up and be grateful for it."
"Anyway," Jack continued, "Lena has been talking Grace's ear off about travel writing. Think she could use a rescue?"
Tommy's protective instincts flared at the thought of Grace being cornered by an overzealous fan, but he paused. He didn't want to come across as intrusive or possessive, especially after the way he'd acted at the ornament shop, taking her phone and all that.
What had she called him?Officer Nosy?
Tommy couldn't help but chuckle, glaring at his friends when they looked at him with matching expressions of confusion.
It was true, though. He'd always been the protective type. It's what made him a good cop—being alert and attentive to others' needs—but he'd long ago realized it could also get annoying at times. No one liked feeling smothered or having someone constantly meddling in their business.
Still, he didn't know how to turn that part of himself off.
As Tommy considered his next move, Sofia appeared beside them, her eyes narrowed with concern. "I tried to get Grace away from that weirdo in the kitchen, but she won't let up about some collaboration trip she and Grace should take together. It's a little weird."
Tommy's jaw clenched. Grace was already being hounded by those emails, and now this?
Unless, of course, this Lena person was the onebehindthose emails. She was supposedly new to town and doing a piece of her own, so it didn't make a ton of sense... but in his experience, sometimes that was just the way the cookie crumbled.
"All right, hold my beer," he announced, pushing away from the wall and handing Jack his beer as his buddy rolled his eyes.
He strode across the front room and into the kitchen, finding Grace and Lena tucked into the breakfast nook with the view of the backyard surrounding them from the semi-circle of windows. Their voices blended with the clatter of dishes as Holly washed up after dinner, and as soon as he entered the room, Holly shot him a meaningful look.
"Hey," Tommy said, stepping up to the table Grace and Lena shared with a casual smile. "Lena, I heard someone in the sitting room—the one at the back of the inn—was asking for you. Something about wanting to be interviewed for your article?"
"Really?" Lena's eyes widened, and she tossed a glance toward the doorway. "I'll go check it out. Don't go anywhere, Grace! We have so much more to talk about!"
With an excited bounce, Lena hurried away, and Grace rose from the booth with a long sigh. Relief flooded through Tommy at how easy that was, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd overstepped again.
