Page 32 of Postmarked December

“Hey, I want to get you a slice of apple pie to say thank you,” she said. “And my food has settled. It sounds divine.”

He pushed away from the table. “I’ll get it.”

“No, no!” She stood up and grabbed his arm. “I’ve got it. You save our table.”

“Okay.” He looked at her questioningly.

She offered a little wave of her fingers. “Be right back.”

After waiting in line for a few minutes, she got to the woman. “Hi.” She peered back through the crowd at Nick. He was checking his phone. With a deep breath, she returned her focus to the woman. “I’m Heather Hart.”

The woman offered an awkward smile, her eyebrows rising in mock recognition.

Heather glanced over her shoulder again. Nick was still scrolling his phone.

“Do you have an envelope or a note for me?”

The woman frowned, clearly puzzled. “Should I?”

“Yes, I thought someone might have left it for me. It’s red and white, with a green wax seal.”

The woman looked under the counter, moving papers and boxes. “I don’t see anything. Who left it for you?”

“Uh, I’m not sure. It should have my name on the outside.”

“Let me ask in the back.” The woman jogged over to a swinging door and disappeared.

Customers in the line behind her were getting restless. When she checked on Nick, he’d looked up from his phone. She offered a nothing-going-on-out-of-the-ordinary smile.

The woman returned. “Nope, it doesn’t look like anyone left something here.”

“That’s okay,” she said, slightly baffled. Toby’s note had just said once she got cider, he’d give her the next message. He hadn’t said where. The good news was that, with no possible note coming her way, she could relax and enjoy her dessert with Nick. “Could I just get two slices of apple pie?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She paid for them and went back to their table.

“Everything go okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. She just had to check in the back to see how many pies were left.”

His expression pinched with confusion, and he eyed a stack of about fifty pies on a nearby table.

She followed his gaze. “I think they have certain ones for sale and others for dining.” Her stomach churned. She was uneasy lying to him. Even if her untruth didn’t impact his life in any way, he’d been so honest with her that she felt awful. She decided that if she ever told him about Toby, she’d come clean on this little fib. He’d forgive her, right?

To her relief, someone from the kitchen brought over their plates of pie. The slices sat steaming on the plates, the flaky crust slightly cracked from the heat. Thick chunks of apple glistened beneath the lattice top, and wisps of warmth rose into the air, carrying the sweet smell of baked fruit and butter. With the crackling fire, Nick next to her, and Christmas music floating over the crowd, it was one of those holiday moments she’d want to tuck away for safekeeping on a lonely night.

“This looks incredible,” Nick said, pressing his fork through the point of the slice. “In all the times I’ve been to this city, I’ve never come here. Thank you for the opportunity. I wouldn’t have come without you.”

His kindness warmed her. “I’m glad we could both come.”

She might not have gotten an old memory while she was here, but she couldn’t shake the idea that she might very well be making a new one. What was happening?

Chapter Thirteen

Full of festive excitement, Heather said goodbye to Nick in the hotel lobby and got into the elevator. She’d had a great day. She couldn’t wait to get back to the room and call Marion to tell her all about it.

The doors opened onto her floor, and she stepped out, making her way to her room. When she got to her door, she gasped. Leaning against it was another envelope. She snatched it up and rushed to let herself into her room. When she got inside, she immediately sat at the table and laid the envelope in front of her. But as she looked at it, the thought occurred to her that someone had to have known she’d gotten cider or they wouldn’t have delivered the next envelope. Had someone been watching her and Nick? A shiver ran down her spine. Or had they just guessed that she’d get some today? Perhaps that was it, she reasoned.