Page 25 of Meet Me In Winterberry

Iwantto get closer to her.

And that scares me. I’m afraid that if I give in, if I get closer to her and keep spending time with her, I’ll fall.

Or worse, Nora will.

And the only woman I ever intended to feel that way about—or have in Nora’s life— was Michelle.

The next morning, I wake to Nora’s face hovering over mine as she chastises me for sleeping through my alarm. We run around getting ready for school and somehow manage to make it out of the house without seeing anyone, particularly the newest guest at the inn.

After dropping Nora off at school—on time, thank you very much—I drive to Ben’s shop to inquire about Penelope’s car.

The bell above the door announces my arrival at the shop.

“Ben!” I call out. The shop just opened for the day, so I’m sure I’ll find Ben in the back with his cup of coffee.

“Brent! Nice seeing you so early in the morning. What’s up?” He rounds the counter, coffee mug in hand, just like I expected.

“I wanted to check on Penelope’s car,” I say as nonchalantly as possible. “She’s probably itching to get back to the city, so I wanted to see if there was any update.”

“Unfortunately not.” He shakes his head. “With the snow, everything is backed up. The earliest I’ll have the parts will be a few days from now. I hope you don’t mind her staying at the inn.”

“When you say a few days, do you mean… a few days?” I clear my throat. My mouth dries out.

“Yep at least four or five days. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you updated and will call when I find out more information.”

“Okay… great. Thanks, Ben, I appreciate it.” I let it sink in that she’ll be here for a little while. “I’ll let you get to work. Have a great day and I look forward to hearing an update when you have it.”

“You got it. Will we see you at the Winter Festival tomorrow?”

“Oh, you know it. Nora wouldn’t let me miss it if I tried.”

With that, I make my way back out in the cold and drive to my office. Today was supposed to be my day to work from home, but I can’t spend all day in my house knowingsheis so close by.

This is going to be a long few days.

Chapter Ten

Penelope

Thesunseepsthroughthe curtains, waking me up. Stretching, I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed. I slide my feet into my slippers before crossing the room and opening the curtains.

I gasp at the sight.

The snow continued through the night, covering every surface in a thick white blanket. It’s truly a winter wonderland.

I glance at Brent and Nora’s house but notice his truck isn’t in the driveway. Probably for the best.

Dying to get out into the snow, I quickly throw on skinny jeans, an ivory sweater, UGG boots, and grab a coat and scarf. Running a brush through my hair, I slap on some light makeup before rushing down the stairs like a kid seeing snow for the first time.

As soon as my feet hit the landing at the bottom of the stairs, the smell of brewed coffee overwhelms me. I follow the scent into the kitchen.

“Good morning Mrs. Harrison,” I say as I locate Brent’s Mom.

She’s sitting at the table with the paper spread out in front of her. Next to her is Brent’s dad, reading the paper with the same scowl on his face that Brent wears. “Penelope, so good to see you. How did you sleep last night?”

“I haven’t slept that well in so long,” I say honestly. “I feel so refreshed today.”

“So nice to see you again, Mr. Harrison.”

---