“Oh, yeah, sure… That sounds like fun.” He forced a nonchalant smile, but in reality, his stomach was in knots, his heart aching at the thought of not seeing Zuri again. He could always find her the old-fashioned way. You could find anyone online. How many Zuri Harrises from Greenwich, Connecticut could there be, anyway?
But if she’d wanted to see him again, wanted to talk to him for any reason beyond last night, wouldn’t she have come back to the suite? Wouldn’t she have at least looked back instead of just walking away?
Kyree let out a sigh. He wasn’t ready to give up hope just yet. He wanted to keep believing in the magic of Christmas, wanted to hold on to the possibility that their paths would cross again before she left Granite Falls. He held his breath, and wished for a second miracle, hoping Fate wouldn’t think he was asking for too much.
Chapter Seven
Poplar Square
Saturday, December 21st
Downtown Granite Falls felt like something out of a holiday movie with lamp posts wrapped in ribbons and bows, storefront windows draped in decorations, and classic Christmas music drifting from hidden speakers around the square. The air was rich with the mixed scents of roasted chestnuts, pine, and snow, and though the bright, late morning sunlight did little to cut the bone-deep cold, nobody seemed to mind.
As she and her friends strolled along Highland Avenue, Zuri pulled up the zipper on her puffy, jet-black ski-jacket, the memory of Kyree still sharp in her mind, making her pulse quicken even in the biting air. His strong, yet gentle touch, the warmth that had radiated through her chest as he’d kissed her, the way he’d whispered her name, and that profound moment she was too scared to confront… What did it all mean? Had she imagined it? Had he felt it, too? And who was he, really? What did he really––
“I am so in love with this town,” Soleil said, clutching her shopping bags to her chest as they crossed Oak Street.
Zuri snapped back to reality, grateful for the interruption to keep her from going down the rabbit hole.
“You’ve said that, like, five times already,” Thao pointed out, her braided ponytail swaying behind her.
“And I mean it more and more every time.”
They had just left Libertie Belle, an upscale vintage clothing store with hidden treasures at every turn, owned by Libertie, a French-Canadian woman originally from Montreal. Soleil had picked up two vintage Hermes scarves, a silver Tiffany broach for her grandmother, a pair of red leather gloves she didn’t need but apparently “had” to have, and secured an interview with Libertie for her podcast, after the New Year.
“That woman is the most fascinating person I have ever met… Did you hear her say she’s been married four times?” Soleil had whispered as they’d left her store. “One of her ex-husbands was a French circus performer!”
They’d been shopping for the past two hours—hitting clothing boutiques, a bookstore, and the artisanal chocolate shop that had supplied the decadent whiskey-cream chocolates to L’Antra. Zuri and Thao had practically cried with pleasure while eating their salted caramel truffles and trying to calculate how many kilograms they’d need to take home to last them through Valentine’s day.
Now, laden with shopping bags, Zuri led the pack to Herons, a bistro that Avery’s boyfriend, Alessandro, had recommended to Zuri last summer when her family stayed on Crystal Lake. The Head Chef had gone to culinary school with Alessandro, and now his restaurant was turning heads all over the country. The memory of Herons’ rosemary-honey roasted quail––tender, fragrant, and kissed with sweetness––made Zuri’s mouth water.
“How much farther is this place?” Avery pulled up the collar of her blue and yellow quilted coat.
“It’s the next block down,” Zuri called over her shoulder. “Just past the movie theater.”
“I just want a hot cup of French onion soup and some garlic bread.” Soleil walked beside Zuri, their arms looped around each other, just as they had done twenty-years ago on the playground in kindergarten.
“Ooo, that does sound good,” Thao beamed. “But I’m leaning toward the steak frites. Avery, you want to split a soup to start?”
“Noo-oo, I do not.” She shivered without breaking step with Thao. “Thank you ver-ry much.”
“Thao, when has Avery ever wanted to share food?” Zuri asked, as they entered the bustling Poplar Square.
“Historically speaking, not very often,” Thao admitted, “but the menu looks so good. I feel like ordering one of everyth––”
“Zuri!”
Zuri stopped mid-stride, her looped arm jerking Soleil to a halt and causing Thao to walk straight into her back.
“Hey, what the hell––”
“Did you hear that?” Zuri glanced up and down the sidewalk.
“Hear what?” Soleil asked.
“I can hear my stomach,” Avery quipped, her voice dipping with dramatic inflection.
Zuri searched the faces around her––people window shopping and hurrying along the busy sidewalk––but she didn’t recognize anyone. A trick of the wind, maybe. “Nothing, I just thought I heard my––”
