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"The best. And... well, I just don't wanna see him get hurt. He puts on a goofy, casual front, but he also feels deeply, ya know?"
Grace nodded, swallowing hard as she absorbed the story and what it meant. Learning about teenage Tommy standing up to a bully and then looking out for a loner added new layers to her understanding of him. It wasn't just the fight that defined him as a protector; it was the compassion that followed... as if his job wasn't done just because he'd kicked some butt.
"I don't want to see Tommy get hurt, either," Grace assured Sofia, then hesitated before adding, "Tommy promised it could stay casual, like a Christmas romance fling."
Sofia's eyebrows raised, and her lips curved into a knowing smile. "Well, I guess that tracks. He's always trying to keep things light. But don't forget that feelings sometimes do their own thing."
Grace nodded, her stomach tightening at the thought. She knew all too well how emotions could complicate even the simplest of relationships... hence the reason she often steered clear of them.
"Thanks for sharing that story about him," Grace said, meaning it as she looked down at her hands again.
"Of course," Sofia replied, and it seemed like she planned to say more, but then Holly burst into the room, her three-year-old daughter toddling beside her.
Grace grinned as she took in Holly's festive attire: a red cable-knit sweater adorned with gold and green accents, dark jeans, and furry brown boots with Rudolph embroidered onto the tops. There was even a red puffball on each toe for Rudolph's nose.
She bit back a laugh as she remembered how, on their first date, Tommy had told Grace all about Holly's Christmas obsession. Her Grinch-like husband hadn't been a fan at first, but Grace could totally see how Holly managed to win him over.
Sofia's style, on the other hand, was much less merry and bright. Every time Grace had seen her, she'd been wearing all black. If there was any color, it was a deep eggplant or the darkest blue. She wore combat boots and edgy makeup, and her long, dark hair worked perfectly with her rocker style.
The two women greeted each other warmly, and it struck Grace how, no matter how different they were in style and temperament, they'd clearly hit it off well.
"Ladies," Holly announced, steering Noelle away from what looked like a treasured—and breakable—music box on a shelf, "I think we should have a girls' night tonight."
* * *
"There'sno need to go out when we have a real chef in our midst," Robin explained with a wink as she handed Grace a glass of white wine.
Grace was all for it. And not only had they decided to stay in rather than venture into the cold, but they'd also made it a pajama party.
Grace slid over to make room for Robin as she settled into the breakfast nook in the inn's cozy kitchen.
Holly looked up from arranging an array of delicious snacks on the counter. "I'm not a chef. I’m a baker."
Nick walked in just in time to hear that. "Hang on, you were a chef on that one show when you were little, right?" he teased, wrapping his arms around his wife's waist and kissing her temple.
"AndnowI'm a baker," she replied. "Where's your mom? It's not like her to be late for girls' night."
He wrinkled his nose. "She's out with Ida."
Grace's ears perked up. She'd been excited to see Joan—after having bad luck in the past, this time, she'd lucked out in terms of innkeepers. But to hear that Joan was out with Ida made her grin. She could only imagine the trouble the two of them could get into together.
"Boo!" Robin called out. "They should've joined us."
"They said something about letting you have your pajama party while they went out on the town like grown women," Nick said, holding up his hands when Holly threatened to swat him with a dish towel. "Hey, I'm just the messenger."
Then, with a loving nudge, she pushed him toward the door. "Whatever, get your butt out of here. No boys."
Nick lunged for Holly, stealing one more kiss before waving at the rest of the women and leaving them to their fun.
When he was gone, Robin leaned over to Grace. "Honestly, they're so adorable it's giving me heartburn."
Grace chuckled as Sofia added, "No experience here... but that could be the pregnancy."
Feeling silly, Grace rubbed her own chest. "Nah, I feel it too. It's definitely them."
"Very funny," Holly drawled, placing two expertly styled charcuterie boards on the table before them. "Robin and my brother are just as bad, and trust me—pregnant or not, it makes me wanna barf."
"That's just because he's your brother," Sofia said. She stabbed the air between herself and Grace with a tiny kosher pickle. "You should've heard this one gushing aboutmybrother’s kissing skills this morning."
