Page 83 of Meet Me In Winterberry

And then every moment in between, from how she interacts with Nora and the look on her face at the tree lighting to the way it felt when I kissed her for the first time.

We’ve made so many amazing memories in the few short weeks Penelope has been in Winterberry. Now, I’m questioning if any of it was real. Or were those moments as fake as the last name she gave me.

“Dad, when are we going for dinner? My tummy is making noises and talking to me,” Nora looks comfortable, laying on the couch, her head propped against the cushion, and a blanket wrapped around her legs. Her curls are wild, and she pouts at me. “I’m hungry.”

To be honest, I’m hungry, too, but I’ve been too nervous to eat. Now I’m stalling before dinner.

I know I’m putting off the inevitable, but I don’t care. I’m not ready to face Penelope. A big part of me is furious at myself. I never should’ve opened up to someone I only met two weeks ago. Someone I hardly know.

“I know, Nora-Bean, I am too actually,” I say. “Grandma said dinner will be ready around 6:00 so we’ll go over then.”

“When is that? Like how many minutes?”

“Well, right now it’s five so that means we have an hour before going over. Do you know how many minutes that is?”

“Um… I think that’s 60 minutes, right?”

“That’s right!” I can’t help but smile. My little girl is intelligent, and I can tell how proud she is just by the look on her face. “Good job sweetheart.” I rinse my hands off, dry them, and go to sit with her on the couch.

I may have a hard time sitting still right now, but my little girl centers me, even when the fiercest storm is raging inside of me.

She’s completely engrossed in the movie that I use the opportunity to take a shower.

“Will you be fine by yourself out here while I’m in the shower?” I ask her. Sometimes she gets scared when she’s in the living room and I’m in the shower. “I can leave the door open, or you can come sit on my bed and watch TV while I shower. What do you think?”

“The TV in your room sounds good, Dad. Can I watch the movie in your room?”

“Sure you can. I’ll put it on for you in there.” I haul her off the couch and throw her over my shoulder. She squeals with laughter as I carry her into the bedroom, tossing her on my bed. She scrambles to nestle into the pillows.

I turn on the movie for her and kiss her head before going into the bathroom.

Once I’m under the spray of water, I develop a plan for confronting Penelope. I don’t want to come on too strong, but man am I pissed.

I can’t imagine why she would lie to me, to Sally, to the entire town. I never would have cared if she had told me who she really is.

I’ve never even seen her movies—I haven’t been to the movies in years—and I don’t have social media, so it probably wouldn’t have meant anything to me. In fact, most of the people in this town wouldn’t have known her, even if she had shared her real name.

Even though some people thought she looked familiar, in all the time she’s been here, no one recognized she was a famous actress. This town just isn’t like that. Sure, there are people in Winterberry who care more about taking a photo for their social media and looking good than anything else. But most of us are just living our lives. We don’t get starstruck when a celebrity comes into town to see the snow. And the one time a famous singer stayed at the inn for a week, he was just another guest. No one in town treated him differently.

It would’ve been the same with Penelope, if she’d been honest.

Now, I have to decide if I can move past her lies. Or if she’d even want me to.

Admitting to Dominick that I was falling for her was hard to do, but it was the truth. The time I’ve spent with Penelope has meant so much to me. More than I’ve even admitted to myself until right now.

Washing my body, I decide that I’ll wait for her to tell me when we get to dinner. I want to see what she’ll say, if she’ll be forthcoming with the truth. And if she doesn’t bring it up, then I need to figure out how to handle it. Either way, a conversation needs to be had.

Turning off the water, I wrap a towel around my waist, dry off my hair with a second towel, and place my hands on the sink, staring at my reflection.

“I can do this. I can do this,” I say to myself, pumping myself up for what’s to come.

Moving to my bedroom, I see Nora still in the same exact spot in the middle of the bed, completely entranced by Frosty, and I go into my closet to pick out my clothes.

Casual seems like the way to go, so I dress in jeans, a white t-shirt, and a zip-up hoodie.

“Nora, time to get dressed so we can go for dinner,” I say, waving my hand in front of her face to get her attention.

“Daaaad the movie is almost over. Can I just finish it?”

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