She was giving me a clue! He was a local. That should narrow the list down.
“Tell me who it is. Please?” I begged.
Kat’s eyes glimmered with mischief. “Naw. Can’t do that. You’ll have to hear it straight from the man himself. He’ll reveal himself in time. Good things come to those who wait.”
“But he’s local?”
“Born and raised.”
I almost leaped over the booth to get to her. “Ineedto know who it is. It’s driving me crazy. I can’t think about anything else. I have to solve the mystery.”
Kat grinned. “It was nice meeting you, and I hope you like your soap. Now there’s a crowd forming behind you, so move along.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw there was no one nearby.
Noone except… was thatEaston?!?!
I craned my neck, but all I saw was a flash of dark hair and a hint of a flannel collar walking in the other direction with his back turned to me. Then I realized that could describe half the men who lived in this town. But something about the way the man walked looked like Easton. I felt like I’d recognize his sexy butt anywhere.
The way my heart leaped at the thought of him made me feel sad. Why did I want to find out who my Secret Santa was, anyway? I only wantedEaston, and he was already taken.
A gray cloud dampened my mood.
As I started to walk away, Kat’s husband Jake said, “Wait a minute. There’s something you should know. Your mystery guy is in deep for you. So if he’s not your type, let him down easy.”
Jake seemed like he knew something. And he was being more talkative than the other people who’d given me clues.
“You know who it is? Do you think he’s not my type? What’s my type?”
Jake glanced down at the clothes I was wearing. “I’d expect you to get with an office man. You look a little buttoned-up, hon.”
“And you’re saying my Secret Santa’snotan office man?”
Jake bellowed with laughter. “I can’t tell you more, or Kat will kill me. Just know that he’s areallygood guy.”
I walked away feeling even more confused than before.
Allthe men on the list were office types.
If I crossed office men off the list, it would be empty.
None of this made sense.
Taking my mind off that, I ran through my Christmas shopping list. I was flying home on Christmas Eve to see my family for a week, and I wanted to bring each of them something special from Red Oak Mountain.
I’d bought my dad a jar of local elderberry honey. My mom was getting a pair of handmade earrings. And my sister was getting a bar of the goat’s milk soap that I’d just bought.
My roommate, Rachel, had recently flown the coop, leaving me and Red Oak Mountain behind. So that meant I didn’t have to shop for her. Which was good since I couldn’t afford to pay my rent, fix my car, and keep up with sending money back home for my sis.
If she had stayed in town, I wouldn’t have had to spend much. Last year, we’d traded gift cards to our favorite coffee shop on the way to work. I probably would have picked up a gift card for her to the Cozy Bean, which was theonlycoffee shop in this town. Lucky for me, they made a decent cup of coffee.
Crowds were bustling by when I stopped in my tracks.
What the…
A sign caught my eye that didn’t make any sense.
‘Get Your Christmas Cock-Warmers Here. New designs just released by Holt and Ellie.’
