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"Your own spin, huh?"
Her eyes lit up, and her passion was evident in her smile. "Yeah, everyone has their own niche in this business. Like, there are moms who have blogs about traveling with a handful of children, or couples who only feature romantic honeymoon destinations."
"And your niche is kind of like a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, solo-traveler thing?"
Grace's brow furrowed with a look of alarm that was almost comical. "Sheesh, Ida told you a lot about me, didn't she?"
Tommy grinned. "Nope. Got all that on my own after reading your blog."
"You read my blog." It wasn't a question, but the words came out slowly and full of disbelief.
"Sure did. Good stuff. You're talented."
There was a moment of silence, filled only by the laughter of children in other aisles and the Christmas music playing softly from the shop's speakers.
Tommy took a deep breath, bolstered by a sudden surge of courage. "Hey, would you like to grab dinner tonight? We could walk through the neighborhood afterward. Putting up lights is a requirement in this town, and it'd probably be a good thing for you to write about."
Grace's eyes sparkled with surprise and delight. "I'd love to," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Cool. I have to finish shopping, but I can swing by the inn to grab you in an hour if that works?" He'd changed out of his uniform after work but wanted a chance to run home for a quick shower and to change.
"Perfect," she replied. "I'll see you then."
Tommy nodded, returning her wave as she made her way to the door.
Excitement fluttered in his chest, but he brushed it away, forcing himself to refocus on his mission and grab some toys for the kids.
He approached the counter and greeted the check-out girl, who was decked out in an ugly Christmas sweater and reindeer antlers. And just like everywhere he went in this town, the small talk commenced.
"They say it should be a pretty big storm," the teen continued, transitioning from how crowded the store had been that day to the weather. "But you know what that means."
"Nah, it's my first winter here. What does it mean?"
"Ah, right, I forgot. You're a newb. They always say we're gonna get hammered with snow and put out all these safety alerts and stuff, but then the storm just kind of skips over us like we've got a forcefield around the town or something."
He grinned. "Sounds awesome. Let's hope that forcefield stays up then, huh?"
She shrugged. "I guess. But I'd be down for a big storm. Like,disaster moviebig. Might be fun."
Tommy shook his head. "Ah, come on. Don't wish a natural disaster on me. It's my first Christmas here."
"At least it'd be a memorable one."
The girl held out Tommy's receipt with another shrug, and he took it with a wry smile. But as he headed outside with his arms full of toys, he couldn't help but glance up at the sky.
Sure, he wanted his first Christmas in Snow Hill to be a memorable one... and maybe it would be, depending on the outcome of his dinner with Grace.
But due to a storm of disaster-worthy proportions?
Not so much.
CHAPTER3
Grace
Grace restedher chin on her hand, gazing at Tommy as they sat in a cozy corner of The Hearthstone. The vintage Christmas decorations made her feel like she’d stepped back in time, and the soft glow of candlelight and gentle hum of conversation created a warm, inviting atmosphere.
"So, tell me about your family," Grace prompted, leaning in.
