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Tommy's vision darkened around the edges as he imagined how Grace must have felt when she'd received that thinly veiled threat. "And you didn't think to tell me about it?"
She shrugged guiltily, not meeting his eyes. "I didn't think I needed to. It seemed silly to give it any real thought."
"You said it's been tensesincethat night. Does that mean she's sent you other stuff, too? More emails like that?"
"Sort of. I don't know. She mostly just comments on my posts with rude things, or she'll be super snarky or sarcastic in her emails after I upload my articles, telling me I'm not doing a very good job capturing the spirit of the town. There was also something about me being a little too distracted to enjoy it properly, but it's all so off-base, isn't it? The rest of my readers are loving the articles, so clearly I'm not messing them up, right?"
Tommy rubbed the backs of his eyes with his thumb and forefingers. "Your writing is great, so yeah, she's off-base. But I still think you should've told me. I thought her persistence was weird before, but then when it went from someone who sounded like Joan Patterson to digs at your writing, that changes things."
"How so?"
He opened his mouth to explain it, but then Nick approached them with urgency in his steps this time. "Jack's leading way more people than I thought up to the inn right now. You mind staying here instead of going back out there to patrol? Jack already coordinated with your sergeant to make sure they had the rest covered.”
Tommy hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, that's fine. Tell Jack I want regular updates on the storm's progress and any issues that come up in my beat."
"Deal," Nick agreed before leaving them alone again.
"Grace, no matter what's going on between us," Tommy hedged, leaning into her space, "I'm still here for you. Let's talk about this later, okay? I gotta go help Nick."
"Yeah, of course," Grace whispered. "And thank you."
"Anytime," he replied softly before clearing his throat, straightening up, and hurrying after Nick without a backward glance.
And as the storm hit with full force, Tommy's full focus finally locked on maintaining the safety and well-being of everyone at the inn. Along with the rest of the staff and even some guests, he moved through the common areas, checking on each person and ensuring they had enough blankets, food, and water to ride out the storm.
"We can't thank you enough," Susan Finch said after he delivered some tea and snacks to their room, her voice shaking slightly as the wind howled outside. "It's too crowded down there for me. I'm not used to so much chaos. That's why we came to Snow Hill in the first place."
Tommy offered her a reassuring smile. "Snow Hill is still a good place to escape from chaos. You just happened to come on the wrong weekend. Lemme know if you need anything else."
She chuckled and promised she would before she closed the door, and Tommy went back to the main level to continue his rounds, stopping when he spotted Ethan headed up the stairs. The man seemed tense, and Tommy couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with the little moment they'd had earlier or if it was perhaps something more.
"Got everything you need?" he asked, keeping his tone neutral.
Ethan glanced up, forcing a tight smile. "Yeah, thanks, Tommy. I appreciate it."
"Good. Stay warm," he replied before continuing on.
Throughout the evening, Tommy coordinated with Mrs. P to keep the common areas warm, stoking fires and adjusting thermostats. Their combined efforts created a sense of comfort and security that pervaded the inn, even as the storm raged outside. In the midst of his duties, Tommy found himself stealing glances at Grace every chance he got.
Currently, she sat huddled in a corner with Abby, reading a book, each of them wrapped in blankets and sipping on steaming mugs of hot cocoa.
She was so beautiful it almost hurt.
And as the wind howled and the snow piled higher outside, Tommy held onto the hope that once the skies cleared and they could finally talk, they would find their way back to each other.
CHAPTER19
Grace
Grace saton the floor with Abby to allow the older residents and tourists to take the chairs and couches that were spread throughout the inn. And they weren't the only ones, either. Kids, teens, young families, and pretty much anyone else who didn't mind the floor had chosen a spot against a wall to ride out the storm.
The blizzard outside had intensified considerably, and despite the harsh conditions, Grace marveled at how the people of Snow Hill came together. They showed such resilience and support for one another—so much that it nearly had Grace in tears as she watched them interact. The raging snowstorm was in such contrast to the warmth and camaraderie inside the inn that it only amplified her feelings.
Clearly,thiswas what Tommy had meant when he'd talked about the community that drew him to move here, and it was beautiful to see.
As she sipped her hot cocoa, Grace took notes in her head while she observed the room. She'd planned to read with Abby as a distraction from real life, but this week's Snow Hill article would be based on her experience in the storm, highlighting the good people who worked their buns off to make sure everyone was safe and warm. The article would also show the world that these people didn't just sell Christmas spirit in their shops and eateries... they lived it.
And, Grace was certain, if this storm were a heat wave or a hurricane, and it wasn't the Christmas season, they'd be handling it in the exact same, loving way.
