Page 36 of A Pen Pal for Christmas

“Great,” I said, tearing my eyes away from Jamie.

Jamie took a step back, giving us space. “I’ll let you get back to it. Have a good one, Sofia. Grace.”

“Bye, Jamie,” Grace said, offering him a warm smile.

We watched as Jamie walked toward the counter, then Grace nudged me with her elbow. “What was that about?”

“Nothing,” I said quickly, grabbing a different truck from the shelf. “He was just warning me about the cheap toy I was going to buy.”

“Objectively, he’s cute, and Tommy seems to like him. Did he hit on you?”

My mouth popped open. “Grace Sullivan.”

“Sofia Sullivan,” she shot back, causing us both to laugh.

I really loved my sister-in-law. She was just as annoying as my other sisters, as well as the brother she’d married. She fit in perfectly.

“Seriously, no. He didn’t hit on me,” I said.

“Hmm.” Grace gave me a look, but thankfully, she didn’t press.

“He did tell me something about a complicated thing with his son. I felt bad for him.”

Grace’s brow furrowed. “I didn’t know he had a son.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of that since Jamie had been here for six months, and he hung out with the friend group I was seamlessly falling into. His situation must be really complicated for Grace not to know his son even existed.

“Poor guy,” I said, feeling for him. There was some serious heartbreak behind Jamie’s smile when he’d spoken about his son, and even though we’d only just met, I hoped whatever was going on would get sorted out soon.

CHAPTER 13

Hudson

I leanedback in my chair, a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of me, trying to keep up with Ida’s chatter.

“Well,” Ida said, sipping from her favorite floral mug, “I think you’ll like Harrisburg, once you’re settled in. Close enough to visit but far enough to feel like you’re starting fresh.”

“That’s the plan,” I said, buttering another piece of toast. “But don’t get your hopes up about me coming back here every weekend. I’ve heard recruiting duty is a grind—long hours, not a lot of downtime.”

Ida waved a hand, dismissing my concern like she always did when I tried to temper her expectations. “I’m not expecting weekly visits, Hudson. It’s just nice knowing you’ll be so close for a change. You’ve been a plane-ride away for what, ten years?”

“Twelve,” I corrected gently, though the reminder didn’t sit well with me.

“Exactly.” She gave me a pointed look. “Twelve years of no Thanksgiving, no Christmas, no random breakfasts on a Tuesday morning. I’ll take what I can get.”

“Hey, now, I’ve made it back for a couple of holidays over the years.”

“Not nearly enough, though,” she shot back with a wink as she took a bite of bacon.

I nodded, the weight of her words settling somewhere deep. She wasn’t laying on a guilt trip—not really. Just letting me know she missed me in that way of hers. I’d take a guilt trip from Ida over my train wreck parents any day.

She switched gears with that glint of mischief in her eye I’d come to recognize. “Speaking of things I’m grateful for…”

“Uh oh,” I muttered, taking a sip of my coffee.

“How’s it going with your pen pal?”

I set my mug down and raised an eyebrow at her. “Really?”

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