Page 36 of Silver Hills' Christmas Miracle

I glanced at him and then did a double-take. He was no longer in the black suit and white shirt combo required for security. He was wearing jeans with a cornflower blue shirt that was buttoned halfway. A cream scarf was draped around his neck, and a leather jacket over his shoulders.

“You… wow, you look… why do you look like that?” I stammered, caught slightly by how good he looked. He lookednormalfor the first time, and he was gorgeous.

“Here!” Melanie slammed one hand on the bar to get my attention, and when I turned, she thrust a small bouquet of roses and honeysuckle into my hands. “Australia, indeed,” she muttered.

“Australia?” Rook quizzically glanced between us.

“Long story,” Melanie grumbled. “Enjoy date night!”

“Date night?” Mouth agape, I stared down at the flowers for a few long seconds and then looked back up at Rook. “What is happening?”

Rook flashed Melanie a small smile as she headed back to work, then his eyes fixed on me. “I’m taking you on a date.”

“Wha… why?”

“Because I want to? Do you not want to?”

“Oh, my God, no, I do. I’m just… these flowers?”

“Ah, yes.” Rook crooked his elbow and offered it to me. “Melanie was in charge of those. Mostly because this was throwntogether so quickly that I needed all the help I could get from her. Do you like them?”

“They’re gorgeous.” I pressed my face into the flowers as I took his elbow and breathed deeply. “I love the scent of honeysuckle.”

“Melanie told me it was your favorite.”

“Mmhmm.”

Rook guided me out of the bar, and as the crisp, sharp cold of the late evening air bit into my bare ankles, I huddled against Rook and finally lifted my head. “So. Date night.”

“Are you surprised?”

“Very. Where are we going?”

“Well, I thought the first thing we could do is take a look at the Christmas market. As consumers. Just soak it up, enjoy it, and try to embrace what this time of year is all about.”

“That’s very soft of you,” I teased. “Does the rugged attitude come with the suit?”

“Oh, no.” Rook chuckled. “It’s still there. I’m just trying to be a touch more mellow so we can enjoy spending time together. As us. As people rather than…” He trailed off and shrugged, but I understood him completely. He wanted to be Rook and Kitty. Not bodyguard and charge.

“Christmas market it is, then.”

With a smile that didn’t fade, Rook’s elbow under one hand and flowers in the other, we headed for the Christmas market that was a few streets down from The Anchor. It wasn’t as big or as lively as in previous years, but it was still beautiful.

The biting cold was kept at bay by heaters lining each stall, and there were still countless stalls to explore. We slowly walked over cobblestones and investigated each one thoroughly while giving Rook a chance to meet more people from the town.

One stall was weighed down with so many festive candles, and the mingling scents of mint, cinnamon, vanilla, and spicewere enough to make me a little dizzy. I purchased a small candle scented of marshmallows and vanilla. The next stall had mouth-watering pastries, desserts, and cakes all laid out under protective covers. The smells were enough to make my stomach growl. One stall was covered in handmade snow globes, one had twigs from local fir trees pruned and decorated to look like miniature Christmas trees, one had an extremely detailed collection of snow baubles and paper tinsel. Rook’s eyes lit up when we stopped at a wood carving stall, and he purchased a small wooden squirrel. It was adorable, and he slipped it into his pocket with a secret smile.

We walked for hours, chatting to people about their Christmas plans and the holidays. We bought hot chocolate covered in whipped cream and marshmallows and browsed all the stalls selling delicacies from around the world. Even the fishmonger’s stall was decorated in theme with Christmas lights around the roof and little Santa figurines in the ice around the fish.

It was so heartwarming to see that even in the wake of everything, there was still a strong sense of community through the market, and it warmed my soul to see so many people still fighting.

If my father got his way, this would likely be the last Christmas market. With the lack of tourist foot traffic, I couldn’t see any of these businesses surviving the next year.

The best part of the evening was Rook. Whether accidental or intentional, he was a different man. He smiled more. He carried my bags, kissed the whipped cream off my nose when he was sure no one was looking, and was the perfect gentleman in letting me spend as much time at each stall as I wanted.

So, when we eventually walked back to his truck, I was fully prepared for a goodnight kiss. Only, it didn’t come.

“What, no kiss?” I pouted as Rook held the truck door open for me.

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