Page 28 of A Pen Pal for Christmas

“You too,” Jamie replied.

“Ready to lose, Jamie?” Grace asked, clearly already familiar with him.

“Who, me? Not on your life,” Jamie replied.

My throat went dry. Jamie was apparently quite competitive. Something my pen pal had made very clear in his letter about today’s event. Interesting.

Could he be my pen pal?

It wouldn’t be the worst thing. Jamie had an easy smile that, when flashed in my direction, made my brain short-circuit for a second. It would make sense for it to be him—the playful tone in his voice matched the letters perfectly.

But just as quickly as the thought popped into my head, Hudson’s gaze caught mine, and that flicker of possibility faded into the background.

“Besides,” Jamie added, “Nick’s my partner, and he has insider tips.”

Grace smirked. “Cheater.”

“Right,” Nick grumbled. “Like you aren’t planning to see what Tommy knows since he’s been wandering around here for an hour longer than the rest of us?”

Grace shot something back at Nick, causing Jamie to join in on their banter. But I was distracted by a certain pair of hazel eyes again.

“If Nick’s with Jamie, who’s your partner?” I asked Hudson, my belly flipping at the slight grin he offered.

“Not competing,” he replied. “Just here for moral support.”

“Oh, really? Not much for competitions?”

“Trying to quit,” he teased.

His gaze flicked over me as he said it, and warmth creeped up my neck despite the cold. But then his words sunk in, and his tiny admission had me crossing him off my list of suspects when it came to the pen pal exchange.

Too bad.

That said, it wouldn’t make much sense for it to be Hudson, anyway. Every interaction we’d had since the day we met had been colored with this deep intensity, but my pen pal? His words were the epitome of of carefree and light.

But none of that meant I couldn’t enjoy being in Hudson’s presence.

“You’re on,” Jamie said to Grace, causing me to snap out of my reverie just in time for Grace to loop her arm through mine and tug me away.

As we speed-walked, Grace leaned in and whispered, “Girl. Did you see the way that man was looking at you?”

“Who?”

Grace frowned. “Huh. I guess both of them. Got any plans for a Christmas romance this year? I promise I’ll help make sure neither of them are bad guys this time.”

I shook my head, bumping her shoulder with mine. “Focus, Grace. I don’t know what the terms were, but I have a feeling we’re gonna wanna win whatever bet you just made.”

An hour later,Grace caught my arm, her eyes lighting up as she spotted a vendor’s booth covered in shimmering ornaments. “Sofia, look at these! They’re stunning. Let’s take a shopping break.”

I laughed softly. “Uh, we’re supposed to be solving clues, not shopping.”

“We’re killing it. Let’s reward ourselves.” Grace waved me off, already halfway to the table.

I shook my head as I watched her go, a small smile tugging at my lips. Grace had an uncanny ability to get sidetracked, especially when something shiny was involved. Left momentarily alone, I glanced around the crowd, my hands fidgeting with the cuff of my coat.

“Lose your partner?”

I turned to find Hudson standing behind me, his expression as relaxed as ever. But his eyes? They were sharp and focused in that way I was beginning to realize he couldn’t turn off if he tried.

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