My lips twitch. “Bakehouse.” I nod toward her cup. “That coffee?”
“Hot chocolate,” she says. “Church fundraiser. They added cinnamon. It’s dangerously good.”
Loretta elbows her. “Everything tastes better with cinnamon. Isn’t that right, Willa? Sebastian practicallymoanedover your roll this morning. Heard him from inside the inn.”
My jaw drops. “Loretta.”
“Just joking.”
Willa’s cheeks flush. “I’m glad you liked it.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I, um... brought something for your parents.”
She reaches into her bag and pulls out a small box, wrapped in brown paper and tied with a red ribbon.
“Pecan sandies. My grandma’s recipe. I wasn’t sure I’d get the chance to say hello tomorrow, so I figured I’d drop them off tonight.”
The gesture hits me square in the chest, solid and warm.
“They’ll love this,” I say, voice rough. “Thank you.”
She smiles. “You’re welcome.” Then glances up at the tree. “So... this is your tradition?”
“Every year since I got back,” I say. “The kids hang ornaments. The mayor gives a speech. We all drink hot chocolate, and Mason tries not to fall off the ladder.”
She laughs. “And then?”
“Then everyone goes home and watchesIt’s a Wonderful Life.”
“What if someone wants to watchDie Hard?”
I grin, surprising myself. “Then they go to the bar with Reid, our mechanic. He’ll defend it as the greatest Christmas movie ever made. Might even throw punches over it.”
We stand shoulder to shoulder as the lights flick on and the tree glows.
I watchher.
She claps when the kids cheer. Steps forward to hang a tiny copper gingerbread man near the bottom. Her hands linger. Gentle. Careful.
It shouldn't affect me.
It does.
When the carolers start up and the crowd begins to drift, I feel her shift beside me. Like she’s caught between staying and walking away.
Before I can think better of it, I reach out. My fingers brush the fabric of her sleeve.
“Dance with me,” I hear myself say.
What the hell am I doing? Me, dancing?
She turns to look at me, startled. “What?”
“Just one song.”
She searches my face, just for a moment. Then she nods.
“Okay.”
Chapter 5
