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Maybe it was Tommy's fault. Maybe his bossy command to give her the name of the sender was making her paranoid.
Still, the email's content haunted her, even though she'd forced herself not to reread it.
Maybe I was wrong about you staying in Snow Hill. I'm not sure you're who I thought you were.
"Hey, Grace, mind if I join you?"
Sofia approached with a warm smile, but Grace shifted nervously in her seat. Whether she was obsessing overthe kissor the email, she doubted she would be very good company at the moment.
Sofia laughed softly, sensing Grace's awkwardness. "It's okay," she said kindly. "I'm not here to pry about whatever happened between you and Tommy last night."
Startled, Grace forced herself to meet Sofia's eyes. And instead of judgment, she was surprised to see kindness and understanding there.
"I'm right, huh?" Sofia asked while Grace attempted to untie her tongue. "Something happened, didn't it?"
Grace felt strangely exposed under Sofia's steady, curious gaze. She fidgeted, a blush creeping up her cheeks. But before she could stop them, the words tumbled from her mouth. "We kissed," she exclaimed, then laughed nervously. "And it wasn't just a peck. It was one of those world-stopping, goes on forever kisses."
Sofia's eyes flared. "Oh, you really are a writer."
"Hush. But ugh, if I were to write about that kiss... It'd be so cheesy. It was like... everything else just faded away," Grace continued, her voice a mix of awe and disbelief. "The snow, the quiet night, it all just set the scene. Like I said... cheesy."
"Nah, I've read your blog. You wouldn't make it cheesy."
"I probably wouldn't do it justice," Grace said, then paused, a playful smirk forming. "He's an amazing kisser. Like, really good. Too good even formywords."
Sofia burst into laughter, holding up her hands. "Okay, TMI! That's my brother!"
Grace joined in the laughter, the tension easing. "Sorry, I can't help it. I'm not the gushy type. I'm not the type foranyof this. I think Tommy's ruining me."
"It definitely seems like you've got it bad."
Grace sighed, half in frustration, half in contentment. "I know. The struggle."
She sat back and sipped her coffee, shocked by her own honesty. All of her female friendships were largely surface-level. Surprise, surprise. It was just that everyone she seemed to bond with was just like her—always on the move, no time for deep connections.
It was fine. Easy, in fact.
But then Sofia's face lit up with delight as she watched Grace, and she found herself thinking it might not be bad to have a friend like her.
"That said..." Sofia's mood shifted into almost sisterly concern, causing Grace to brace herself. "I need to tell you something about him."
Grace leaned in, nodding for her to continue.
"One winter when we were in high school, there was this bully, Jake, who had been picking on a younger kid, Kevin, for weeks. Everyone knew about it, but no one stepped in," Sofia began, her voice taking on a serious tone. "Tommy has never been one to tolerate bullies, but his method has always been to kind of... I don't know, joke his way into smoothing things over. He's got a gift for that, I think."
Grace thought back to the way he'd handled Mrs. C's frustrations, and smiled a little. "I can see that."
"But one day, he confronted Jake because none of his usual peace-making stuff was working. It got heated, and the guy sucker-punched Tommy. Big fight broke out—Tommy won, of course, but I remember him saying he wished it didn't have to go down like that."
Grace raised her eyebrows, surprised... yet somehow not.
"But here's the thing," Sofia continued, "after that, Tommy took Kevin under his wing. Made sure the kid was okay, checked in on him, and even helped him with his homework. Kevin was a loner, but Tommy made sure he felt included."
Something tugged inside Grace's chest, and she had a sneaking suspicion it was her heart. She rubbed her hands on her thighs, suddenly not sure what to do with them.
Sofia smiled softly, fondness in her eyes. "Tommy might look like a tough guy on the outside, and he is, but he's also got this... caring, protective side. He stands up for what he believes in, and he takes care of the people he cares about. He's always been that way."
"Sounds like a great person to grow up with," Grace mused, not sure what else to say.
