One of those historic ones that buried Elm Hollow under two meters of snow, shut down the roads, and forced everyone inside to drink hot chocolate and gossip online.
Then the town got swallowed by the holiday chaos—markets, caroling, and the Rae-and-Grant drama (with a happy ending, thank God).
And just like that, here we are now.
January.
The snow has turned into gray slush on the sidewalks. The show is about to start, and our official summons—which absolutely reads more like an arrest warrant than an invitation—is staring me in the face.
SUBJECT: EMERGENCY TOWN MEETING
ACCUSED: Sloane Heart & Cohen Becker
AGENDA: Couple Eligibility Verification
I’m sitting on a hard wooden chair in the middle of Town Hall.
In front of us, up on a raised stage, sits Mayor Nino, banging a gavel with the solemnity of a Supreme Court judge.
Behind us, the entire population of Elm Hollow—or at least the ones who matter in the gossip ecosystem.
The buzz is deafening.
I catch words like“fake,” “strategy,” “black bodysuit,”and“children”—that last one makes my eye twitch.
I glance to my left.
Cohen is seated beside me.
He’s wearing a burgundy sweater (which honestly should be illegal for how good it looks on him) and a leather jacket. Legs spread, ankle resting on the opposite knee, face infuriatingly calm.
He shoots me a sideways look, one corner of his mouth lifting in that half-smile that makes me want to either box him or have sex with him until I forget my own name.
“Relax, Angel,” he murmurs so low only I can hear. “You look like you’re waiting for a firing squad.”
“This is Elm Hollow, Becker. A firing squad would be merciful compared to what they have in mind.”
I look behind us—our “Defense Team.”
My pounding heart finally slows.
They take up two full rows.
Ivy is wrapped in a gigantic scarf, giving me a double thumbs-up. Cam sits beside her, one hand resting on her thigh.
Rae and Grant are next. Seeing the grumpy author with his arm around her shoulders is surreal—and somehow adorable. They confessed on Christmas, and knowing my friendship with Rae is intact (and that I may have helped push them together) is the only thing keeping me from bolting out of the room.
Lina and Sebastian sit side by side but stare in opposite directions, like two magnets repelling each other. Lina’s pastel-pink hair practically sparks with irritation. Sebastian is focused on the ceiling, looking like he’s silently hoping for an alien abduction.
Work in progress,I think.
My mother—elegant as always—gives me an encouraging smile.
The entire book club is here too: Jules, Olivia, Molly, Miriam, Penny… all of them ready to defend our right to love (or lust; let’s not get picky).
Nate and Grace sit together, both visibly anxious. Before we walked in, Grace was incredibly sweet with me—she came over, thanked me in that shy, earnest way of hers. I promised myself I’d invite her to book club; I’m certain she’d love making friends with our little monster squad.
Only one person is missing.
