Page 6 of A Very Grumpy Christmas

“Just trying to figure out who Ginger’s secret admirer is,” Cora says with a mischievous grin.

“Oh, please.” Saffron rolls her eyes as she sets down a box of garlands. “That’s easy. It’s Kip.”

I nearly drop the stack of books I’m holding, my heart thudding painfully in my chest. “Why does everyone think it’s Kip?”

“Because it’s obvious,” Saffron says with a shrug, as if it’s the most natural conclusion in the world. “He’s been into you since the day he moved here, but he’s too shy to make a move. The letters? Classic move from someone who’s too nervous to talk to you in person.”

I gape at her, feeling a blush creep up my neck. “That’s ridiculous. If Kip liked me, he would’ve said something by now.”

Saffron arches an eyebrow, giving me a look that’s somewhere between amusement and disbelief. “Ginger, he’s practically in here every day. Don’t you think it’s a little suspicious that he always finds a reason to hang around?”

I open my mouth to argue, but the words die on my lips. I can’t deny that Kip is always around, always hovering in the background but never quite stepping into the spotlight. He’squiet, yes, but there’s something else, something deeper. Maybe I’ve been too wrapped up in the mystery of the letters to see what’s been right in front of me all along.

“Maybe he just likes reading,” I argue, and Saffron snorts.

“Ilove reading, and even I’m not reading a book a day like he is. He’s always buying books. Since you started helping out here more, he’s become my best customer, and when I talked to Olive, she said the same thing. He’s even asked what pastries you worked on, and he only buys those whenever you help out at the bakery.”

Cora snickers, clearly enjoying my discomfort. “See? Even Saffron agrees. It’s Kip.”

I huff, crossing my arms. “I still think it could be someone else.”

“Like who?” Saffron asks, tilting her head. “Name one other person who’s shown even a fraction of the interest in you that Kip has.”

I frown, feeling cornered. “I don’t know. Maybe it is Kip. But what if it’s not?”

“Then you’ll never know unless you ask,” Cora chimes in. “Come on, Ginger. What have you got to lose?”

I sigh, glancing between my sister and my best friend. They both look at me with such confidence, as if it’s already decided—Kip is the one, and all I have to do is ask him to meet me. But the truth is, I’m scared. Scared of being wrong, scared of getting my hopes up, scared of getting hurt. Scared of what it means if Kip really is the one behind the letters.

“I’ll think about it,” I mutter, though I can tell by the way they’re grinning that they don’t believe me for a second.

“Don’t think too long,” Saffron says, grabbing the decorations again. “I’m going to start decorating for Christmas. Unless… you want to do it.”

She gives me a teasing smirk. It’s well-known in my family that I love Christmas. There’s just something about that time of year that makes me happy. I’ve had my apartment decorated for weeks, and my tree has been up since the middle of November.

“You know I want to,” I grumble, snatching the box of decorations out of her hands.

I hear her and Cora laugh as I head over to the front windows and get to work. I smile as I go, and my mind drifts back to Kip.

I wonder if he’ll be at the holiday festival next week. He hasn’t really gone to any of the other town events, but maybe this time will be different.

Cora and I have volunteered to help set up, and I need to finish up here quickly so that we can head over to town hall to get to work.

Cora joins me at the front windows and we have the display set up in no time. I step back to admire our work and she bumps her shoulder against mine.

“We should go, or we’ll be late,” she points out, and I nod.

We both bundle up and wave goodbye to Saffron as we head out. It’s a quiet, cold evening as we head down to the town square. The smell of pine and cinnamon hangs in the air, and a few snowflakes are starting to fall, lightly dusting the streets of Wolf Valley. It’s the kind of picturesque setting that you’d find on the cover of a Christmas card, and under normal circumstances, I’d be soaking it all in.

But tonight, my mind is elsewhere.

“Where do you want us?” Cora calls to the organizer.

“Start on the lights, please!” She calls back, and we nod and get to work.

As we start stringing up lights and hanging garlands, I catch myself glancing around, half-expecting to see Kip lurking nearby. He’s always been good at blending in, disappearing intothe background, but now I wonder if I’ve been blind to his presence this whole time.

“It’s really coming along, huh?” Cora asks, and I blink, looking around at the town square and all of our hard work.

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