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The response came back in eleven seconds.

Cassidy: OMG YES. AND WE ARE THE ELVES!!!!

The texts kept coming.

Cassidy: I HAVE FELT.

Cassidy: I HAVE JINGLE BELLS.

Cassidy: I HAVE A GLUE GUN.

Cassidy: TONIGHT. YOUR PLACE.

Cassidy: THIS IS HAPPENING.

Emily: Can you bring enough supplies for maybe 15 hats?

Cassidy: Please, I can bring enough supplies for 50.

Madison was busy at the inn, but Emily’s friend Robyn, the Yale professor who had fallen so completely for Maple Falls—and for Tyler—that she’d traded campus life for a bookshop and a new beginning, was free to come over too.

Cassidy arrived just before eight o’clock, in full Cassidy fashion, wearing candy cane pajamas and a reindeer headband, with two shopping bags full of green felt, a roll of white faux fur for trim, three bags of jingle bells in assorted sizes, a hot glue gun, spools of red and white embroidery thread, needles, scissors, and a template she’d cut out of cardboard sometime in the last three hours.

“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment,” Cassidy said, spreading everything across Emily’s coffee table.

Robyn arrived shortly after, more understated but still suitably festive in her deep green velvet pajamas, her dark hair loose around her shoulders. She took in the craft supply explosion with wide eyes.

“What are we making now?” she asked, not getting the whole memo when Emily had texted her earlier to come on over and help.

“Elf hats,” Emily said, as if it were obvious. “For the sugar and spice volunteers.”

“We’re calling it Operation Sugar and Spice after Emily’s nana’s cookies. The bakery kitchen is being used as the headquarters,” Cassidy added, already focused on cutting out the felt.

Emily set up the snack board on the kitchen counter, arranging crackers, brie, dried fruit, and an obscene amount of chocolate from Cassidy’s shop, while Cassidy’s famous hot cocoa warmed on the stove. Dark chocolate, a splash of cream, candy cane stirrers that turned the whole thing faintly pink and minty. A Christmas movie played on the TV, volume low, more atmosphere than entertainment.

They settled into a rhythm. Cassidy cut the felt pieces from her template. Robyn handled the fur trim, measuring and cutting neat strips of white faux fur for the brims. Emily did the gluing and assembly, pressing the jingle bells into place at the tips and folding the seams tight. She was also on Nutmeg duty, because her kitty would love nothing more than to make a mess of all the elf hats.

“These are adorable,” Robyn said, holding one up. “People are going to love them.”

“That’s the idea.” Emily tested a bell, which gave a satisfying jingle. “If we’re asking people to give up their time and drive around in the cold delivering soup, the least we can do is make it fun.”

“We should embroider names on them,” Cassidy said, reaching for the thread. “For the core team. Personalized.”

“Yes,” Emily said immediately. She picked up a needle and threaded it with white embroidery thread.

“You could start with your mom, or you…” Robyn offered.

“Or Cole,” Emily replied.

“Cole gets a hat?” Cassidy asked.

“Cole gets a hat.” Emily didn’t look up from her stitching. “He’s going to absolutely hate it.”

A slow grin spread across Cassidy’s face. “You’re embroidering his name on an elf hat because you know he’ll hate it.”

“I’m embroidering his name on an elf hat because he’s part of the team, and everyone on the team gets a hat.” Emily knotted the thread and snipped it. “The fact that he’ll hate it is just a bonus.”

Cassidy raised her cocoa. “Okay. Speaking of Cole.”