Page 38 of A Pen Pal for Christmas

I shook my head. “No. I don’t want to know.”

Ida frowned, but it was more curious than disappointed. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” I said firmly, though my chest ached as I said it. “I’ve got enough on my plate right now without trying to add something else to the mix. The letter thing is… nice. Light. I want it to stay that way.”

She studied me for a moment, then nodded slowly. “All right. But just so you know… you deserve to be happy, Hudson. And if that happiness comes from your pen pal, or from anywhere else, I’ll be cheering you on.”

Ida’s phone buzzed on the table, and I was saved from having to reply. She glanced at the screen before picking it up with a knowing smile. “It’s Joan,” she said, tilting the phone so I could see the name before she put it to her ear. “Morning!”

I tuned her out at first, finishing my coffee and letting my thoughts drift back to the conversation we’d just had. But then Ida’s tone shifted—still calm, but sharper now, more curious. It was the tone she used any time there was hot gossip on the streets of Snow Hill, but there was also an edge to it that didn’t sit right with me.

“Behind the grocery store? Are you sure?” she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. She paused, listening, then frowned. “And who was the man he was with?”

Something in her expression had my muscles tensing.

“Well, that’s odd,” Ida said. “No, I haven’t seen him, but if I do, I’ll let you know.” She paused, then added, “Sounds good. I’ll pass it along.”

She hung up and set the phone down, but before she could reach for her mug, I asked, “Pass what along?”

“Oh, you know the phone tree. I get a call, I make a call.”

I lifted a brow. “Okay, and what would the call be about?”

Ida leaned forward, pausing like she was trying to choose her words—or maybe drag out the suspense. I couldn’t be sure with her. “Joan said Dane was spotted arguing with a man behind the grocery store late last night. Apparently, it looked… heated.”

“Did they recognize the other guy?”

She shook her head. “Didn’t sound like it. Maybe it was too dark outside.”

I leaned back, processing that. Was a tourist hassling him? Was it the other way around? Then again, tourists didn’t hang out behind grocery stores in the middle of the night. And they definitely didn’t veer away from their holly jolly vacation vibes to pick arguments with guys like Dane.

“Have you heard if Dane came to town alone?” Ida asked, watching me carefully. “Maybe whoever it is came to Snow Hill with him.”

“I don’t know,” I said, keeping my tone neutral. But inside, my instincts were already humming. If Dane was stirring up trouble, I needed to know more about it.

Ida studied me for another moment, then gave a small nod. “Well, just be careful, Hudson. The whole town is talking about Dane after the scenes at the coffee shop and the bar. Sofiamight not live here—yet—but she’s one of our own regardless on account of her being Tommy’s flesh and blood.”

I’d heard every word of what she’d said, but one thing stuck out. “Yet?”

“What, dear?”

“You said Sofia didn’t live hereyet.What does that mean?”

The same devious smile she’d used when discussing the matchmaking pen pal letters flitted over her lined face. “Oh, honey. I’ve been hoping that girl would become a transplant since I first met her last year. Rumor has it, she’s making plans to stay, but I’d really like for Dane not to ruin it by chasing her away.”

Wait… Sofia might be staying?

Ida’s words hit me harder than I expected, sparking something that felt a lot like hope deep inside my chest. But just as quickly, that feeling was tempered by the sharp edge of reality.

Dane had already chased her away from her life in Philadelphia. Then, he’d followed her here, dragging his chaos in tow. If Sofia wanted to make Snow Hill her home, she deserved to do it without his shadow hanging over her. And if it came down to it, I wasn’t about to let him—or anyone else—chase her away.

Not this time.

CHAPTER 14

Sofia

Grace staredwith mock horror at the misshapen gingerbread man she’d attempted to draw with piped icing before popping a gumdrop into her mouth. “That’s it,” she said, throwing up her hands. “I’m retiring from gingerbread house decorating.”

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