MAC DROPPED ALEX AND ME off at Front Street Park, where kids were sledding and rolling giant balls of snow into snowmen. It continued to dump fluffy flakes from the sky. The village was bustling with activity. Shop owners were assessing damage, while snowplows tried to keep up with the blizzard of white. City crews had already made a large dent in clearing tree branches and refastening twinkle lights in the trees. If the snow continued like this, we might have five or six inches on the ground for the lighting ceremony.
I left Alex with his friends and tromped through the powdery snow to April’s office. There was a lightness about the village that had been missing for the last few days. I smiled as I passed the Café Haus, where the owner had set up an outdoor hot chocolate and cider stand with peppermint stir sticks and gingerbread cookies.
“Cider, Sloan?” he asked as I passed. “It’s free. A snow day special.”
“That’s so thoughtful,” I replied. “But save it for the kids.”
“Everyone’s a kid on a snow day.” He winked.
I continued on to April’s. Her receptionist greeted me with a smile. “April’s been expecting you, go on back.”
Expecting me? We didn’t have an appointment, did we?
April’s office was a tribute to her. A photo gallery on the wall opposite her imposing walnut desk with brass handles displayed photos of April in a variety of costumes and poses. “Guten Morgen, Sloan.” April waved her fingers in the air. She was dressed in a puffy black ski jacket and matching pants with German flag patches plastered all over them. Her garish red hair was tied in two long braids and covered with a striped German flag ski hat. Any trace of her freckles had vanished under a thick layer of makeup.
“You look like…” I tried to think of something nonoffensive. “Like yourself.”
“Thank you.” She pointed to the chair. “Sit, sit. We have much to discuss.”
“How did you know that I was stopping by?”
April flipped her braids. “Why wouldn’t you come? I figured you want to rehash the tragic events, and we simply must go for a celebratory cup of mulled spice Wein. I’m a free woman again.”
Yep, April was back. Great.
“Do tell.” April rubbed her hands together. “I must know every detail about how Conrad was apprehended—that little rat. Chief Meyers was less than forthcoming, despite my reminders that everyone in the village will be coming to me for news and insight.”
I tried not to roll my eyes.
“Vell, Vell, out vith it.” April spun her hands in circles.
Oh no. Not the fake accent, too. I gave April the condensed version.
When I finished, she stood and walked to the spot on the wall where the scissors had been. “I knew it. I knew that Conrad was no good. I should have done something about it sooner and saved myself a splitting headache. Jail is absolute torture, Sloan. I’ve warned the chief that I could sue.”
“It’s not the chief’s fault, April.”
She traced the outline of the scissors. “Sloan, you know as well as I do that Leavenworth would implode without me. The chief had a duty to uphold civility. She could have been much more discreet.”
“You should blame Conrad, not Chief Meyers. She was doing her job. The initial evidence pointed to you.”
“Oh, mark my words, I will be suing the pants off of Conrad, too.” She brushed imaginary dust from the wall. “And the chief owes me a new pair of scissors.”
In the grand scheme of things, ceremonial scissors sounded trivial, but this was April I was talking to.
“Come on, let’s go.” April tugged on a pair of red, yellow, and black striped gloves. Where did she shop? Germans R Us?
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” She yanked me outside into the snow. She was on a mission. I had a hard time keeping up with her, even though my legs were much longer.
“April, what’s the rush?” I huffed as we practically ran past the gazebo and up the hill to where Front Street curved and merged onto Highway 2.
We stopped just before we made it to the highway. “Look.” April pointed to an adorable cottage next to the grange.
“What am I looking at?”
“The cottage.” She yanked me closer. I had always admired the cottage, with its white stucco exterior and thatched roof. The roof wasn’t literally thatched, but it was designed to resemble a farmer’s cottage. “Want to take a look inside?” April unzipped her ski parka and dangled a key ring in front of me.
“Why?”
“Because it’s yours if you want it. I owe you one, Sloan, and I have it on good authority that the property is coming up on the market. I’ve told the owner that we want first dibs, and using much discretion, as I always do, when the owner learned that you might be interested in the cottage, they are willing to make you a very good deal.”
“But I’ve never said anything about wanting this cottage. We talked about looking at that A-frame outside of town.”
April stuck her hands on her hips. “Sloan, if you want to pine away and feel sorry for yourself in a remote cabin in the forest, go for it, but you’ve been there and done that. You’re starting a brand-new life. Do you really want to be miles from the village, or do you want to be in the heart of the action? You can walk to Nitro. You can walk everywhere.”
She had a point.
“Take it from me, the single life can be rewarding, but also very lonely.” There was a vulnerability in her tone that I had never heard before. “If you have your heart set on the A-frame, I’ll show it to you, but it’s the wrong choice. You don’t need to isolate yourself more. You need to embrace this village and everyone in it who cares about you.”
Her words almost made me teary. Could it be that April Ablin really had my best interests at heart?
She clinked the keys. “You want to see inside?”
“Okay.”
The minute we were inside, I fell in love with the cottage. It was cozy, with rustic wood floors, slanted windows, a red brick fireplace, and an updated kitchen. There were two bedrooms and a small den with a wood-burning stove. It was the perfect size for me and Alex.
“Do you love it?” April asked when we finished the brief tour.
“I do.” I could hear the surprise in my voice.
April was smug. “I knew it. Shall we go back to my office and write up an offer?”
“Wait.” I motioned for her to slow down. She was already halfway out the door. “I don’t know that I’m ready to make an offer. I should probably think about it. I haven’t even looked at any other properties.”
April pursed her lips. “I will gladly show you every property on the market from here to Wenatchee, but I’m an expert, Sloan. This is your house. I know it. You know it. Think about it if you want, but you’re going to come to the same conclusion, and you only suffer by spending hours agonizing over your decision.”
“But I haven’t even talked to Mac about selling the farmhouse yet.”
“Your point is?” April swept her arm around the cute front entrance with a built-in mail slot. “This is not a multimillion-dollar property, and it’s hardly as if you’re broke. The Krauses are some of the most successful business owners in the village. You’re going to come out ahead in the divorce, and I guarantee that the numbers I discussed with the current owner will allow you to buy this with cash.”
For my every hesitation, April had a compelling counterpoint.
“Let’s go.” April held the door open for me. “I’m not going to force you into this, Sloan. The property hasn’t even listed yet. But don’t take too long on this one. Someone will scoop it up fast.”
I took one final look at the cottage. In my heart, I knew April was right. I belonged here.