Butsomethinghad to give.
Because the truth was, she was running out of time. She hadn’t planned on spending all afternoon and evening yesterday at the Hawthornes’. Her light-up night was ticking closer by the day, and she still had half-finished decorations in the back of the shop and lists upon lists of tasks she hadn’t checked off. The shop and her Spiced Cocoa Café pop-up were busier than she could have dreamed—customers piling in for thick, steaming mugs of cocoa and handcrafted truffles, leaving her completely run off her feet most days.
And she loved it, truly. Every sugar-dusted, cocoa-splattered minute of it. Even if it was a lot.
But it didn’t matter how tired or busy she was. Cassidy wasn’t going to miss an actual snowman-building competition. It was the type of community event she couldn’t believe was even real. It was so wholesome that she had to pinch herself for how lucky she was to live here.
She had come prepared. Cassidy wore her red puffer coat, festive green leggings with tiny white Christmas trees printed on them, her faux fur-lined Santa hat, and heavy-duty ski gloves. She wasn’t going to freeze today. And who knew? Her accessories just might help her team win the competitionbecause everyone knew that when it came to making a winning snowman, it all came down to the accessories.
“I knew I’d see you here, Sugarplum,” Liam said, appearing beside her and making her jump.
“You scared me!” she said, reaching for her hat to make sure it didn’t slip off her head. “What are you doing here, Grinch?”
Liam chuckled, and those dimples were doing very unfair things to her.
“Nice to see you too.” He pulled something out from inside his jacket. “You left your scarf at my parents’ house. I wanted to run it over to you before, but you looked swamped this morning.”
Before she could respond, Liam stepped closer and wrapped it snugly around her neck. His fingers lingered, just for a second, and she swore the world fell away. They were suddenly face to face, breath visible in the cold air.
Snowflakes caught in his dark hair, melting as they touched his skin, a droplet sliding down the curve of his jaw.
His eyes held hers, a deep forest brown, and Cassidy’s pulse stuttered.
She wondered if “taking it slow” meant no public displays of affection, because right now, all she wanted was to fist her hands in the front of his jacket, pull him down, and taste the warmth of his mouth against hers. She wanted to know how it would feel to melt into him completely, to let the heat she saw flickering in his eyes match the heat building low in her belly.
But she’d made her vow for a reason. She needed to give herself space. To figure out who she was without anyone else clouding it.
Swearing off men had been easy for the past 341 days of the year, until Liam.
Until the way he looked at her like she was the only thing worth seeing. Until the way his touch felt like a promise of everything she’d almost convinced herself she didn’t need.
Somehow, she resisted.
But only for now.
Because there were only a few weeks left until the New Year, and when the clock struck midnight, she wanted to see exactly where all this chemistry between them would take them.
“Hey, strangers!” Kit called, walking up with Madison and Zoe, each bundled in colorful scarves and knit hats already dusted with snow.
Kit dropped her voice dramatically. “You guys hear the latest? I heard Mayor Bloomfield had to replaceallthe lights on the town tree.”
“What?” gasped Madison. “Don’t tell me, the Gingerbread Jerk?”
“Yep,” Kit said, eyes wide. “Snipped the wires at the bottom, left them dangling like tinsel.”
“I’m not taking any chances,” Madison said firmly, adjusting her knit hat. “I’m ordering security cameras for the inn.”
Cassidy’s eyes went wide. Cameras? She thought of her own cozy shop, the twinkle lights in the windows, the paper snowflakes taped to the glass. She hated the thought of not being able to trust her neighbors, of having to watch people who should feel like friends.
But what if it happened to her next?
Seeing the worry on her face, Liam gently bumped her shoulder with his. “Hey. Don’t go spiraling. I’ll talk to Mayor Bloomfield tomorrow, get the full story. For all we know, it’s just gossip.”
Cassidy let out a breath, nodding, though her mind was already ticking through possibilities. Because if someone reallywas out there, cutting Christmas lights and smashing displays, they were about to mess with the wrong chocolate shop.
The group changed the subject when Tyler and his daughter, Emma, approached. They were walking hand in hand through the snowdrifts.
“Dad, do you think we can build a whole snowman family or just one really big one?” Emma was saying, clutching a small reusable tote decorated with snowflakes and packed to bursting with supplies. “I brought enough crowns to make the entire royal family, but I only brought one cape if we do a superhero theme.”
