Page 86 of The Holiday Grump
“It would have to be outside. You can’t fit more than five people inside,” Kailee pointed out.
Ida tilted her head, peering at the ceiling, her crochet-hook hand moving independently from the rest of her body. “Well, it’s just hot drinks and pulla. If we got some trestle tables…”
“I have four,” Felicity inserted. “And a van to transport them.”
“That’d be perfect!” I clapped my hands.
“Your store is tiny,” Ida cautioned. “You’d be spilling over to block the entrance to other stores.”
She was right. But would Fredrik be okay with us using the outside of his store? I couldn’t ask him that. I could spill over to the other side, in front of the empty real estate office they were still renovating.
“You sure you can get Fredrik onboard?” Astrid asked. “I saw you had to take down the lights.”
“I loved that window display!” Erica echoed. “Shame it didn’t last.”
I swallowed. Of course they’d all seen it. “Yeah. He took it pretty hard, so I decided it was best to pull back.”
Erica raised her crochet hook. “Honey. If that’s hisreaction when you touched his store… how do you think he’s going to react if you take over his home kitchen?”
“He doesn’t even use that kitchen! Everything has a thick layer of dust.” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
A huge, dreamy smile spread across Eileen’s face. “You’ve been to his house?”
They were all staring at me, grinning like lunatics. Before I could respond, Felicity jumped in. “He took you in on Saturday night, right? I called him about the power cut. Jackson messaged me about the whole block being dark and asked if you were still staying in the Christmas store.”
“Yeah,” I said, grateful for the explanation. “It was a really cold night. Thank God Fredrik has a sauna.”
The word instantly triggered an X-rated memory, making my face burn.
“Sauna?” Felicity raised an eyebrow.
“Love is in the air!” Eileen clutched her chest. “I had a feeling about this.”
I didn’t know what to say. They all leaned in, watching as my face got hotter and hotter.
“Wait? What have I missed?” Felicity demanded. “Are you two…?”
I turned to her, suddenly worried. She was his sister. What was she going to say? “A little bit since Saturday. Or technically Sunday.”
The entire table erupted in cheers. I held my breath, watching Felicity. She looked emotional, equal parts happy and sad.
“I really hope it works out,” she finally said. “I hope we get to keep you.”
My stomach clenched. “We haven’t talked about the future.”
I couldn’t exactly tell them about our friends-with-benefits deal. This was the ‘town of true love’—I’d seen the slogan onThe Almanac. They’d chase me out with pitchforks.
“I bet Fredrik is already planning a proposal,” Eileen said firmly. “He’s not the casual type.”
“Eileen! Can we not?” Felicity shot her a look. “They haven’t even been on a date.” She turned to me. “Have you?”
I shook my head, my face on fire. “We talked about going to the Harbor Tree Lighting on Saturday. I’ve never seen a Christmas tree made from lobster traps before.”
Even that was a panic-fueled lie I shouldn’t have told. What if it ended up in that gossip column inThe Almanac? Nobody knew who Lady Lovewatch was, but odds were she was either at this table or close to someone who was.
“Can we… keep this between us?” I asked, catching everyone’s gaze. “It’s very new, and I’m worried about him. If there’s too much pressure or expectations…”
Awkward silence filled the room. Finally, Erica spoke. “Oh, honey. It’s Hideaway Harbor. How would you keep something like this a secret?”
