Page 11 of A Moon Lake Christmas Hero

They looked almost identical, except for the little birthmark. I shook Marley’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Marley.”

Then their father came back with my suitcase, my backpack, and my purse.

“Is this all you brought?”

I nodded.

“Weren’t you supposed to move here? Didn’t you take the job Alan offered?”

He suddenly looked so serious. The way he looked at me—as if I was a mystery he needed to solve.

“I did.”

“So you’ve got a moving truck coming?”

I shook my head.

“So this is all you have—period?”

“Yes.”

“How? Why?”

I sighed. I didn’t know how to even explain what had been going on in my life. Didn’t know if I wanted him to know. But something in his eyes, his calm expectancy of an explanation, made me want to tell him everything. “There was a fire.”

He nodded, somehow not acting all that surprised. “And you lost all your stuff?”

I nodded. Could feel the familiar ache weighing on my chest.

“So that’s really all you have?”

“I don’t need a lot.”

His single raised eyebrow spoke volumes. But how could he understand that all the stuff I had I would gladly give for just one more moment with my parents?

“Then I guess a little shopping is in order,” he said with a grin while he refilled his own coffee and topped off mine.

“What? No. I don’t need to buy stuff. Honestly. Seriously. I have enough.”

He nodded and served the girls each a pancake in the form of a unicorn, then served me a stack of them—also unicorn-style.

He poured himself another cup and leaned back against the counter. Watching us eat.

Watching me.

JAMES

She was pretty as a bell, sitting there sipping on her coffee. And an enigma.

The direct opposite of what I’d made her up to be in my mind.

When Alan told me he’d hired someone for the position, I was pissed. Not that he wasn’t within his rights, but I wanted to have a say.

I was used to having a say, controlling my environment—as much as I could.

I’d decided before I ever met her to give her a hard time. To see if she was really worth her salt.

And look at me now.

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