10. Sofia
CHAPTER 10
Sofia
Saturday morning, I squealed in delight when a letter shot under my door moments after I’d finished getting ready for the scavenger hunt. I picked it up, my fingers smoothing over the envelope, almost afraid to open this latest letter.
What started as a cute Christmas activity was quickly becoming something I looked forward to as much as my next breath of air. And considering I had no idea who my pen pal was (or if he was even remotely close to me in age… or single), I was highly concerned that I might be falling for him.
Laughing at myself, I finally unfolded the paper and dove in. I always tried to read these letters slowly—to savor them—only to devour the words like they’d disappear if I didn’t.
It wasn’t my fault, though. My pen pal had a way of writing that made me forget the world and all of the annoying things I didn’t want to give any thought to. It wasn’t anything profound or poetic—it was just real. Unpolished in the best way. The kind of honesty that made me wish I could sit across from him, coffee in hand, hearing his thoughts straight from the source.
This one started like the others: warm, conversational, but with a thread of something deeper woven between the lines.
Dear Pen Pal,
Are you a reporter? You’re relentless with the questions. Do you interrogate every stranger this thoroughly, or am I just lucky? At least you answered them all yourself before making me spill my guts, so there’s that.
Favorite Christmas Movie: Die Hard. Call me basic, but it’s the best. Don’t fight me on this. (And for the record, I can’t believe you picked Love, Actually. We can’t be friends.)
Eggnog: Hard no. How can you trust a drink that looks like it was left out on the counter too long?
Real or fake tree: Fake, obviously. I bet you think the smell, the mess, and the constant battle to keep it upright is all part of the fun, but not when you combine all of that with living somewhere that it’s hard to deal with.
Dream vacation: I get why you’d say tropical, but I’ve had plenty of that in the past. Now, I’ll take a snowy cabin in the woods with a fireplace and no cell service. (And maybe good company, if you’re willing?)
I nearly dropped the letter. There was still one more question I hadn’t gotten to yet, but I had to reread the vacation one a dozen times before I was sure I hadn’t hallucinated.
He was flirting with me, right? It was right there in black ink and a manly scrawl.
Flirting .
So far, our letters had been warm and friendly, but flirty? Nope. This was a first, and as I tried to see past the stars in my eyes, my mind cycled through ways I could discreetly find out if this was a handsome, eligible bachelor or an old married man just saying the things they tended to say. And I would know—bartender and all that.
I went back to the letter, eager for more, eyes peeled for clues.
Favorite thing about Christmas: Easy. The quiet moments. The ones you don’t really think about until later—sitting by the tree when it’s all lit up at night. Seeing someone light up like a tree when you give them a gift they weren’t expecting. Apparently, things that involve lights… and trees. Don’t judge.
Full transparency, I think most of your answers were objectively wrong on at least half of these. But, I’ll let it slide since you’ve clearly got good taste in other areas.
Talk soon,
Your Pen Pal
I smiled, folding the letter and slipping it back into the envelope. I set it on the nightstand beside my journal and the book I was halfway through, then promptly threw myself back on the bed.
Yep. I needed to figure out if it was safe to flirt back with this mystery man… or shut him down. Soon.
A knock at my door startled me from my thoughts, and I glanced at the clock—ten minutes before the scavenger hunt started. I sighed. Not only had I taken way longer than I’d thought pouring over my latest letter, but my date was late.
“Who is it?” I called, already halfway to the door.
“It’s Grace. Open up, slowpoke.”
I opened the door to find my sister-in-law bundled in a red knit scarf, holding a stainless steel mug in each hand. The scarf instantly made me laugh considering what I’d recently written to my pen pal, but I didn’t say a word.
Grace raised one of the cups with a grin. “Coffee. You’re welcome.”
“You’re late,” I teased, stepping back to grab my coat from the bed.
“I’m five minutes late, and I brought caffeine. That’s not late. That’s hero behavior.”
I rolled my eyes with a smile as I zipped my coat. “You ready to dominate this scavenger hunt?”
“Please,” Grace said, handing over my coffee. “We’ve got this in the bag. Plus, Tommy’s working crowd control. If we’re stuck on a clue, we can bug him for hints.”
“You’re shameless.”
“Accurate,” Grace preened, looping her arm through mine. “Now, let’s go prove we’re the queens of Snow Hill scavenging for the second year in a row.”
By the time we made it into the town square, it was packed. Groups of tourists and locals alike sipped hot cocoa and scanned their clue sheets, heads bent together as they strategized. I traced the strings of twinkling lights that crisscrossed the square with my eyes, grinning when I tripped over my feet and almost plowed into Grace.
“I’m sorry,” I said through a laugh. “I can’t help it. Snow Hill’s Christmas charm is cranked up to eleven today. I hate how much I don’t hate it.”
Grace chuckled. “Oh, no. You’re gonna stay here forever, huh?”
Wrinkling my nose, I scanned the square again before facing my friend. “Would that be crazy?”
“Um, you’re asking the girl who stepped away from her nomad life as a travel blogger to settle down here. I’m not sure you’ll get objectivity out of me.”
“Do you regret it?”
Grace shook her head. “Nope. Not only am I happy with Tommy, but I’m happy here, too. It’ll be a good place to raise kids. Give them the kind of life my parents didn’t know how to give me.”
“You guys will make great parents someday,” I said, surprised by how much I hated Grace’s parents even though I didn’t even know them.
I couldn’t imagine what it was like not to grow up in a loving home like I had. And though I tried to be grateful for it even in the moments when my family’s love was stifling, it was times like this that really reminded me how lucky I was.
“Any chance I can stay with you and Tommy when my reservation at the inn is up?” I asked, my eyes widening as the question popped out. I hadn’t even planned to ask it.
Grace reacted similarly. “Of course. For how long?”
“Until I find a place here in town. And a job so I can afford it, obviously. My savings isn’t going to last forever.”
“What about your apartment in Philly?”
I bit my lip. “I broke my lease when I came here. All my stuff is in my parents’ garage.”
“Fi,” Grace said, her voice cracking on my name as she placed a hand over my arm. “You were always planning to move here, weren’t you? This wasn’t just a Christmas trip?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. But either way, I knew I needed to get away from where I was. I’m a mess, I know.”
“No, you’re not. You’re… in your transitional era.”
I snorted. “Okay.”
If this was my transitional era, I hoped it would be a smooth one. And staying with Grace and Tommy would be great. I’d been getting the family discount at the inn, but I couldn’t stay there forever. Sure, it was about as much as I’d paid for rent at the apartment I’d let go of back in Philly, but it wasn’t like I could just become a resident and take one of the rooms away from the tourists who loved the place.
“Does Tommy know about any of this stuff with your apartment? I know you told him you quit your job—which he’s still super concerned about, by the way—but what about the rest?”
“Nope.”
Grace nodded once. “Well, you’re welcome to stay with us as long as you need to.”
“Thanks.”
Grace sighed and looked away, then she nudged my arm. “Oh, hey, looky there. Your knight in shining armor.”
I followed Grace’s gaze to see Hudson standing near the fountain, hands tucked in his coat pockets as he chatted with Nick and a man I didn’t know. The three of them laughed about something, but then Hudson’s eyes drifted to me like he’d been waiting to catch my eye.
“Did you know he’d be here?” I asked, trying—and failing—to sound indifferent.
“Everyone’s here,” Grace said with a shrug. Then she grinned. “But no, I didn’t. It’s a nice bonus, though, isn’t it?”
Before I could respond, I was distracted by the sight of Hudson lifting a hand in a short wave. I hesitated, but Grace didn’t, dragging me toward him with a mischievous gleam in her eye.
“Ladies,” Hudson greeted us in that warm, deep voice of his.
“Sofia, meet Jamie,” Nick said, gesturing at the other man they stood with. “He’s a firefighter, so I work with him when I volunteer at the station.”
Not only did Nick run the inn with his mom, but he was also a volunteer firefighter and spearheaded the set-up and break-down of the town’s annual Gingerbread Ball. With all of that plus his and Holly’s two kids to raise, I had no idea how he had time to stand out here for a scavenger hunt.
“Nice to meet you,” I said to Jamie as I shook his hand. And though there was no spark of heat at his touch, I did feel something when I briefly made eye contact with Hudson as I released Jamie’s hand.
“You too,” Jamie replied.
“Ready to lose, Jamie?” Grace asked, clearly already familiar with him.
“Who, me? Not on your life,” Jamie replied.
My throat went dry. Jamie was apparently quite competitive. Something my pen pal had made very clear in his letter about today’s event. Interesting.
Could he be my pen pal?
It wouldn’t be the worst thing. Jamie had an easy smile that, when flashed in my direction, made my brain short-circuit for a second. It would make sense for it to be him—the playful tone in his voice matched the letters perfectly.
But just as quickly as the thought popped into my head, Hudson’s gaze caught mine, and that flicker of possibility faded into the background.
“Besides,” Jamie added, “Nick’s my partner, and he has insider tips.”
Grace smirked. “Cheater.”
“Right,” Nick grumbled. “Like you aren’t planning to see what Tommy knows since he’s been wandering around here for an hour longer than the rest of us?”
Grace shot something back at Nick, causing Jamie to join in on their banter. But I was distracted by a certain pair of hazel eyes again.
“If Nick’s with Jamie, who’s your partner?” I asked Hudson, my belly flipping at the slight grin he offered.
“Not competing,” he replied. “Just here for moral support.”
“Oh, really? Not much for competitions?”
“Trying to quit,” he teased.
His gaze flicked over me as he said it, and warmth creeped up my neck despite the cold. But then his words sunk in, and his tiny admission had me crossing him off my list of suspects when it came to the pen pal exchange.
Too bad.
That said, it wouldn’t make much sense for it to be Hudson, anyway. Every interaction we’d had since the day we met had been colored with this deep intensity, but my pen pal? His words were the epitome of of carefree and light.
But none of that meant I couldn’t enjoy being in Hudson’s presence.
“You’re on,” Jamie said to Grace, causing me to snap out of my reverie just in time for Grace to loop her arm through mine and tug me away.
As we speed-walked, Grace leaned in and whispered, “Girl. Did you see the way that man was looking at you?”
“Who?”
Grace frowned. “Huh. I guess both of them. Got any plans for a Christmas romance this year? I promise I’ll help make sure neither of them are bad guys this time.”
I shook my head, bumping her shoulder with mine. “Focus, Grace. I don’t know what the terms were, but I have a feeling we’re gonna wanna win whatever bet you just made.”
An hour later, Grace caught my arm, her eyes lighting up as she spotted a vendor’s booth covered in shimmering ornaments. “Sofia, look at these! They’re stunning. Let’s take a shopping break.”
I laughed softly. “Uh, we’re supposed to be solving clues, not shopping.”
“We’re killing it. Let’s reward ourselves.” Grace waved me off, already halfway to the table.
I shook my head as I watched her go, a small smile tugging at my lips. Grace had an uncanny ability to get sidetracked, especially when something shiny was involved. Left momentarily alone, I glanced around the crowd, my hands fidgeting with the cuff of my coat.
“Lose your partner?”
I turned to find Hudson standing behind me, his expression as relaxed as ever. But his eyes? They were sharp and focused in that way I was beginning to realize he couldn’t turn off if he tried.
“She got distracted by ornaments.”
“Happens to the best of us,” he said, his mouth curving into an amused smile.
“What about you? I know you said you weren’t competing, but I could’ve sworn I saw you helping Jamie after Nick bailed.”
“Yeah… Nick ditched Jamie to help Holly. Guess the new recipe she’s prepping for dinner tonight needed a taste-tester.”
“How convenient,” I teased, then looked around. “So, where’s Jamie, then? Did he bail, too?”
“Yep.”
“He was losing, wasn’t he?”
“I tried to help, but he was already too far behind. Figured I’d come check on you now that I was free, though.” His tone was light, but there was something steady in his gaze that made me feel like he was measuring my mood. “How’s it going?”
I hesitated. “It’s… fine. Fun, even. I’m stuck on a clue, though. Wanna join my team now that I got ditched, too?”
Hudson studied me for a moment, then nodded toward the path. “After you.”
“Okay,” I said, squinting at the paper as we walked. “‘The place where joy and history meet—look high, not low, for your next treat.’”
“Cryptic.”
I groaned. “Right? Why are these always so vague?”
Hudson glanced around the square. “What about the clock tower?”
I squinted at it. “You might be right. Let’s check.”
As we approached, a shadow shifted in my peripheral vision. I turned, my pulse quickening, but when I looked again, the street was empty.
Just a trick of the light.
“All good?” Hudson asked.
Of course he’d pick up on my unease, stopping to turn to me when my steps had faltered. Was there anything this guy missed?
I nodded, glancing over my shoulder once more, then forced a smile as we fell into step again. The soft crunch of snow beneath our boots filled the silence, and for a moment, it was almost easy to forget about why I was on edge.
I opened my mouth to ask Hudson about his time in the military, but then snapped it shut before I could utter a word. Dane stood at the edge of the square, leaning against a lamppost. He wasn’t doing anything overtly threatening, though, just watching. But it was the kind of watching that made my skin crawl.
“What is it?” Hudson asked, his voice low as he followed my gaze. Then his body stiffened, the shift subtle but unmistakable.
“Dane,” I whispered.
I’d thought he’d left by now. He hadn’t reappeared ever since that chat at the cafe, so I was starting to think I was off the hook.
But, apparently not.
My breath caught as I studied him, leaning too casually against the lamppost like he didn’t have a care in the world. But his eyes—they were sharp, calculating, and fixed on me. A chill swept through me, colder than the snow underfoot. My fingers tightened around my clue sheet, the paper crumpling slightly as I fought the urge to bolt.
Hudson didn’t move, didn’t make any sudden gestures. Instead, his eyes stayed on Dane, his jaw tense. “Has he tried to talk to you since the coffee shop?”
“No. But…” I hesitated, the words sticking in my throat.
“But what?”
I started to reply, then shook my head, hating how paranoid I’d sound if I actually let him in on my thoughts about the drawer in my room. “Nothing. Never mind.”
Hudson turned to face me fully, his brow furrowed. “Sofia, if there’s something going on, you need to tell me.”
“It’s not…” I trailed off, glancing away. “I think I’m just being paranoid. He hasn’t done anything, but I can’t shake the feeling that he’s… I don’t know. Trying to get in my head.”
Hudson’s expression softened, though the tension in his frame didn’t ease. “You’re not being paranoid. If he’s here, watching you, then he’s already in your head. That’s what guys like him do.”
My chest tightened at the weight of his words, and though I wanted to look up at him, I kept me eyes on the ground between us.
“I’m still here, Sofia,” Hudson continued, lifting a gloved hand to my chin and urging me to meet his gaze. “If anything happens, you tell me. Got it? You promised.”
I huffed out a laugh, but the concern in his eyes chipped away at my defenses. Finally, I nodded. “Okay.”
How long had it been since someone offered to stand beside me instead of expecting me to figure everything out alone? The thought was foreign enough to make my chest ache.
Hudson glanced over his shoulder, his gaze narrowing slightly as he looked back toward the now-Dane-free lamppost. When he turned back to me, his expression was unreadable, but his voice was calm. “C’mon. Let’s find Grace before she buys out the entire ornament booth.”
Clocktower clue abandoned, I nodded, falling into step beside him again. But even as we walked away, I couldn’t shake the feeling of Dane’s eyes on me, lingering like a shadow I couldn’t outrun.