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"Not at all, which is why Robin and Holly forced me to come to this thing. They said I could either spill my guts or search for gingerbread men and candy canes, so here I am."
Grace shook her head as they marked a potted poinsettia off their list outside the quaint flower shop. "Wait, I'm confused. Didn't you just meet them this morning?"
Sofia nodded.
"And yet...they're dictating how you process whatever drama you're dealing with?"
Sofia bumped Grace's shoulder with a teasing smile. "You're not from a small town, are you?"
"I'm not really from anywhere," she replied. "My parents moved around a lot."
"Gotcha. Well, I grew up in Philly, but our family is always butting into each other's business. Tommy says Snow Hill is just like that... People act like they've known you for their whole life, even if you just met. Pretty sure that's what's happening right now."
"How do you feel about that?" Grace ventured.
Sofia shrugged. "Fine. Like I said, I'm used to it with my family. Everybody knows what's going on in everyone else's life. So even though I didn't choose girl-talk with Robin and Holly over this scavenger hunt, it's sweet that they wanted me to get out and do something instead of mope. I can see why my baby brother loves it here."
Grace nearly laughed, imagining how Tommy would feel about being called Sofia’s “baby brother.” But then she blew a breath through her pursed lips, shaking her head. She couldn't imagine being open to building relationships with total strangers that quickly.
Surface-level relationships?
Sure. She could do that.
But the kind of relationships that Sofia referred to? Ones that involved people knowing everything about each other's business?
Hard pass.
"So, Miss Travel Writer, let me guess—you leave a trail of broken hearts behind in every town you visit, don't you?"
Grace laughed. "No, not quite. Leaving before the magic fades means there's no messy drama."
"Touché," Sofia conceded with a playful glint in her eyes.
Grace and Sofia made their way to a quaint store brimming with ornaments, sure that they'd find an ornament featuring their next item—a partridge in a pear tree—within its walls.
Grace's eyes widened as she marveled at the rainbow of baubles displayed on every available surface. She pulled out her phone, eager to capture it for her blog.
"I wonder if this place stays open year-round," Grace mused aloud, snapping away at the glittering display.
"Actually, most of the Christmas shops do," came a deep, familiar voice from behind her.
She turned to find Tommy with his arm draped casually around Sofia's shoulders, lookingwaytoo good in his uniform.
"These little shops make big bucks thanks to online shoppers," he went on, his eyes never leaving Grace's.
"Oh, cool. Um, are you doing the scavenger hunt, too?" she asked, trying to sound casual despite the chaotic rhythm of her heart.
Tommy shook his head, chuckling. "No, I'm just here to take an incident report for the owner."
Sofia furrowed her brow. "Should we be worried?"
"Relax," he assured her with a grin. "Snow Hill is nowhere near as dangerous as Philly. You can rest easy."
And with that, he squeezed Sofia's shoulder and made his way over to the white-haired shop owner, who greeted him warmly.
Grace couldn't help but smile as she heard Tommy address her as "Mrs. C." By the looks of the woman, Grace had five dollars on her initial being short forClaus.And as Tommy slipped into business mode, Grace marveled at his fluidity—playful flirt to steadfast professional.
She pretended to browse nearby, eavesdropping on Ms. C's complaint about Jim Evergreen canceling her ornament booth at his tree lot.
