Page 13 of A Cozy Christmas Escape

“Okay.” Shelley gave a quick, firm nod. “No discussion of Valerie Bernard.”

Rudolph eyed her wearily, his dark brown eyes studying her as if looking for any indication that she was lying. When he eventually seemed satisfied that she wasn’t going to talk to him about anything other than the showcase, he gave her a grunt of approval before launching into his plans for the rink during the showcase.

It was even more elaborate than the way he had explained it to her the other day after her ice-skating class. And she could tell that he’d spent quite a bit of time going over and over the logistics of the show to make sure that everything worked perfectly.

But Rudolph didn’t speak about it all with the same gusto he had the other night. He was excited, sure. Especially for him. But there was something about the way that he spoke and the slope of his shoulders that told Shelley his mind wasn’t entirely in the conversation.

Shelley filled Rudolph in on any updates to the choreography, and by the end of breakfast they had worked out a game plan for how to get everything set up and prepared for the big day. She lifted a bite of the biscuits and gravy to her lips, pleased with everything they’d accomplished in such a short discussion.

She opened her mouth to tell Rudolph, but she didn’t get the chance. Because just as she was about to speak, he plucked the napkin he had draped across his lap up and tossed it on the table.

“Now that we’re all done here, I’m going to head out. Thank you for breakfast,” Rudolph said hastily, citing the fact that Shelley had told him the day prior that breakfast would be on her for all of his help with the upcoming performance.

Shelley barely had time to give him a quick ‘no trouble at all’ before he had turned and begun to stride toward the door. She watched after him, her mouth slightly agape as she tried to make sense of Rudolph’s abrupt exit.

She glanced toward the counter where Louise usually posted herself, and sure enough, the no-nonsense woman was standing behind it, staring after Rudolph with an expression that mirrored Shelley’s. As if sensing Shelley’s gaze on her, Louise’s eyes flicked over to her, and the diner owner raised her eyebrows and tilted her head in a silent question.

Shelley shrugged at her from a distance, although she could tell Louise didn’t believe that she didn’t know why Rudolph had left in such a tizzy. But Louise would just have to accept it. Because while Shelley had a couple of guesses as to why the old curmudgeon had stormed out of the restaurant, she didn’t want to go blabbing about it to anyone else. She knew that Rudolph wouldn’t appreciate her talking to other people about him, and she would respect that.

But that didn’t mean Shelley couldn’t ponder about it herself. And as she sat at the booth, finishing her breakfast as the world around her went on with business as usual, she replayed the entire conversation with Rudolph over and over again in her head.

From the moment that Valerie Bernard’s name was mentioned, there had been a marginal shift in the old man’s behavior. And Shelley might not know exactly what it was, but she would venture to guess that there was more to the story when it came to Rudolph and with the A-list movie star that was staying in their tiny little town.

* * *

The winter sunlight streamed in through the pink, gossamer curtains that adorned the windows in Valerie’s hotel room, pulling her out of her sleep. She blinked rapidly a few times, trying to pull her mind away from the dream she’d been having and plant it firmly in the present.

“What time is it?” she mumbled to herself, voice still thick and raspy with sleep as she rolled over in bed to glance at the small alarm clock on the bedside table.

Nearly noon. She wasn’t surprised by that fact. Her sleep schedule had been decimated due to her many, frequent filming schedules. Whenever she was shooting for a movie, she always had to be up so early to start sitting for hair and makeup. And filming typically ran long into the night, leaving her often feeling completely and utterly exhausted.

So when she wasn’t filming, she took full advantage of it. She’d often still stay up late, as she was accustomed to, and then sleep in as late as she’d like the next day. And the night before, Valerie had for sure stayed up late.

When she had gotten back to the Warm and Bright Hotel after her little adventure at the hardware store, she had been too excited to sleep. She knew that what would have helped her, even if just a little bit, would have been to have some candles to light. Valerie had even contemplated walking down to the front desk and asking if they had any that they wouldn’t mind sparing.

But the last thing that Valerie wanted to do during her stay in Snowy Pine Ridge was draw attention to herself or to have others bend to her every whim just because they were fans of hers. She wanted normalcy, and normalcy she would have.

She swiped the back of her hands across her eyes, clearing the sleep from them before pushing herself into a sitting position in the direct center of the massive, four-poster bed. If Valerie had thought the room was lovely when she had first arrived the day before, then it was stunning now.

The way the sunlight streamed in through the window painted the entire room in various, wild hues of pink, gold, and red. She looked around the place smiling, thinking of how much she liked it there already, and she had barely had a chance to explore much of the town.

Her stomach gave a quick, loud grumble, announcing that it was more than a little ready for breakfast. A request which Valerie was all too happy to oblige. She pushed herself up out of the bed before tidying a few things up and then getting dressed for the remainder of her day.

She vaguely remembered seeing a cute little coffee shop and bakery the day before on her walk toward the hardware store. Her stomach gave another loud gurgle at the thought, announcing that it would be more than happy to settle for whatever Sweet Thing had to offer. The noise spurned Valerie on.

In no time at all, she was bundled up warmly in fleece lined leggings, her favorite crew neck sweatshirt, a camel-colored puffer jacket that dropped past her knees, and then a large fluffy, wool scarf. She pulled back the curtain of her bedroom window slightly, peering out of them at the snow-covered landscape beyond.

The good news was that there didn’t appear to be any new snowfall. The footprints in the snow, as well as the snowman that she’d seen out front the day before all seemed to be completely intact, looking just as fresh as the moment they were made. But the bad news was that the air was still incredibly cold. Valerie could feel it seeping in slightly through the glass pane of her hotel room window. And she was glad that she had dressed in warm, cozy layers.

Not wanting to stall any longer, she walked out of her room. The moment she stepped into the hallway of the hotel, she was met with noise floating up to her from the first floor. The closer she got, the more words she was able to make out, and she was surprised to find that it was all women’s voices making all the ruckus.

Valerie crept down the staircase, taking them slowly so as to not disturb whatever was happening in the room beyond. When she reached the bottom, she peeked her head around the corner and her face instantly tugged up into a grin.

The tables that she’d seen yesterday that had been set out with coffee and treats had been stashed away, which wasn’t surprising considering the late hour. But in their place now sat a round, fold out table. And at that table sat a group of women all around Evelyn’s age, playing a rather loud game of poker.

Evelyn’s chair was facing the entryway, and she must have caught some of Valerie’s movements, because the woman’s bright blue gaze flicked away from her cards and landed directly on Valerie. Her face brightened with a smile, and Evelyn gave her a small wave, which Valerie quickly returned.

Not wanting to interrupt the women’s game any further, and also not wanting to draw any attention to herself, she hustled the rest of the way past the entryway and then out the front door of the hotel. The moment she stepped outside the cold air swirled around her, nipping eagerly at her nose, prompting Valerie to tug her coat a little more snuggly and readjust her scarf so it covered more of her face.

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