Page 31 of Wedding Bells in Silverwood

Holly pulled onto the main road. “What does that mean? You want a baby?”

Kim scoffed. “No. I don’t know what to do with a baby.” She wrinkled her nose. “No, I thought maybe a dog? Dasher and Cupid are pretty cute, too.”

“Kim, don’t forget you live in a small apartment on the fourth floor of a building in New York City.”

“A small dog?”

“Small dogs need to pee, too. Who’s going to walk it? You work full-time, plus overtime, and you live alone.”

“Well, maybe I’ll have to change that fact.”

“What?” Holly’s eyes widened. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

Kim laughed. “Holly, you’d be the first to know if I were dating someone. And I would have brought him to the wedding.”

Satisfied that her best friend wasn’t keeping secrets from her, Holly concentrated on the road. There wasn’t much traffic between the art school and her cabin, so when she realized the car behind her was taking every turn she was taking, a chill ran up her spine.

“What are you doing?”

It took Holly a second to grasp that Kim was speaking. “What?”

“You keep looking in the rearview mirror.” Kim tapped the mirror as if Holly didn’t know what she meant.

“I, uh, I think that car might be following us.”

Kim wrinkled her brow and glanced over her shoulder.

Holly gasped. “No. Don’t look.”

“It’s fine. They can’t see me.”

“You don’t know that.” Holly shifted her grip on the wheel. “Could you see the driver?”

“No. This is a small town, though. Don’t you recognize the car?”

Holly stiffened her jaw. “No. You know what? Maybe I’m just imagining things.”

The turn for her street was up ahead. Holly could feel her heartbeat accelerate as she flipped the indicator.

I’m imagining things. I’m not being followed. There’s no way Grayson found me.

When Holly made the turn, and the car behind her continued to drive straight, she loosened her iron grip on the steering wheel and let out a relieved sigh. She felt like laughing at herself for being ridiculous.

Great. Kim has made me paranoid.

After pulling into her driveway, Holly saw her mom peeking out the front door. Holly waved, and Vivian came out in her thick coat, smiling as she approached them.

“Hey, Mrs. S.,” Kim said once Vivian had gotten in the back. “You ready for this big tree lighting thing?”

“I can’t wait.” Vivian buckled in. “Jake and I used to have so much fun at the festival. When they finally light up that tree? So beautiful.”

“Sounds awesome,” Kim said in her nasal tone. “So, is there, like, an afterparty or something?”

Holly didn’t answer. She was too preoccupied with the car driving behind them.

Is that the same car?

“You’re doing it again,” Kim whispered.

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