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John Gridley rolled to a standstill at the first string of traffic lights on Main Street. His gaze drifted over the heart of his hometown.
Dickens. Exactly the way he remembered it.
Loneliness crept into his heart alongside sad memories.
On an impulse, he pressed speed dial on his dash and was surprised the call connected on the first ring.
“This is Kimberly.”
“Hey, miss me yet?”
There was a long pause. “John? Where are you?”
The edgy feminine voice prickled his nerves. Yup. Still mad.
“Just cruising into Dickens.” He gently pressed the gas pedal and coasted through the town’s center that looked like it belonged in a holiday movie. Christmas decorations on lampposts and in windows, the classic gazebo all done up on the Common.
Another red light interrupted his progress, this time directly in front of quaint shops lining both sides of the street.
“What’s it like there, anyway? Is there snow?” his one-time girlfriend back in sunny California nonchalantly asked.
John could hear her typing, no doubt working feverishly to flip her next overpriced house. “Clear and cold. No white stuff yet.”
He craned his neck to watch some action taking place alongside his vehicle. A little girl in a puffy coat hauled a red wagon up to a utility pole. She positioned a step ladder, climbed the few rungs, and began taping up a sign.
“Oh, man,” he muttered under his breath.
“What?”
“Nothing. Just some kid, putting up flyers about a missing cat. ‘Snowball. White. Female. Blue eyes.’”
“That’s so sad.” Kim’s voice registered the first real sign of emotion since picking up. “I hope she finds it.”
John didn’t comment. He was riveted to the scene. The determined child moved to the next pole to do the same thing. Undaunted, she hung another sign. A long, reddish-brown braid poked out from beneath her snowy white hat, swishing as she worked.
“What? You don’t care? Some kid loses a cat, and—”
“Whoa, I never said I don’t care,” he defended himself.
“Well, you could’ve fooled me.”
He scowled as someone behind honked when he missed the green light. “Alright, alright. Sorry,” he griped. He turned his attention back to Kim. “Are we talking about the kid, or is this about the thing between you and me?”
Silence was all he got back.
“Kim?”
“I don’t know, John. You up and leave me when I hired you to help with this new property. It’s just the latest thing between us. We both know it’s over. It’s been over for months. I didn’t really mean it when I said we could be friends.”
“I did not up and leave you. My father asked for help, remember? It’s not like I had anything to do with his right-hand man bailing just before the busiest time of the year.”
“Well, I’m busy too. I figured if you could help me out, but...” She huffed a dramatic sigh. “You know what? Forget about it. Forget about me, forget about the work, forget about everything. You’re home for the first time in a decade. Enjoy yourself. Catch up. Make your father happy.”
Happy? Is she kidding? This was the height of the busy season for Gridley Meadows Farm. His old man was likely stressed out of his mind.
I’m stressed out of my mind, returning to the life I walked away from.
“Goodbye, Kim,” was all he said before killing the call.
***
HEATHER MURPHY LOOKED up as her ten-year-old daughter moped into the backroom of The Library Cat Bookstore. “Hey, Hailey. Did you hang all your signs?”
“Yup.” Hailey gave a little shiver.
“Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry about Snowball.” Heather dropped what she was doing and went straight to her girl. She wrapped Hailey in the tight, protective knot of her arms and kissed her head. “I printed more signs already. Once we close, I’ll help you hang them. Plus, we can visit all the shops and hang some on the lampposts on the Common.”
“Okay.” The sad little girl pulled away to peel off her winter layers, fighting the crackle of static cling, before tossing everything into a wadded pile. “I’m going to do my homework.”
Heather’s brows rose. “You’re volunteering to do homework on a Friday afternoon? Now I’m really worried.”
Hailey shrugged. “Nothing else to do. I might as well memorize my vocabulary words for next week. Mrs. Ellis will probably give us a surprise test. She doesn’t care if it’s almost Christmas.” She glanced around. “Is it okay if I stay in the shop with you instead of going upstairs? It’s too lonely up there without Snowball.”
“Sure, honey. Business is pretty light today. Go take over the back corner and spread out in the big chairs by the fireplace.”
“You mean the ones Snowball loved?” the girl cried.
Heather cringed. “You pick where you want to sit. I’ll see if I can flip the sign to Closed a little early today. Sound good?”
With her daughter’s nod, she went back to unpacking the special holiday books Tom Gridley ordered for the Gridley Meadows Farm gift shop. The one-room store in an old Nordic-style barn housed winter holiday trinkets, along with items like tree stands, and wreath hooks. This year’s addition to Tom’s shelves were books on snowflakes, angels, fairies, and wishing stars. Charming for all ages.
Heather sat back on her heels.
Perhaps I should take Hailey with me to deliver these?
She stroked a loving hand over the glittering cover of a book, and she decided. That would be a very good idea.