I could document my baby niece’s first Christmas while I waited for the axe to drop.

Mariah came over and sat next to me with a sigh. I was surprised she’d been up as much as she was; at this stage in her pregnancy, she was carrying a lot of weight around with her. She frowned and looked at the camera.

“Where’d you find that?” she asked. “I thought you left your camera in Boston.”

“Oh…it was in our old room’s closet. Guess Mom never cleaned it out.”

“Or she kept it for you to find later,” Mariah said. “She was thoughtful like that.”

“She was,” I nodded, giving her a soft smile. “I miss her.”

“Me too, especially this time of year,” Mariah said. “But at least I’ve got you. And, of course…everyone here. Speaking of which, I need to go talk to Betty, then we can split. You good here?”

I nodded. “Yep. I’ll just be taking photos.”

I lingered by the corner booth, the camera a reassuring weight in my hands. Silver Ridge used to sparkle with holiday cheer, but now? Every Christmas light seemed to be swallowed up by the creeping darkness just beyond their reach. It was like they were fighting a losing battle against the night, and every time I glanced out the window, I half-expected to see someone staring back. But there was only the void, mocking me.

“Time to call it a night?” Mariah's hand hit the table hard, and I damn near jumped out of my skin.

“Jesus, Mariah!” I snapped. “Warn a girl, will you?”

“Sorry,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. Her eyes twinkled with that mischief I knew all too well. “You're so jumpy.”

“Just got a lot on my mind,” I muttered. “Let’s go, okay?”

I shoved the diner door open, my boots crunching on the fresh layer of snow. “You scared the hell out of me back there,” I grumbled.

“Aw, Grace, you know I didn't mean anything by it,” Mariah said. “Why are you so wound up? It's Christmas. Lighten up a bit, would you?”

“Easy for you to say,” I muttered, reaching the passenger side of her used sedan. I told her I hated that she’d beendriving it around in this weather—but our only other option was my mom’s old truck, which handled way worse and had been handed down to me. Once we were both settled in the car, I turned to her, ready to unload another grievance. “And what's with pushing me into that Secret Santa nonsense? You know I’m supposed to be keeping a low profile.”

Mariah rolled her eyes, turning the key in the ignition. The engine rumbled to life, a familiar sound in the otherwise silent night. “It's just a bit of fun, Grace. No harm in it.”

“Fun?” I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. “Tell me where the fun is in drawing Clay's name? And did you see his face when he looked at me? He definitely drew mine. How fucking predictable.”

“Maybe it's fate,” she teased.

I wasn't having any of it. “Or maybe it's a nightmare before Christmas.”

“Come on, Gracie,” Mariah said, her tone softening as she navigated through the quiet town. “You can't let him get to you. It's been years.”

“Years,” I scoffed, shaking my head. “Mariah…we had all these plans and hedumped me at prom. No warning. No reason. Just…gone, and he ruined everything.”

“I know, Gracie.”

“You don’t,” I said. “Or…shit, I’m sorry. I guess youknow, but I don’t feel like you really get it. He broke my heart.”

“I’m sorry, really,” Mariah said. “I didn’t realize it was still so raw.”

“Raw or not, I'm not buying him a present,” I muttered, my gaze fixed on the passing shadows beyond the window. “Let him think I forgot, or better yet, that I don't care.”

Mariah sighed, her hands steady on the wheel. “Alright, have it your way. But we're home now, and I could really use some help with the tree.”

The house loomed as we pulled into the driveway, its windows dark except for the soft glow of the Christmas lights framing the roof. We unloaded ourselves from the car and stepped inside, shaking off the cold.

“Look, I get it, you're salty about the whole Secret Santa thing,” Mariah said while dragging the box of decorations from the closet. “But please, can we just try to enjoy tonight? It's lonely here without Colton, and you haven't been home in ages.”

That was fair; Mariah was spending the final months of her pregnancy alone thanks to her husband, Colton, getting a job offer he couldn’t turn down. They needed the money for the baby, and Colton had taken an ice trucking gig that kept him away.