Page 70 of A Pen Pal for Christmas

When we finally reached the refreshments table, Tommy handed me a cup of cider before I could even ask for one.

“Mind reader,” I said, raising the glass in a mock toast.

Grace sidled up to me, her cookie already half-eaten. “You look like you’re having fun.”

“I am,” I admitted. “Tonight is perfect.”

She smiled knowingly, her gaze flicking to Hudson. “Yeah, it looks that way.”

Hudson wandered over to join Tommy and Jack’s conversation, and Grace turned her attention back to me, her giant cookie now just a pile of crumbs on her napkin.

Grace and I chatted about the food for a moment, but Hudson’s low laugh quickly snagged my attention. His hands were tucked casually in his pockets, and I could tell he was comfortable, his smile easy and genuine.

I smiled, too, feeling a warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the cider in my hand. Hudson was everything I hadn’t known I needed—and so different from Dane’s chaos that I’d made rash moves to escape.

Dane. The thought made my smile falter, just for a second. As much as I tried not to think about him, I couldn’t ignore the way his shadow still lingered. We’d never figured out who was behind the break-in or the notes, and his alibi had seemed solid enough. But what if if really had been him all along? Were we supposed to accept that it was purely coincidence that everything stopped happening right after Hudson and Tommy had chased Dane out of town?

No. I shook those thoughts away, determined not to let them ruin the night.

Dane was gone, and if this peace we’d found meant never knowing whether or not he was the one who’d been messing with me, I could live with that.

Life didn’t have to be a cozy mystery, after all. I got enough satisfaction from solving those cases between the pages of a book.

“So,” I asked, leaning toward Grace as my train of thought brought me right to her, “how’s the latest book coming along?”

Her eyes widened a little, but then she relaxed, brushing some stray crumbs off her hands. “It’s going well, actually. Better than I thought it would. I finally hit publish last week.”

“You did?” I grabbed her arm, my excitement for her bubbling over. “Grace, that’s amazing! Why didn’t you say anything? This is the third one in the series, right?”

She shrugged, looking pleased but trying to play it off. “It is, and I don’t know. I kept waiting until I had a clear picture of how the series was doing. You know, feel things out before making a big deal out of it.” Her grin widened, and she glanced around to make sure no one else was listening. “But it’s going really well. The sales and the reviews are both really good. I’m still kind of in shock that this worked out so well.”

“That’s huge. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks.” She looked down at her hands, a little shy but clearly pleased. “And self-publishing suits me, I think. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to handle all of the moving pieces, but after running my blogging business for so long, I like being in control of everything.”

“I can see that,” I said. “It’s kind of perfect for you.”

Movement caught my eye, and I looked up to see Hudson watching me. Our gazes locked, and his expression softened, the corners of his mouth tipping up just slightly. He didn’t wave or call out—he didn’t need to. Just the weight of his gaze was enough to steady me, to remind me that whatever shadows might linger, I wasn’t facing them alone.

Grace followed my line of sight and smirked. “You two are disgusting, you know that?”

“Disgustingly adorable?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Maybe.” She laughed, bumping her shoulder against mine. She popped another cookie into her mouth, brushing a crumb off her dark red gown. “So, what’s the plan? You and Hudson seem pretty settled here, but I heard his recruiting gig in Harrisburg is only for three years.”

I froze for half a second before picking up my cider. “Yeah, three years,” I said slowly, swirling the liquid in my cup. “Why?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Well, you know what happens after that, right? Orders. Somewhere else. Probably not here.”

The way she said it—matter-of-fact, but not unkind—sent a ripple of unease through me. But it didn’t linger as long as I would’ve thought. “I know,” I said, surprising myself with how steady my voice was. “And honestly? I don’t think I care.”

Grace blinked. “Really?”

I smiled, realizing it was true even as I said it. “Yeah. I mean, I love it here. Snow Hill feels like home in a way I didn’t think a place ever could. But if Hudson has to go somewhere else, I’m okay with that. If we have to rent out the house for a few years and come back later, so be it. I’m not tied to one place anymore. I think I’m tied to him.”

She made an exaggerated noise, like something you’d do if you saw the cutest puppy on the planet.

“Hush,” I said, jumping as Ida appeared out of nowhere. She had a way of sneaking up on people—something about her light steps and the fact that she always seemed to know exactly when to jump into a juicy conversation.

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