Page 22 of Here Comes Santa Paws

“What?”

Maybe I hadn’t been as subtle as I thought. When Roman turned back to the demonstration, I found myself grinning too.

When the demonstration ended, I turned to Roman. “Want to wander the booths with me?”

“Sure.”

I could’ve sworn I detected a hint of eagerness in the brief word.

We strolled the aisles and paused periodically to check out the handmade goods. The artisan tables stood in rows and a good-sized crowd milled between them. Roman and I joined the fray, passing a gift-wrapping station.

“Do you need to shop for anyone?” I realized I didn’t know if Roman had family in the area. I couldn’t remember seeing anyone visiting him since he’d moved in, but I hadn’t exactly been watching for it.

“My mom. Something small though.”

“For a stocking?”

We stopped at a booth with snowflake ornaments made with crystal beads. Roman placed several thick fingers behind the delicate piece and tilted it toward him.

“My parents don’t keep much stuff around.” He glanced at me. “They move a lot. The more shit you have, the harder it is to move.”

I thought about Roman’s clutter-free space. “Was it like that when you were a kid too?”

Roman shifted his attention to another set of bead ornaments in the shape of Christmas trees. “Yeah. I didn’t live in one place for longer than a year. Mom always said we were going off on another great adventure, and there was always something to be learned from each place we lived and every friend we made along the way.”

Roman’s words held an almost melancholy tone that tugged at my heartstrings. He locked eyes with me for a moment, and flutters erupted through my chest.

“Were your parents in the military?”

Roman shook his head. “My dad works in emergency recovery, so we always moved where people needed help.”

My brain finally did the math. “You lived in at least eighteen places as a child?” I couldn’t fathom that.

“Twenty-seven, actually.” He let out a humorless laugh. “If you ever need packing tips, let me know.”

“I bet you can do it with military precision.” I couldn’t get over how many times he’d moved. “I only moved once before college.”

We continued walking and approached Hank’s table, where he was selling his fantastic dog treats. He was busy ringing up a sale, so I waved at him as we passed. I’d be sure to swing by before we left.

“To Christmas Falls?”

“To a different house in town.” My throat burned. It’d gotten easiertalking about my parents, but it was never easy. “My parents died when I was young, so my grandparents took me in.”

Roman’s eyes widened, and he looked like he was trying to puzzle something out.

“After that, I only moved away for college in Chicago, then returned after graduation.”

I’d thought I wanted nothing more than to move to the city and start a new life. I hadn’t expected I’d itch to flee the city by the time I graduated from college. I wasn’t suited to be a faceless person among throngs of people bustling along sidewalks. Christmas Falls was my place, and I’d made peace with that long ago.

Roman’s pinky brushed mine and one side of his mouth ticked up. A fluttery sensation filled my chest.

“Have you moved that frequently as an adult?”

“Not quite as often. I’ve been here for over two years.”

“Is that the longest you’ve stayed in a place?”

He narrowed his eyes at a blinking ornament necklace worn by someone passing out kettle corn samples but accepted a sample anyway. “I tend to move on after a couple of years.”

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