Page 18 of A Pen Pal for Christmas

I leaned back in the chair, glancing out the window. Snow had started falling more heavily, the soft flakes sticking to the glass and the street below. The scene triggered a memory I hadn’t thought about in years—a Christmas Eve when I was about eight, the year my parents had their worst fight yet. I’d slipped outside to escape the shouting, trudging through the snow to Ida’s house. She’d opened the door in her old reindeer pajamas, her house smelling of cookies, and pulled me inside without a word.

We’d spent the evening decorating—and eating—sugar cookies, her laughter filling the air as she teased me about piling on too much frosting. It had been the first time I’d realized Christmas didn’t have to mean chaos—it could mean warmth, light, and people who cared.

I blinked back to the present, the quiet of the room settling over me. I didn’t want to bring any of that darkness into my pen pal’s world, and I loved the escape of keeping it light. So, after a moment, I began to write. I didn’t overthink it, letting the words flow steadily onto the page.

CHAPTER 7

Sofia

"I just don’t thinkhe’s dangerous," I said, glancing at Grace as we fell into step on the sidewalk.

Our boots crunched on the snow-dusted pavement, and the distant sound of a roboticho, ho, ho!spilled out of a nearby toy shop. Which reminded me—I needed to Christmas shop for my nieces and nephews. My sisters always told me not to worry about it since there were six kids between the two of them, but I couldn’t help myself. I added toy-shopping to my mental to-do list, grateful that it would be a task that would take my mind off of Dane’s reappearance.

I shivered. Grace and I had hidden out in the cafe for two whole hours after Dane had left, but the tension in my chest refused to leave. Where was he now? When I’d told him to go, had he gone all the way back to Philly, or was he lingering in town? The inn was booked, so where would he even stay if he’d decided to stick around?

Grace shot me a skeptical look. "Misguided doesn’t equal a lack of danger, Fi."

Grace was right, and I knew it. My words had felt hollow, even to me. I hated that little part of myself that still wantedto believe Dane wasn’t capable of causing real harm. That he’d finally become the person I’d always hoped he could be, and without my help. But hope had a funny way of making you ignore the truth that was probably staring you in the face.

I sighed, wrapping my scarf tighter around my neck. "I know. I just… I don’t want everyone making this a bigger deal than it needs to be."

Grace nodded, but before she could press further, a familiar voice called out from up ahead. “Grace!"

We looked up to see Tommy striding toward us, his tall frame eating up the pavement. His expression was tight, his brows drawn together in concern.

“Hey,” Grace said, her tone cautious as she glanced at me.

Tommy went straight to Grace, pressing a kiss on her temple in greeting. But I could tell he was all business thanks to the vein in his forehead that always gave him away, and I braced to battle with my big brother.

Clearly, he’d already heard. Small towns for the win.

“Is there a problem, Officer?” I deadpanned.

“Hilarious. What’s going on?” Tommy asked, his hands resting on his duty belt. “Nick said some guy was hassling you at the coffee shop. Said it might be Dane. Was it?”

So, the news had reached the inn… but how had it gotten there? I should probably be annoyed that no one in this town knew how to mind their own business, but I knew it came from a place of love. That sense of taking care of its own, and as obnoxious as it could be, was still something to be grateful for.

Unfortunately for Tommy, those warm-and-fuzzy feelings of gratitude didn’t always extend to my nosy little brother. Sure, when I was thinking logically, I appreciated his protectiveness. But this was mybrother. The same guy who was once a bothersome twelve-year-old prankster. As much as I loved him, I was also hard-wired to be annoyed by him.

I crossed my arms, shooting Tommy a tolerant smile. “Mind your business, TomTom.”

He didn’t even crack a smile at the much-hated childhood nickname. “If Dane’s sniffing around, thatismy business.”

“Not really, though. I can handle it.”

He sighed. “Can you? Because I grew up looking up to Dane—thinking of him as a brother. And even after we saw his true colors, I wanted to keep liking him because you kept going back to him. But I’m done with that, Fi. If there’s anything I can do to make sure you don’t keep repeating the same mistakes, I’m gonna do it.”

Grace winced at the verbal shots he’d fired, but I bristled. “Back off, Tommy. I don’t need my baby brother running in to save the day like I’m some damsel in distress.”

Though, now that I thought about it, I wasn’t as put out as I should’ve been when Hudson made a beeline for my table while Dane was hovering over it. Turned out, my gratitude extended to him, too.

Poor Tommy.

“I’m not trying to treat you like a damsel,” my brother said, his voice softening slightly. “But if he’s here, you need to let me help. That’s what I do, Fi. I protect people, and that obviously includes you.”

“Yeah, well, believe me when I tell you that I don’t need protecting. Dane is just… Dane. And honestly? This whole thing is exhausting,” I muttered, turning on my heel and stomping toward the inn.

“Sofia!” Tommy called, but I didn’t look back.

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