Page 50 of Snowed In on Valentine's Day

“Being busy, you mean? You’re not busy and stressed all the time, so something feels off,” Nora said with the confidence of a lifetime. “I went through that too.”

“You did?”

“Yes, when I officially retired. And thenagaina year ago when Terry and Mari took over the Christmas village, includingits finances.” One side of her mouth curved upward. “You’ve got to figure out what you want to do, yes. But it doesn’t have to be today. Or tomorrow or even this month.”

I nodded slowly. “I guess so.”

“And when you’ve got some ideas you want to bounce off someone who’ll always tell it like it is, you know where to find me,” she said with a smile.

I returned the smile just as our server returned with our food.

Nora had the same lunch she always ordered: an Italian sandwich with extra oil and vinegar. I liked to mix it up though rather than committing to just one dish.

“What is that?” she asked, pointing to my plate.

“Cajun shrimp with tomatoes and seasoned rice.” I smiled as the tempting smell filled my nostrils. “Didn’t you hear me order it? It’s a new menu item.”

She made a face and bit into her sandwich. “So how about this weather we’ve had? It’s one of the worst blizzards I’ve seen.”

My eyes were wide. “Onlyoneof the worst?”

“Hazel, dear, I’ve seen a lot of harsh winters and sweltering summers. This wasn’t nearly as bad as the one in the ’70s. That was before I met Janie.”

“Wow. Well, I guess I’m glad I wasn’t alive in that decade. This one was bad enough.” I took my first bite of shrimp. “Ah, perfection. New Orleans was always one of my favorite places to travel.”

“Janie and I went there once, even partied on Bourbon Street with a rock star. Meh, it was overrated.”

My eyebrows rose as I chewed. “I don’t even know where to begin responding to that statement.”

She shrugged. “Then don’t.”

I suppressed a smile. “How did you and Jane hold up during the storm?”

“We were fine. With the wood stove, we stayed toasty warm.”

“But no electricity—that was hard.”

“I was born before electricity was invented, dear.”

“Oh, right.”

I was relieved that she and Jane had been fine. Perhaps it had even been cozy and romantic. I envied them.

“I’m joking, my dear. Electricity was invented in the nineteenth century. Most places had it when I was growing up. At least in Chicago where we were.”

I smacked my forehead against my palm. “Of course. I knew that.”

“You seem a little distracted.” She studied me with interest.

My eyes shifted away for just a second. “Nope.”

I wasn’t still thinking about the jerk next door. The one who definitely hadn’t felt like a jerk when we—

“If you say so.” She scrunched her eyebrows together in doubt but then shrugged. “So, what did you do during the storm? Not much within walking distance where your house is.”

I put my fork down. This was it. “My next-door neighbor had a generator, so I stayed at their house for a few days.”

Her eyebrows rose slightly. “Oh, I didn’t know you had a new neighbor. You never said.”

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