Page 5 of A Pen Pal for Christmas

I let out a sigh of relief. Ida’s memory was an iron fortress. There was no way her memory was going, so that must mean she’d remembered why I wouldn't want to participate. But who could blame me? Finding outin a letterthat my ex had cheated on me and wanted to break up had made an already rough deployment so much worse. They called them "dear John" letters in the military, and I didn't know who John was, but I sure knew how he felt.

Grateful I didn't have to remind Ida of why I had no interest in ever having a pen pal again, I sat back in my chair.

"Don't you wanna know why you don't have to sign up?" Ida asked, looking puzzled that I hadn't asked.

“Because you know I wouldn’t want to?”

She shook her head with a smile.

Dread settled in my gut. "Um, then, why?"

"Because you’re already signed up. Abby needed to sign someone up to test it, and I was still giddy after hearing you were coming for a visit, so I volunteered you. Perfect timing, really.”

"You signed me up already?"

"Well, Abby did, like I said. Aren't you excited?"

Excited wasn’t the word I’d use. Letters carried too much weight, too much potential for things to go wrong. The last timeI’d put pen to paper, it had ended in a gut punch I still felt sometimes, even a year later. I wanted to tell Ida no, to explain why this wasn’t for me. But the way her eyes sparkled reminded me that this was Snow Hill—a place where cynicism felt like a sin.

Still, I had to back out. But before I could even think of a way to let her down easily, there was a knock at the door.

"Expecting someone?" I asked, automatically rising from the table.

"Oh, you know this town, sweetheart. It could be anyone."

I grunted, peering through the peephole. I wasn't sure why I was so paranoid. It wasn't like we had an off-the-charts crime rate around here. But there was just something about my aunt living alone in this house and knowing anyone could drop by at any moment that unnerved me. And when I saw a uniformed police officer through the peephole, I didn't feel much better.

I pulled open the door. “Officer. How can we help you?"

The officer—Sullivan, according to the name on the front of his uniform—held out his hand. "You must be the famous nephew Ida won't stop talking about. Call me Tommy."

I looked over my shoulder at my aunt, who grinned as she rose from the kitchen table. "He sure is! Tommy, come on in. This is my Hudson."

"Nice to meet you," Tommy and I said at the same time as we shook hands.

I wasn't sure why my arrival warranted a visit from the local PD or why Ida appeared to be so friendly with this officer, but I followed Tommy to the table and took a seat.

"Coffee, Tommy?" Ida asked from the kitchen. She must've known he'd say yes—or didn't care whether he wanted some or not. She was already pouring him a cup, then set it down in front of him along with a fresh one for me. “Did Sofia get in safely?”

Tommy accepted the steaming mug with a grateful nod. "She did, thanks. Rolled in late last night." He took a sip, savoring the rich aroma. "I'm just glad she decided to come back here for the holidays. I’m a little worried about her. Apparently, she quit her job back home before she showed up. I have no idea why, but I’ll figure out what’s going on."

Ida patted his hand, her eyes warm with understanding. "I know how much she means to you, and I’m sure you will."

I listened to the exchange, piecing together the connection between my aunt and the officer. It felt familiar, almost like how Ida had taken me in. Now that I thought about it, Ida mentioned that she had someone who helped around the house with things like hanging Christmas lights or clearing the gutters. This must be him.

“It might not be a terrible idea for Sofia to stick around now that she’s jobless,” Tommy mused as he sipped his coffee. “Maybe she can settle in, and I can keep a better eye on her. Make sure she’s not getting herself into any trouble.”

“Because you’re a cop?” I couldn’t help but ask.

Tommy slid me a wry look. “Because she’s a magnet for it.”

My curiosity deepened. Tommy’s words carried a protective weight, like Sofia was someone worth worrying about. I didn’t know the full story yet, but if this Sofia was as much trouble as Tommy hinted, I couldn’t help but wonder exactly what kind of trouble they were talking about.

“Oh, hush,” Ida scolded. “I’d say Sofia is more of a… Oh, how do I put this? She’ll do whatever it takes to help out in a pinch, and I can tell she’d go down swinging. She’s the kind of woman who wants to see the best in everyone.”

“Yeah, even when they prove time and time again that they can’t be trusted.” Tommy shook his head. The way they spoke about Sofia made her sound both frustrating and endearing—like someone who could light up a room and turn it upside downin the same breath. I didn’t know her, but from the sound of it, she was the kind of person you couldn’t ignore, even if you wanted to.

Tommy turned his attention to me. "So, Ida mentioned you've been serving overseas."

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