Page 52 of This Christmas

“Are you ready to get out of here for a while?” he asked.

“God, yes.” It whooshed out of her.

They drove Juliette’s SUV into town, stopping first at Aiden’s mother’s place to pick up the puppy she’d been watching overnight at her place.

She’d texted Joe to tell him he could pick Olaf up there, since she hadn’t wanted to leave the little one alone at the clinic.

The tiny yellow lab bounded out of the front door, ears flopping, and fell face-first into the snow. He stood up, shook his head, and did it several more times while Charlotte giggled.

“Is he yours?” she asked Joe.

“He is.” He knelt down and picked up the puppy.

“What is her name?”

“His name is Olaf.”

“Olaf!” Charlotte squealed and clapped. “I love him.” She walked over and slowly held out a hand to touch the puppy, who happily licked her fingers. Charlotte giggled.

Their next stop was the property Joe had found online and was thinking of purchasing. It was a two-story craftsman with white trim, a wraparound porch, and a yard framed by snow-covered pines. The ocean wasn’t far, and Ally could hear the faint crash of waves on the wind.

The inside was cozy, with polished wood floors, a massive stone fireplace that took up an entire wall, and a sunroom that overlooked the backyard, which would be perfect for morning coffee or curling up with a book.

Charlotte ran through the empty rooms as Olaf scampered behind her, sliding on the slick floor. “Can we live here?” she shouted and disappeared into a room.

Ally chuckled nervously, feeling something in her chest tighten. She had always wished for a place like this for them. Someplace safe. Warm. Away from Ted.

Joe leaned against the kitchen counter as his eyes moved slowly over the space. “I think this’ll do just fine,” he said, almost to himself. “What do you think?” He turned to her.

“I think that I’m super jealous that you’re buying it,” she admitted softly.

He smiled at her. “I’ve been saving up for years for a place like this. Since Lisa. Then, after, I just never pulled the trigger.” She saw him wince and, at the mention of guns and triggers, remembered what was waiting back at the house for them. “I realize now that I didn’t want to live in the city. I just didn’t know it until I came to Pride.” He sighed. “The town is unreal, like the kind you read about or see in those movies. The girlie kind.”

She chuckled and realized that she had felt the same thing, only it hadn’t been possible for her to move here until now.

“What now?” she asked him.

“Now I make an offer on the place. The real estate agent thinks that, if they accept it, I can be in here by the end of January.”

“That’s wonderful,” she said, silently dreading looking for a place for her and Charlotte to rent soon. When Max and Juliette returned in a little over two months, they would need to give them their space back.

“How about we head into town and grab some pizza?” Joe suggested after a little silence.

From the other room, Charlotte immediately cheered, “Pizza!” and began chanting the word like a victory song.

Ally laughed despite the heaviness that had settled in her chest. “Guess that’s a yes,” she murmured, slipping on her coat.

The drive into town was short and quiet. The snow was piled high on the sidewalks and rooftops, and downtown glowed under strands of twinkling white lights. Every shop window was filled with garlands and painted snowflakes. The familiar warmth of Baked, the little brick-oven pizza place on Main Street, wrapped around them as soon as they stepped inside.

Christmas music played softly on the speakers, and the scent of garlic and melted cheese filled the air. They were halfway to their table when Ally spotted Faye and Nate waving them over from a corner booth.

“Oh, perfect,” Faye said as they approached, though her voice carried an undertone of concern. “We were just talking about you.”

Charlotte slid in beside Faye without hesitation and hugged her aunt.

Joe tucked Olaf under the table, and the dog curled up at Joe’s feet as if he’d been doing so for years.

“Aunt Faye!” Charlotte chirped. “We looked at a house, and Joe got a puppy he named Olaf.”