Page 3 of Christmas in the Shadows

And that didn’t sound like Gilbert.

Yet the voicedidsound familiar.

How was she going to get out of this situation? She would have never come in here if she thought she might be caught.

Too much was at stake.

She glanced at the window in front of her. She could try to open it and make a run for it. But that seemed like a terrible plan.

Or there was a letter opener on the desk. Could she use that for a weapon?

No . . . hurting someone would only make this situation a thousand times worse, especially since she didn’t have permission to be here.

What if Gilbert had invited the person behind her to come? What if the cops were called?

Instead of running, she froze, lifted her hands in the air, and slowly turned around.

Her eyes widened at the person standing there like a ghost from Christmas past.

“Tex?” The word sounded like a croak as it left her lips.

Her friend’s face went slack with surprise. “Chelsea?”

“You’re . . . you’re here.” She hadn’t seen him or spoken with him in so long. “In Holly Ridge.”

The last time she’d seen Tex was the day he’d graduated.

He’d left without so much as a goodbye.

That day seemed to prove their friendship hadn’t been real—for him, at least.

Chelsea had been devastated. For the first few years, she’d secretly hoped that he would come back. That he’d explain why he left and have a good excuse for it. Maybe he’d been forced to go. Maybe he had amnesia. Maybe . . .

But there were no good excuses.

Later, she’d heard he joined the military. That was respectable. But why would he leave without telling her?

Despite her hopes, Tex had never come back. He’d never called.

He hadn’t even sent a birthday card.

Which meant their friendship had meant nothing to him.

The realization still caused a pit to form in her stomach.

“Chelsea?” Tex blinked in confusion and shock. “What are you doing in Gilbert’s house?”

His question made sense. But how would she explain herself? The one thing she hadn’t counted on when she sneaked inside was being caught. She’d made sure Gilbert wouldn’t be here.

There was zero chance she could have anticipated Tex walking in on her. Absolutely zero.

She gripped the desk behind her to keep her balance. “Gilbert told me about some guy he used to do his landscaping. But I misplaced his name and phone number so I came over to see if I could get it.”

“And you let yourself into his office to look?” He squinted dubiously.

She knew how this must sound. She really needed to get her story straight.

She forced a shrug, hoping it looked casual. “I didn’t think he’d care, and time was of the essence. I need someone to help put my Christmas lights up, and we’re only a few days from Christmas.”

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