“What?” Eve gasped. “No.”
“Are you sure Grandma wrote...” Mia said to Lila as she turned to the front page and sucked in a breath. Her voice shook as she read aloud. “To my daughter, granddaughter, and best friend... I hope your adventure never ends. Love always, Mary.” Her head snapped up, tears shining in her eyes as they searched Lila’s. “Where did you find this?”
“I gave it to her,” William stepped up behind them. “Your mother asked me to give this to you after...” He swallowed hard. “Well, you’ll have to read the book to know.”
“William?” Eve frowned. “What’s going on?”
“Uncle William didn’t invite us here on a whim,” Lila informed them, her voice matter-of-fact. “While you, Aunt Eve, gave him the perfect opportunity and reason to invite us here this year, he was going to anyway.”
Mia was flipping through the pages, her eyes growing wider and wider.
“This can’t be true,” she breathed.
Eve leaned over to see.
The book was calledThe Christmas Inn Adventure.
While it didn’t use specific names, the story was eerily familiar.
A woman named Eve, who was a doctor, brought her niece, Morgan, and great-niece, Lila, to stay at the beautiful Christmas Inn for New Year’s. Their hearts were heaving with sadness and loss, and they needed a magical place to heal.
At the inn, Morgan met a kind agent named Noah, who taught her to see the world in a new way and helped her remember how to smile again.
Lila, curious and brilliant, met a boy named Brian who lived nearby. Together they solved mysteries and uncovered secrets.
And Eve met a handsome stranger with kind eyes and a tragic past. A man who had loved Morgan’s mother when they were young. A man who had sacrificed everything for the people he loved. His name was David Dare.
As the story unfolded, secrets were revealed. Families reunited. Love bloomed in unexpected places.
And as the stars aligned and the New Year began to count down, their world was filled with love.
The last page showed all of them together under fireworks, holding hands, starting fresh.
“Lila?” Brian’s voice interrupted the moment. He walked up with a hopeful smile. “Do you want to come and meet some of the other teens? There’s a girl your age who just moved here, and she’s really into codes and puzzles.”
Lila smiled and nodded. “I’m going to go.” She looked at Mia and Eve. “But Gran... she kind of predicted all of this.” She glanced slyly at William. “And Uncle William gave us the gentle nudge that made it happen.”
Eve and Mia were a little stunned and could only nod as Lila walked off with Brian.
Mia closed the book and handed it to Eve with a sad sigh. “Mom was a little off,” she said quietly. “The man I fell for is probably being court-martialed or something right now.”
“Or...”
Julie stepped up beside her, a knowing smile on her face. “Or… He’s walking awkwardly down the street, nodding at strangers as he makes his way toward you.”
Mia frowned and turned.
Eve heard her sharp intake of breath.
Eve turned to see Nolan standing a few feet away.
He stopped as he saw that Mia had spotted him.
They stood for a few moments, just looking at each other across the distance.
Then they were running.
Both of them.
