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But Grace? She seemed content to enjoy their time together while it lasted, and then move on with her life.
As they arrived at the bakery after getting cleaned up at the inn, however, the festive atmosphere brought a smile to Tommy's face despite his inner turmoil. The smell of freshly baked cookies and the laughter of friends filled the air, and he tried to put it all out of his mind and simply enjoy the night.
He walked over to Nick and Jack where they'd taken up a post near the fire as Grace joined Robin, Abby, and Holly at the front of the bakery, chatting with Miss Patty, the owner.
"Hey, guys," Tommy greeted, forcing himself to sound upbeat.
"What's up, man?" Jack replied, clapping him on the back. "You look like you've got something on your mind."
"Is it that obvious?" Tommy asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Nah. You only look alittlebitlike Santa and his reindeer just ran over your dog," Nick deadpanned. Then he jutted his chin in the direction of the women. "This about Grace? She's leaving pretty soon, right?"
Tommy followed his gaze, swallowing hard instead of offering any kind of verbal reply.
"Look, man," Jack said, a mix of humor and sincerity in his voice, "you can't control the future. But you can control what you do right now. If you've got the kind of feelings for her that have you looking this wrecked about her leaving, maybe it's time to let her know."
Nick shrugged. "Or, you can let her go, and see if she comes back. That's a thing, right? If you love something you gotta let it go?"
Tommy frowned. "First of all, I never said I loved her. Second, you sound like a Hallmark card."
"Gee, I wonder why," Nick grumbled, eyeing the film crew in the corner.
Their outing would be filmed so Holly could air it on her show, and if it wasn't Holly's cameras set up every time they turned around, it was Hallmark's as they filmed a movie.
Tommy chuckled, then sighed, knowing his friends were right. He couldn't keep holding back, especially when he'd been so bent on getting Grace to stop doing that.
And even more of a reason... because the clock was ticking on their time together.
"Alright," Tommy agreed, determination settling in. "I'll talk to her."
He hadn't beencompletelysold on the idea of getting his heart ripped out when he'd said it, but later, as they decorated cookies side-by-side, laughter filling the bakery…
Tommy knew he had to try.
What he and Grace shared was too good to let slip away without a fight. The only question was... how would she react when he came out swinging?
CHAPTER15
Grace
As they walked upto the inn later that night, Grace and Tommy arrived at the porch steps as an older couple stepped out of their Uber. Tommy rushed over to help the woman, who introduced herself as Susan Finch, lift her hefty bag from the car. Based on the condition of their luggage, Grace figured they were a well-traveled pair.
"And I'm Harold," Susan's husband said after Grace and Tommy introduced themselves. "Nice to meet you both. Are you staying here, too?"
Grace grinned up at the inn, nodding. "I am, and I'm in love with it."
"That's great to hear," Susan said, her cheeks flushed from the cold. "At least we'll have a nice place to hole up in for the storm, right?"
"Definitely," Tommy replied. "But you don't have to worry too much about the storms here in Snow Hill. This is my first winter here—I'm a local police officer—but the big one we were supposed to get last month turned out to be the perfect amount for sledding instead."
"Is that so?" Harold asked, his voice rich and deep. "Well, that's good to know."
Grace couldn't help but wrinkle her nose. "I don't know, they're saying this one will actually hit us. The town, I mean."
Tommy smirked as he kissed her temple, clearly not missing the way she'd tripped over her tongue just then. "Even if it does, it's nothing we can't handle."
Grace nodded, trying to put on a brave face. But inside, she couldn't shake the unease that settled in her stomach. The emails from Snow Hill's Biggest Fan had started up again, their tone strange and menacing. The once warm and enthusiastic fan now replied to Grace's posts and articles with sarcasm and derision.
