Chapter 5
FIVE
CASSIDY
Later that afternoon, Cassidy had just ordered a neon sign for the Spiced Cocoa Café featuring a steaming mug and marshmallows when Emily from the bakery, a few shops down, rushed through the door. She did a full three-sixty, cataloging the shop.
“Please tell me everything down here is okay,” Emily said without preamble, brushing snowflakes off her coat sleeves. Her cheeks were flushed, either from the wind or fury—or both.
“Yeah, I’m all good. First day’s going well. What’s going on?”
“Nothing’s broken? Missing?”
“Not unless you count my sanity.”
Emily didn’t laugh. “I’m serious, Cassidy. Someone destroyed my decorations.”
“Your Christmas decorations? Why?”
“God knows. And I only have until Friday to redo it all.” Emily groaned.
Cassidy thought back to Emily’s display, which was all ready for her slot on Friday, the first one of the year. She’d created the most adorable tree outside her shop, made of stacked upside-down pie tins and twinkle lights. Cassidy had loved it instantly.
“What about your tree? Tell me it survived!”
“Afraid not. I found parts of it behind the bakery dumpster!”
Cassidy gasped.
“I know. It was so cute! What am I going to do? It took me a week to make that thing.”
“I’m so sorry, Emily.”
“And my inflatable gingerbread man? Slashed. Just lying there in the snow, deflated, like a sad crime scene.”
Cassidy covered her mouth. “No!”
“Yes. Do you know what this means?”
“No, what?”
“We have a grinch among us! A real-life Gingerbread Jerk!” Emily declared.
“A Gingerbread Jerk? Here?” Cassidy had just started settling into the idea that Maple Falls was made of snowflakes and sugar cookies. The idea that someone was sabotaging Christmas displays felt like something out of a big-city headline. It just didn’t fit in this winter village come to life.
“Mark my words! Something fishy is underfoot.”
If it was true… her mind started racing through possibilities.
The only two Scrooges she’d come across in this town were Liam and Mr. Alders.
Liam would never destroy personal property, would he?
He might have a weird personal vendetta against Christmas, and he was determined to win the contest. But he’d grown up in this town.
He was close to his friends; he wouldn’t do something to hurt one of them.
The older man, on the other hand, well, he had quite an opinion on Christmas décor.
“Do you have any suspects?” she asked, not quite ready to throw Mr. Alders under the bus.
“Not yet, but you can guarantee I’ll be keeping an eye out.”
“Yeah, absolutely. I don’t blame you,” Cassidy said slowly. “I’ll do the same.”
“Thanks,” Emily said. “And if you hear anything—kids messing around, suspicious snowmen, whatever—say something. People are starting to talk.”
Cassidy leaned in. “What are they saying?”
Emily shrugged. “It’s mostly just speculation. We all love a little Christmas competition around here, but this is something else. I smell sabotage.”
“You think it’s personal?”
“I think it’s petty and horrible. Probably someone who’s mad they weren’t asked to participate.
” She glanced pointedly at Cassidy’s front window, which, aside from a small display, was still pretty empty.
Soon it would be filled with lights, garlands, and a chocolate display fit for first place.
But right now, it was a blank canvas, not exactly a vandal’s playground.
“Although I doubt it’s aimed at you. Yet. ”
Cassidy twisted her lips. “Yeah, I know. I need to get with the program…” It had just been such a busy few weeks since she’d moved here from New York, what with redecorating the shop and making all the chocolates.
Her to-do list was never-ending. She’d been focused on getting her business up and running, and not on the light-up contest. But that had to change.
She needed to design something that would draw customers to her shop, and their votes.
“Promise you’ll let me know if you hear anything,” Emily said, walking toward the door.
“I will, promise.”
Cassidy’s heart broke for Emily. She knew how stressful it was to start from scratch with the clock ticking. Speaking of which…
She ladled a fresh mug of cocoa, put on her coat and stepped outside to survey the front of her shop.
The Cocoa Corner looked cozy enough with its striped awning, the soft glow of pendant lights inside, and the rich scent of chocolate wafting out every time the door opened.
The tables she’d set up were charming, with mismatched chairs and soft, plaid cushions she’d found at the flea market. It was warm. Welcoming.
But it wasn’t Christmas.
Not yet.
Emily was right, she was behind. Everyone else had decked their storefronts with garlands, window scenes, and themed displays, even if they weren’t taking part in the contest. In less than two hours, the sun would be setting and Oak Way would light up.
Meanwhile, the Cocoa Corner looked like it hadn’t even heard of Christmas, except that annoying wreath that kept falling down.
She took a sip of cocoa, the warmth not quite reaching the knot in her stomach.
A vandal in Maple Falls just didn’t fit. This town was all twinkly lights, kind neighbors, and friendly gossip. But the word “sabotage” kept echoing in her ears.
Cassidy glanced at the café tables, the ones she’d dragged out on a whim, thinking they might attract cocoa drinkers with strong constitutions. They looked so plain now. Exposed.
She lowered her mug. “Okay. Time to sparkle.”
She only had a few crates of holiday odds and ends out of storage, but nobody should underestimate what can be achieved by some twinkle lights, garlands, and the slightly chaotic energy of a woman who’s just been warned of small-town sabotage.
If someone was trying to mess with the competition, she wasn’t going to make it easy.
Because Cassidy St. Clair didn’t back down from a challenge, especially a festive one. Oh no. She was going to make her shop sparkle so bright that no grinch would even dream of touching it.
She was halfway through wrapping a candy-cane-striped garland around one of the front café tables when Muff gave a dramatic huff and flopped in front of the door, as if all this decorating was all work and no play.
“You’re not exactly helping,” she muttered, nudging the loose end of the garland around the table leg while Muff let out a groan that sounded suspiciously like a yawn.
That’s when she saw Liam stepping out from his shop across the street, coffee in hand.
His beard looked freshly trimmed, dark eyes shaded under thick brows as he crossed the street with easy confidence, like he had nowhere to be and knew everyone would wait for him anyway. The cold didn’t seem to touch him.
“Ah, I see you’ve finally stepped up your game,” he said, coming to a stop beside her. He took a sip from a black ceramic mug that read “Bee Cool,” with a tiny cartoon honeybee on the front.
She caught herself biting her lip and narrowed her eyes at him.
“Is that supposed to be a threat or a flex?” Cassidy refused to look at his shop and catalog the amount of decorating he’d already done today.
She liked it better when he just had a wreath and a bit of garland. Now he was showing her up.
“Bit of both,” he said, flashing a slow, infuriating grin.
“For your information, these are more than decorations. I’m making a statement.”
He quirked a brow, but before he could respond, Muff trotted over, tail wagging furiously. His entire posture softened as he crouched down, ruffling the pup’s ears.
“Well, hey there, sweetheart,” he murmured, the corners of his mouth lifting into a relaxed, genuine smile Cassidy hadn’t seen before.
Muff licked his chin, and Liam chuckled, the sound low and warm.
“You’re a traitor, you know that?” Cassidy muttered to her dog, but she couldn’t help noticing the way Liam’s dimples showed when his face lit up.
She was smiling in return before she could even help herself.
Liam glanced up from Muff. “So what’s this big statement, then? The dollar store’s named you their holiday princess?”
Her smile turned to a scowl. “Hey! I’ll have you know these decorations were expensive!” She stopped and looked around at the cheap tinsel and lights she’d rounded up. “Okay, that’s a lie. But that’s not the point.”
Liam scratched under Muff’s chin, the pup leaning into him with blissful abandon. “Then what’s the statement about?” he asked, still smiling at the dog.
She crossed her arms. “No Gingerbread Jerk is going to dim my holiday sparkle.”
“What’s a gingerbread jerk?”
“Not a gingerbread jerk. The Gingerbread Jerk.” She sighed. “Emily stopped by in full crisis mode. Said someone trashed her pie tin tree and told me to keep an eye on my things.”
He let out a short laugh. “She made a tree out of pie tins?”
“It was charming,” she defended, eyes flashing. “And now it’s a pile of twisted metal behind her bakery.” She may have taken poetic liberties with that last line.
He took a sip of coffee, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Maybe the saboteur’s just doing the town a favor. Christmas around here can be a little… much.”
She paused mid-wrap. “Wow. Okay. Now you sound like Mr. Alders.”
“Mr. Alders? The sweet old guy at the hardware store?”
“Sweet?” She huffed. “He came into my shop and said I was ruining everything. That it was all ‘too much like the rest of Maple Falls.’ You should’ve seen the way he looked at my sweater.
” She flung her coat open to reveal her bright green sweater with flashing lights and a cartoon gingerbread man giving a thumbs-up.
Liam burst out laughing, Muff barking happily as if in agreement.
“What?” she demanded, hands on hips.
“You didn’t flash him like that, did you?” he asked, eyes dancing with mischief.
“Shut up.” She couldn’t hide the flush in her cheeks.
He stood, brushing snow from his jeans. “I’m just saying, that sweater is a lot.”
“At least I’m not hiding behind ‘bah humbug’ to avoid Christmas.”
That wiped the smile from his face, his jaw tightening as he looked away, the warmth he’d shown Muff retreating as quickly as it had come.
“Sorry,” Cassidy said, seeming to realize she’d hit a nerve. “It’s just… this place… this competition, it matters to me. I’m just getting started, and if someone’s out there destroying things—”
Muff barked once, as if to break the tension, and he ruffled her ears one last time before stepping back.
“I really don’t think it’s that deep. The wind could’ve taken Emily’s tree. Or it’s a bunch of bored teens messing around. As for Mr. Alders…” He paused, then smiled. “He probably just misses Rita. He had a soft spot for her.”
“Sure, take his side. I can see how you two would get along,” she grumbled.
“Trust me. He’s one of the kindest people in town. A little cranky, sure, but harmless.”
Cassidy wasn’t convinced.
Liam took another sip of coffee, watching her. “But… if it turns out that the man’s on a holiday rampage, I’ll be the first to help you take him down.”
That earned him a reluctant grin.
“Promise?”
He sighed. “Promise.”
She hesitated, then nudged his boot with the toe of hers. “Thanks, I appreciate it. Even if you are a traitor to holiday fun.”
“Oh, I’ve got plenty of time for fun,” he said, his voice dropping half an octave, eyes locked on hers. “Just depends on the kind of games we’re playing.”
The air between them pulsed with heat, visible even in the cold.
Cassidy rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”
“You like it,” he said, letting the corner of his mouth curl just slightly.
She reached down to scratch Muff’s ears, looking away before she gave in to the urge to move closer to those lips.