Page 29 of Finding Cheer

“It’s time for the big moment, folks. Is spring here to stay, or will we be having six more weeks of winter?”

In the café, patrons shouted their predictions. A voting area had been set up the week before on the café counter, with a glass jar painted in colorful flowers labeled Spring Is Here and another painted with snowflakes that read 6 More Weeks of Winter.

With the sudden snow melt and appearance of green grass and shrubs, most of the residents of Emerald Hollow had voted that spring was there to stay. That box was stuffed full of raffle tickets. There were only a few in the box Sofia had placed her vote in. As much as she would love for spring to stay put, she wasstill convinced that winter was coming back and that they would see a late-season snowstorm.

Cheers erupted on screen as a man in a black suit and top hat moved to the front of the group in Pennsylvania, carrying a groundhog who rested on his arm. A man beside them read from an old-fashioned scroll.

“Hear ye! Hear ye! This February second…” He continued with an introduction of the groundhog and his oracle-like abilities. Then, at a moment of peak anticipation of the crowd both on screen and in the café, his voice rose to nearly a shout, and the crowd erupted as he said, “There is no shadow to be cast, and early spring is my forecast!”

“I knew it!” Isaiah shouted.

Sofia jumped a little. “It’s just a groundhog.” She rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t keep the smile off her face at his juvenile joy.

“Isaiah, do you want to choose the raffle winner?” Ash asked, holding up the flower-painted jar, which contained the names of everyone who had cast their votes for an early spring.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Isaiah cast a mischievous look at Sofia before sauntering over to the counter. She met his gaze unflinchingly.So what if a groundhog predicted an early spring across the country? This is Emerald Hollow. We’re on our own seasonal cycle.

Isaiah reached into the jar of tickets and swirled his large hand around, pretending to take his time choosing. Sofia already knew that year’s prize. The winner would get a gift certificate for dinner for two at Enzo’s Italian restaurant on Main Street. It was tradition that whoever won the certificate got to take a date of their choice.

“Get on with it!” Sofia shouted, and Isaiah finally snagged a ticket. He unfolded it then read the name.

“I swear this wasn’t rigged,” Isaiah said faux sheepishly as he handed the raffle ticket to Ash.

Ash let out a soft laugh. “It looks like Emerald Hollow’s newest guest is our winner. Congrats, Isaiah.” The two fist-bumped, then Ash spoke to Isaiah as he turned back to the small crowd. “So, who are you taking with you to dinner at Enzo’s?”

Isaiah turned, a grin tugging at the sides of his mouth, and locked eyes on Sofia. “It’s only fair to treat the loser to dinner, right?”

The crowd cheered and whistled, and a few people congratulated her, but Sofia’s eyes were narrowed on Isaiah.What are you up to?she wondered as her heart raced.

Sofia wokeup late the next morning, as usual. Her mind was on the Groundhog Day events as soon as she opened her eyes. She and Isaiah would be going to a fancy Italian dinner together at the time of his choosing. It wouldn’t be so bad except that she couldn’t figure out how she felt about it.

She wanted to be irritated, but instead, when he’d called her out of the crowd, she’d been thrilled.That was probably just my ego acting up,she chided herself.

Pulling open the living room curtains, she gasped as her eyes processed what she was seeing. All her tulip leaves had popped out of the ground overnight. The large planters in front of her house were full of the green leaves signaling that tulips would be blooming in a few short weeks.

She shook her head. It was too early. When the next frost came, the leaves were all going to freeze. Despite what the groundhog had predicted, that just wasn’t right. Her tulips hadnever sprung out of the ground so early.What is going on with the weather this year?

Halfway to her coffeepot, she stopped, remembering her bet with Isaiah. First, the groundhog prediction for an early spring, then the tulips were behaving strangely. An odd tingle crept down her arms, and she shook her head.It’s just a coincidence.

Sofia got the coffee brewing and sat down on the couch to review her orders before getting ready for work. She clicked to open her shop’s sales tracker and was shocked for the second time that morning.

Her records indicated that she’d received fifty new orders since the previous day. That was a huge number for her in one day, and she suddenly wondered if she would be able to fill them. She flung her laptop to the side of the couch and stood quickly, ready to shovel down her coffee. She was going to have to make a few orders before work then do the rest at lunch.

She’d been spending every lunch break at the library with Isaiah. If she wasn’t flipping through business-planning books, she was on her laptop, doing work for Emerald Hollow Artisanal. She wondered if she could create some jewelry at the library, or if Isaiah would wonder why she didn’t just leave him there on his own.

Sofia paused. She was beginning to wonder that herself. There was no reason for her to stay with Isaiah in the library anymore. It wasn’t like she was his supervisor, and he clearly knew his way around a computer, despite his memory loss.

So why am I still going with him every day?She rotated her shoulders and flexed her hands.I don’t need to explain myself to anyone. The library is a public place.She carefully packed some of her jewelry-making supplies into her bag.

Fifteen minutes later, she was out the door, casting a quick, nervous look at her tulip leaves before driving to the Emerald House.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

ISAIAH

“Are we going or what?” Sofia’s voice hit his ears like a perfectly plucked guitar string, reverberating just a little at the end. Her slightly exasperated tone had become so familiar to him. He jumped up from the comfortable seat in the Emerald House Café, where he’d been chatting with the barista, Allison, while waiting for her.

At first, he wondered if she would bring up the dinner invitation from Groundhog Day but could quickly tell that she was going to play it cool and not mention it. He grinned at her steely expression. He would let her think he’d forgotten about it then spring the dinner on her when she was least expecting it.

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