When I park, she’s out of the truck before I can move.
“Thanks for tonight,” she says, not turning around. “I’m so sorry.”
Then she’s gone, the door closing behind her, and I’m left staring at the porch light flickering in the snow.
My phone buzzes. Felix.
How’d the date go?
I don’t answer. How do I explain that I finally kissed the girl I’ve wanted for years, and she ran away like I broke her heart before I even got the chance?
Chapter Five
NOELLE
The Christmas Fair is packed out, and I'm running on three hours of sleep, four coffees, and pure adrenaline. Running away after kissing Gabriel wasn’t my smartest move and I couldn’t sleep last night.
The town square has twinkle lights on every surface and an enormous Christmas tree at its center. My booth is just a folding table with a red tablecloth squeezed between the Candy Cabin booth and a table selling knitted sea creature Christmas ornaments.
“Are these the Christmas Dinner Melts from TikTok?” A woman in a furry coat holds up her phone.
“Um…yes, that’s right! Would you like…”
“What’s in these?”
“Um, these are Santa’s Midnight Snacks. Roast beef, horseradish cream, caramelized onions, and arugula on ciabatta. And these are triple-decker turkey, bacon, cranberry mayo, lettuce, and tomato. I call them the North Pole Club.”
She's already taking photos. “My daughter in Bakersville sent me your video. She says we have to try them.”
My video? I reach for my phone to check, then remember it's propped against the cash box. The videos I’ve been posting aresilly, showing me assembling sandwiches to Christmas music while dancing around.
“I'll take all three,” she says, and suddenly there's a line.
Dad doesn't even know I'm here. He's at the diner for the lunch prep while Mom rests at her sister's. I told him I was running errands.
I'm down to my last couple of sandwiches when that chaotic dog with reindeer antlers appears and crashes into my table. Samples fly and I slip on a patch of ice trying to grab them. I'm falling backward when strong arms catch me.
“Got you,” Gabriel says against my ear and a thrill runs down my spine. I haven't seen him since I kissed him and ran away. He steadies me, hands warm on my waist.
“The sandwiches!”
We scramble to save what we can. Our hands collide as I’m reaching for the cash box, and electricity shoots through to my core.
“Noelle—”
“That damn dog! He nearly knocked me over,” Avery appears, her Christmas sweater blinking. She looks between us. “Am I interrupting?”
“No,” I say.
“Yes,” Gabriel says, grinning down at me.
Avery's eyes light up. “Well, well…wait, Noelle, is this you?” She holds up her phone, showing a TikTok video. “This has like five hundred thousand views! The comments are all asking where to find these sandwiches. I added a comment and said it was Jolly’s Diner.”
“Five thousand?”
“No, fivehundredthousand. Oh… holy holiday hotcakes, take a look at this.” She scrolls frantically. "People are tagging themselves at Jolly's Diner right now. There's a line out the door!"
“What?” I grab her phone. “My dad's there alone. He doesn't even know about the sandwiches. I have to go!”
