Page 71 of Holiday at Home
Magic.
After we finally step back inside, stamping our feet and shaking off the snow, the bells jingle again. Roger Clementine ambles in, coat dusted white, beard as fluffy as the frosting on Violet’s cinnamon rolls.
He yawns, eyes half-lidded. “Morning, folks. You wouldn’t happen to have the biggest cup of coffee this side of the North Pole, would you?”
“Rough night, Roger?” Violet asks, grinning as she moves behind the counter.
He chuckles, rubbing his eyes. “Christmas always wears me out. Long nights, lots of deliveries, you know how it is.”
Nash’s eyes widen, wonder blooming across his face. “Mom,” he whispers, tugging on Nora’s sleeve, “I told you! He’sSanta!”
Roger winks at him, taking his steaming mug from Violet. “Now that,” he says, “is classified information, young man.”
Nash beams, and Violet presses a hand to her chest, the bakery filled with laughter and the scent of sugar and snow and something else—something new and bright and full of promise.
Outside, the snow keeps falling, rare and perfect. Inside, the warmth spreads through every corner, as if the heart of Stillwater Bay itself decided to glow.
EPILOGUE
Violet
One year later
“I swear I thought Simon was gonna propose!” I lean across the kitchen counter, arms folded, eyes wide as I whisper to Nora.
She glances over her shoulder to where Simon and Robbie help Nash with something in the living room. “Honestly?” she whispers. “Same.”
“I mean, all the signs pointed to him hiding something. He was jittery. Couldn’t sit still. I swear, he put his hand in his pocket a million times. I kept thinking he’d pull out a ring.”
“But never did?”
I shake my head. “Never did. And come on! What better place is there to propose to someone than the tree-lighting ceremony in Rockefeller Center, after fulfilling a yearlong promise of an ice-skating adventure?”
“That would definitely be something to remember. And so Simon. He’s all about the romantic gestures.”
“Right?”
Nora nods. “How was the trip though, besides that?”
“Well, it was cold. And crowded. And we missed all the snow. It fell last week, so all that was left was this gray, slushy mess.”
Nora wrinkles her nose. “That doesn’t sound particularly appealing.”
“Simon kept apologizing. He’d built a northern winter up to be this amazing thing and even he said it was kind of lackluster.” I smile. “But being with him was great. The food was good. The tree-lighting ceremony was spectacular.” I pull out my phone and flip through my photos until I come to a selfie of the two of us, under the tree. Our cheeks are pressed together, our smile huge, the lights twinkle and blur behind us.
Nora sighs and I flip to the next picture.
“A woman walking by offered to take this one for us.”
It’s a full body shot. Simon’s arm is around my shoulder. I’m leaning in close, grinning widely as he presses a kiss to the top of my head.
“See?” Nora asks. “Total proposal vibes.”
I lift my hand and wiggle my finger. “No ring.”
Simon
“I thought you were gonna propose.” Robbie rests his elbows on his knees and leans close to whisper.
