AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But, then again,thatfear was nothing when she considered the potential danger they faced while snowed in.
CHAPTER20
Tommy
The storm raged on,its icy fingers clawing at the windowpanes. Inside, flickering candlelight bathed the room in a soft, cozy ambiance, chasing away the chill that threatened to seep through the walls. Restless guests huddled together, their eyes flicking nervously toward the windows as the wind howled and snow battered against the glass.
Tommy stood near Grace, his protective instincts on high alert after their conversation in the kitchen. He'd sensed her walls finally crumbling, allowing him a glimpse into her thoughts and feelings. Now, he couldn't bear to be more than five feet from her, watching over her like a hawk as she chatted with Holly and Ida.
Jack, being just as observant as Tommy, noticed his friend's behavior and approached him. With a subtle tilt of his chin, he gestured toward the kitchen, silently inviting Tommy to step away for a private conversation. Tommy shook his head, unwilling to let Grace out of his sight.
Jack's eyes narrowed, and he moved closer so they wouldn't be overheard. "What's up?"
Tommy hesitated. He couldn't risk divulging any details with an inn full of strangers around. And, possibly more unsettling, plenty of Snow Hill residents that he didn't yet know well enough to know for sure they were innocent. He wasn't as new to town as Grace, and he'd truly felt like this community had welcomed him in. But there was no question in his mind that whomever was sending these emails knew enough about this town to be a resident... and that meant there was a traitor in their midst.
He needed to be careful.
Sighing, Tommy kept his gaze locked on Grace as he braced himself to deliver a vague—yet not untruthful—response. "Grace and I are having some... issues. I'm just trying to figure out how to handle it."
Jack chuckled and crossed his arms, surprise etching his features. "Huh. Well, I guess I don't know you as well as I thought."
Tommy's gaze snapped to his best friend. "What did you just say?"
His blood pounded in his ears…
That phrase…
"Whoa, take it easy," Jack said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "I said I didn't know you as well as I thought. You know, since I thought there was something major going on based on you acting like Grace's own personal gargoyle. But now you're telling me it's just the relationship stuff again."
Tommy narrowed his eyes at Jack, searching for any hint of a lie. But then he remembered this was the same man who'd once taken a bullet for him when they both worked in Philly—he took it in the vest, so he was fine, but still.
He felt a flush of embarrassment creep up his neck, and he scrubbed his hands over his face, groaning into his palms.
"I need a minute," he muttered into his palms, then lowered them and gave Jack a meaningful look. "Will you keep an eye on her for me? Don't ask why. Just pretend it's relationship stuff and do me a solid."
"Sure thing, buddy," Jack agreed, concerned again, and appearing more than a little confused.
But he'd do what Tommy asked. Of that, he was sure. So, with one last glance at Grace, Tommy headed upstairs to the one person he hoped could snap him out of this. He was spinning out, and it wouldn't do Grace any good if he couldn't get his mind right.
Relief washed over Tommy's shoulders the second his sister opened her door upstairs.
"Tommy, you look like death," she said, ushering him inside and closing the door behind him.
"I feel like death," he replied, glancing around her room with a raised brow. "What are you doing up here by yourself?"
She shrugged, pointing to her book where it sat open on the chair. "Hiding from all the people downstairs."
"Good call," he agreed, flopping onto Sofia's bed and covering his eyes with his forearms.
He could feel Sofia watching him as he lay there, but he was focusing on his breathing, trying to figure out how to tell her what was going on without completely losing it. He wasn't being paranoid, right? Maybe the emails were harmless, and his protective nature was on overdrive again. Maybehewas the one scaring Grace by being so worried that she was in danger, creating some kind of cop versus criminal situation where there wasn't one.
No, that wasn't it. There had been genuine fear in Grace's eyes when he'd held her in the kitchen. He'd felt it coming off her in waves as she trembled in his arms. She was already afraid, and if he didn't get his thoughts together and come up with a plan, she'd have even more reason to be afraid. All because he would fail to protect her.
"Did something happen?" Sofia asked quietly. "Are you and Grace not... I don't know... you didn't fix it yet?"
Tommy's racing thoughts slowed, and he lowered his arms, rising into a seated position. He blinked at his sister. "Did I... fix it?"
Sofia shrugged, flaring her eyes like he was missing something obvious. "Yeah, T. Fix it."
