“Maine has nor'easters and black ice and eight months of winter.”
“Maine has ice fishing season,” Kate said firmly. “And this.” She gestured to the scene around them, the boat with Santa, thecheering crowd, their inn guests taking photos, the whole town gathered in celebration despite the brutal cold. “I'm a northern girl, now and forever.”
“Now and forever?”
“The cold builds character. And makes good ice.”
Ben reached over and gently lowered her scarf just below her mouth. “You're right. Florida doesn't have ice fishing.” His fingers were warm against her frozen cheeks. “Or this.”
And he kissed her, there at the harbor railing with Santa ho-ho-hoing in the background and the crowd cheering and the cold forgotten for just a moment. Kate heard Dani whoop nearby, probably taking photos, but she didn't care. After months of uncertainty about their relationship, it felt good to be public, to claim this happiness in front of the whole town.
“People are watching,” Kate said when they broke apart, but she was smiling.
“Let them. I've been waiting years to kiss you at the harbor during Prelude.”
“That's oddly specific.”
“I'm a specific kind of guy.”
Santa's boat finally reached the main dock, and the crowd surged forward to watch him disembark. Charlie's father, despite being half-frozen, played his part perfectly, stopping to greet every child, his “ho ho ho” only slightly shaky from the cold.
“Back to the inn?” Tom suggested, his lawyer composure cracking as he shivered. “I can't feel my face.”
“Smart man,” Dani said through chattering teeth.
They walked back as a group, the siblings and Ben, moving quickly to generate warmth. The inn looked impossibly welcoming with its windows glowing golden in the early dusk, smoke rising from the chimneys Ben had made sure were safe to use.
Inside, the warmth hit them like a physical thing. Guests were everywhere, sharing stories of Santa's arrival, comparing photos, thawing out by the fires Ben had laid in both parlor fireplaces. The Christmas tree lights were on, the hot cider and hot chocolate was flowing, and the whole scene was exactly what Dani had marketed: “authentic Maine Christmas magic.”
“Family meeting,” Kate said quietly to her siblings. “Kitchen. Twenty minutes.”
They scattered to help guests, refill cider, stoke fires, but twenty minutes later they gathered around the kitchen table. Ben started to leave, but Kate caught his hand.
“Stay. This involves you too.”
Dani looked curious. Tom seemed worried. James was already reaching for his phone, probably expecting a crisis that needed technical solutions.
“I have something to tell you all,” Kate said, and saw the familiar flash of fear, another crisis, another problem, another thing to survive.
“It's good news,” she added quickly. “I got accepted to UNE’s Marine biology graduate program. Starting in January.”
The room erupted. Dani screamed and hugged her. Tom looked proud but concerned, already thinking about logistics. James said, “We know, your laptop was open,” which made everyone laugh.
“But I'm not leaving,” Kate continued. “Not really. I'll be in Biddeford Monday through Thursday, here Friday through Sunday. I'm going to do both, school and the inn. Mom's money will pay for some of it, and you've all proven you can handle this place. I don't have to choose. I can have both.”
“Both is good,” Tom said, his relief evident. “Both we can manage.”
“I'll restructure the website so you can do more remotely,” James offered immediately.
“And I'll handle all events,” Dani added. “I've got this down to a science now. Besides, if I can handle working the restaurant with Ryan, I’m sure you can deal with the inn and school.”
Kate looked at Ben, who hadn't spoken yet. He crossed to her, kissed her temple.
“It's going to be hard,” Kate warned them all. “I'll be stressed and absent and probably impossible during exams.”
“So, normal then?” James teased.
“We've handled worse,” Dani said firmly. “We handled Pop's decline, Lillian's death, the inn's near collapse. We can handle you getting a degree.”
