Page 58 of A Pen Pal for Christmas

“Don’t tell anyone.”

Sofia laughed quietly again, and even if it wouldn’t last, I’d take this moment. And I’d do everything I could to make sure she got more like it. Because no one—least of all me—was ready to see Sofia Sullivan lose her spark.

Before long, the director yelled for the cast and crew to take and break, and Sofia sighed contentedly. “This was fun. I still can’t believe this is how Holly and Nick met. I mean, how many people meet their future spouse while filming a movie? It’s like something out of, well… a movie.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, pretty rare. Guess it worked out for them, though.”

“It’s so romantic,” she said, her gaze drifting back to the set. The lead actors were now walking through fake snow toward their trailers. “But Holly said it wasn’t all candy canes and mistletoe at first. Nick had this whole thing about movie stars thanks to his ex. He thought they were all shallow or fake like she was. It took him a while to see that Holly was the exact opposite.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I was in the Marines by the time all that went down with his ex, but Ida said it was bad. I’m not shocked he was nervous to go there again.”

Sofia shrugged. “Holly said he came around at just the right time, so I guess that’s all that matters.”

I looked down at her. “Funny how they didn’t have that instant click, but they ended up together anyway. Meanwhile…” I paused, but the thought had already taken root. “It kinda feels like we skipped all that getting-to-know-you stuff and went straight to… this.”

Her lips parted slightly, and she glanced at our joined hands and then back up at me. “Yeah,” she said softly. “It’s different. Good, but different.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to say much more without making it weird. I didn’t fully understand it myself—the way she felt so familiar, like she’d already been part of my life for years.

But there it was.

And judging by the look in her eyes? She felt it too.

Just as I was about to ask if she was ready to get out of the busy square, the director called everyone back to set, and the fake snow machines started up again. A flurry of white cascaded over the actors as the crew called out directions. Then, the lead couple stepped into the gazebo, and the man pulled out a small velvet box.

Sofia gasped beside me, clearly caught up in the moment.

“Guess you were right,” I murmured, leaning closer. “Fake snow and a proposal, right on cue.”

Her laugh was light, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’s strange, though. This scene feels like proof that sometimes things look perfect from the outside, but underneath…” She trailed off, her brow furrowing slightly.

I gave her hand a gentle squeeze, but before I could ask what was on her mind, she turned back to me, her expression shifting to something more thoughtful. “Do you think that’s why Holly and Nick worked out? Because theydidn’thave that instant connection? Maybe they had to fight for it a little, and that made it stronger.”

“Maybe. But sometimes things just fit.”

Sofia looked at me for a long moment, her lips curving into a faint, almost wistful smile. “Yeah, sometimes they do,” she whispered. Then her smile dimmed. “But also, how do people trust that it’s even possible to feel connected to someone they barely know? Like… the pen pal thing. What if…” She trailed off, her voice still hushed so she didn’t disrupt the scene. “What if the pen pal and the break-in are connected? What if I’ve been writing to the person who trashed my room?”

And just like that, the moment shifted, the weight of her words settling over both of us. For a second, I couldn’t respond.

“It’s crossed my mind,” I said carefully, watching her out of the corner of my eye. “Since the letters were missing from your room, I wondered if maybe he took them so nothing would be traced back to him.”

Her face fell. “Oh.”

“But then,” I said, pulling her back from the set so I could make sure she heard me as I shut down her fears, “I remembered that Ida and Joan were the masterminds behind the pen pal pairings. There’s no way they’d set you up with someone who would do this to you. And besides, they know who he is, so what would be the point of taking back his letters to protect himself?”

Sofia nodded, seeming to process my words. “Okay. That’s good. Because like I said before, I really like my pen pal. It sounds silly, but his letters… they feel like this little escape. Like I can be myself without overthinking everything.”

I turned to face her fully. “And now?” I asked with a teasing grin. “Now that there’s something happening between us? What does that mean for your crush on your mystery pen pal?”

She raised an eyebrow. “You mean besides the fact that he might be a criminal?”

“He’s not,” I said, letting my grin tug at the corner of my mouth. “Trust me. Now, do I have some competition thanks to this guy?”

“I don’t know,” she teased, tapping a finger against her chin. “Pen pal guy is pretty great. He told me my handwriting was cute, and that I had an interesting way of looking at the world. You’re gonna have to step it up, Green.”

I stilled. Maybe it was the cold keeping my brain from firing on all cylinders and I hadn’t heard her right, but I swore I’d said something like that to my pen pal. And thanks to my priorities being locked on Sofia’s safety, I’d completely forgotten to hold my pen pal’s letters next to Sofia’s prison letter to see if they were simply similar… or an exact match.

But now— My pulse jumped. Did this mean… ?

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