Page 4 of Christmas Treasures

“Please don’t be.”

They spent another fifteen minutes deciding on cheeses, crackers, and other gourmet items for an impressive charcuterie board.

“Will you come early and help me put it together?” Laney asked. “You have such a flair.”

“I’d be happy to.” This was why he’d come home. To be part of a big family making memories.

A delivery truck rumbled to a stop outside the store. Max straightened and grinned. “My cheese is here.”

Laney raised an eyebrow. “Your excitement is mildly concerning.”

“Don’t judge me. I live for this cheese.” Max ran out to meet the driver and returned with his prized possession. His allotment of Bramblewood Ash cheese to sell in his deli. “This is the good stuff.”

Laney watched, obviously amused, as he unpacked four wheels of creamy, ash-ripened cheese wrapped in delicate parchment. “We may have to have an intervention—this cheese obsession cannot possibly be healthy.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong. This stuff’s like the nectar of the gods. They only make a small amount, so I have to be savvy. I set my alarm at 6:00 a.m. on the day the cheese maker takes orders for the season so I don’t miss out. Charlie has a winter pizza with this stuff, and I can attest to its greatness. Even though I think Charlie hates me, I might be Sugarville Slice’s greatest fan.”

“Why do you think she hates you?” Laney asked.

“I don’t know. She never makes eye contact, and she doesn’t find me funny. Which, you know, is unusual.”

Laney rolled her eyes, laughing. “I’m sure you could charm her eventually. She’s just a little prickly. But she’s actually very sweet. Nina, her manager, and I have become friends—we’re in the same book club. She told me Charlie doesn’t open up much, even to her, but that she has a feeling there’s some trauma in her past.”

Max nodded. “I could see that. She has that kind of haunted look in the back of her eyes.”

“I agree.” Laney glanced at the clock that hung above the doorway. “Ack, I’ve gotta run. Nolan and I are going shopping for nursery furniture.”

“I’ll bring it all over in the morning,” Max said. “And I can help you put everything together for your charcuterie board.”

“You’re the best brother-in-law ever.”

Laney headed out with another jingle of the bell, leaving Max alone with his prized cheese. He would make sure to set aside a nice chunk for Laney’s party, because this would be sold out before he knew it. Just as he had it in his display case, the phone rang. He answered absently, still admiring his inventory.

“Holly and Hearth Country Store, Max speaking.”

“Signor Hayes? It is Camilla. Camilla Ferraro.”

The familiar Italian accent made him freeze in place. Camilla was Rosella Bellandi’s best friend and next-doorneighbor in a village about an hour from Florence. Rosella—Lucia’s mother-in-law, had taken Bianca to live there after Lucia’s death.

Dread pilled in his stomach. Something had happened to Rosella.

“Camilla, is everything all right?” His heart pounded against his rib cage. She would not be calling if it were good news.

There was a pause. Camilla’s voice softened. “It’s Rosella. She passed yesterday morning. Very sudden.”

Max sank onto a stool, heart hammering. “What happened?”

“She caught a virus and it became pneumonia. It happened so fast.”

“Bianca—is she okay?”

“Yes, she’s all right,” Camilla said. “But the loss is deep. First her mother and now her grandmother. It’s too much for one little girl.”

“Yes, of course it is.” His mind spun and spun. As it does when one’s life is about to drastically change. “I’m supposed to take her.”

“Yes, yes. It’s all very clear in the legal document,” Camilla said. “It would be best for her.”

“Do you think so, really? To come to a strange place with a man she probably doesn’t even remember?”

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