Chapter 37
THIRTY-SEVEN
CASSIDY
Cassidy felt sick to her stomach. She couldn’t believe Liam would just disappear like this.
“Does he do this often?” she had asked Madison.
“No, not often. But he’s not himself this time of year, and when he needs a moment, it’s best to give him one.”
She was wiping down the cocoa bar for the third time that morning, glancing out the window at his darkened shop across the street, when the bell over her door jingled.
Beth Hawthorne stepped inside, bringing a swirl of cold air with her, followed closely by Mrs. Bishop and Mrs. C., who was already unwrapping a butterscotch candy.
“There she is,” Beth said warmly, pulling off her gloves and walking straight over to give Cassidy a hug. “Honey, don’t you worry about a thing.”
“Beth, I—”
“We all saw what happened,” Mrs. Bishop cut in, her cheeks flushed from the cold. “That slimy ex of yours dropping to one knee like he was in some cheap holiday movie.”
Mrs. C. sniffed. “If I’d been closer, I would have whacked him with my purse. Hard.”
Cassidy let out a strangled laugh, tears pricking her eyes.
Beth squeezed her shoulder. “Liam just needs a little time, honey. He’ll come around. He always does.”
Mrs. C. nodded, rummaging in her purse. “And when he does, you tell him we said he better not let a two-bit French soap opera villain ruin what you two have.”
Mrs. Bishop was peering around the shop, taking in the scent of warm cocoa and the soft glow of the twinkle lights. “You keeping up okay here, dear? Need us to run deliveries? I’ve got nothing but time now that my knitting club is off for the holidays.”
“I-I’m okay,” Cassidy stammered, overwhelmed by the kindness. “I’m thinking about pulling out of the competition though. After everything, I’m just not sure—”
“What!” Mrs. Bishop shouted. “You can’t do that!”
“Nonsense. Do you know how many Team Cassidy sweaters we’ve sold? This town loves you!” Mrs. C. added.
Beth smiled. “It’s true, and the competition has been so good for the town. Don’t you worry about Liam, and don’t you dare worry about what anyone else thinks.”
“Are you sure?” Cassidy knew winning was a long shot, but after the drama she’d caused, she wasn’t sure if she even had a chance. Not that she wanted to quit…
“Quit talking like that. You’re going to win. You just wait and see!” Mrs. Bishop said, putting an end to the conversation.
Mrs. C. clapped her hands. “Now, who wants spiced cocoa? Because I, for one, think this situation calls for extra whipped cream.”
Cassidy let out a watery laugh, the tension easing from her shoulders for the first time all day. She glanced outside at the falling snow, then back at the women crowding around her cocoa bar, fussing over marshmallows and stirring sticks.
She still didn’t know when Liam would come back.
But at least, in that moment, she knew she wasn’t alone.
It was that evening when she noticed something very wrong. She was outside, getting ready to step out for a walk with Muff, when she looked over and saw Liam’s shop.
“What in the world?” Cassidy murmured as she saw the trees Liam had set up in front of his shop knocked over. Ornaments were shattered across the sidewalk from the force of the fall. Liam had spent so much time making sure her storefront was secure that he hadn’t protected his own.
She looked up and down the street. It wasn’t windy. Not in the least bit. Snow was falling, sure, but it wasn’t a blizzard out. This was more of a lazy snow shower, just passing through.
Liam had been creating an enchanted forest in the green space beside his shop, using real trees potted in rustic wooden containers.
Each tree had a small “For Sale” sign. Some were live potted evergreens, ready to be replanted after the holidays, while others the town would donate to be repurposed as mulch for the community gardens come spring.
It was Zoe’s idea—she’d rallied the crafting club and the local schools, encouraging families to give their Christmas trees a second life instead of tossing them to the curb.
Cassidy loved it. She’d never liked the idea of cutting down trees just to throw them away after a couple of weeks, even if it was for Christmas.
This way was better. It felt hopeful, like a promise of new roots and second chances—something she found herself craving more and more lately.
As Cassidy approached, she realized it was worse than she’d thought.
Not only had the Christmas trees been knocked over, but someone had cut the lights.
The wires were mangled and torn—not just snipped, but unraveled, as if whoever had done it wanted to make repairs impossible.
The lights had been disconnected in several places.
It would be easier to toss the whole thing than to try and fix it.
She felt as guilty as she was appalled. Would this have happened if Liam had been around?
She knew it wasn’t her fault Jean-Paul had shown up and proposed, but she shouldn’t have let him kiss her.
She should’ve pushed him away sooner. But the truth was, she’d been too stunned to react.
One minute she was on her way to pick up a bottle of wine from Gourmet Goodies, and the next, Jean-Paul was in front of her, down on one knee.
It had been like a nightmare, and in that split second of silence, he’d taken her hesitation as agreement.
If that hadn’t happened, maybe it would’ve been Liam punching Jean-Paul in the face, not Madison. Although Cassidy had to admit, Madison had done a hell of a job.
Cassidy created a new group chat so Liam wouldn’t see it.
Cassidy: Anyone free to help? Looks like the Gingerbread Jerk targeted Liam’s shop. Front display ruined. I’m going to try and fix it.
Within seconds, the chat lit up:
Madison: What time do you need us there?
Kit: What the hell??
Emily: Not his shop too!
Zach: I’ll swing by the farm and grab new trees.
Soon, they had a plan. Everyone would meet at Liam’s shop in thirty minutes.
While she waited for her friends to arrive, Cassidy quickly pulled out her phone and searched for farm-inspired holiday décor. One of the first ideas that popped up was a set of reindeer made from birch logs.
“Perfect,” she murmured, taking a screenshot of the directions and calling Zach. “Any chance you know where we can get some birch logs?”
“Probably at the farm. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks.” She clicked off with Zach and figured she could grab the rest of the supplies at the hardware store.
Without a moment to lose, she beelined for the shop and almost walked straight into Mr. Alders.
“Well, if it isn’t the girl who scared off poor Liam,” the gruff older man muttered.
Cassidy tensed. “It was just a misunderstanding. Jean-Paul is an ex who had a hard time accepting no. Nothing else.” She glanced across the street. “You didn’t happen to see what happened to Liam’s display, did you?”
Mr. Alders looked away. “Might’ve seen something.”
She tried to bite her tongue and failed. “What do you mean by that?”
“All I’m saying is I saw it was tipped over. Looks like it was wrecked. Like young Emily’s. Ha.” He gave a smug little snort, as if he might’ve added a bow to the wreckage himself. It was a shame she didn’t have any evidence. She couldn’t go around accusing people based on a hunch.
One thing was for sure: Mr. Alders didn’t exactly radiate Christmas cheer. She brushed past him and entered the hardware store, quickly collecting what she needed.
On her way out, she bumped into Mayor Bloomfield. He was just the man she was looking for.
“Oh! Hello there, Cassidy,” he said, adjusting his green sport coat. His red tie and white shirt gave him a festive, holly-jolly look, like a Christmas elf in retirement.
“Hi, Mayor. Did you see what happened to Liam’s display?”
His smile faded. “No. Don’t tell me—it’s been messed with?”
Cassidy nodded. “Just like Emily’s. Just like the bookstore. I know Maple Falls isn’t exactly a big fan of surveillance cameras, but something needs to be done.” She shifted the shopping bag to her other arm. “Have we at least brought it to the sheriff’s attention?”
Mayor Bloomfield chuckled. “Oh, Cassidy. I know people have been worried about the so-called Gingerbread Jerk, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I think we’re just seeing a string of odd coincidences.
Something more innocent is going on. Nothing to get worked up over. Maple Falls is still a safe place.”
Her eyes drifted toward Mr. Alders again.
The mayor followed her gaze. “You know, big-city living can make the imagination run a little wild. Maybe you’re still adjusting.”
Cassidy liked Mayor Bloomfield, truly. And she loved the way he dressed, but right now, she did not like the way he was dismissing her. She realized she wasn’t going to get any further with him.
“Thanks, Mayor. Have a good night.”
He tipped his head. “You too, Cassidy.”
Outside Liam’s shop, Zach, Madison, Emily, and Kit were already waiting. Zach made quick work of tossing broken ornaments and snapped lights into a trash bag while Madison swept up the scattered debris. Cassidy and Kit worked together to assemble the reindeer from the saved directions.
They worked in silence, trying to recreate the magic Liam had so carefully crafted.
Zach had only been able to bring a couple of trees from the farm.
The potted ones sold out fastest. Thankfully, not all had been destroyed.
A few were just damaged. Cassidy, wearing thick gloves, carefully snipped broken branches and helped string the new lights.
The side of the building, thankfully, was untouched.
A big wreath still hung in the front window, centered with a bright red bow courtesy of Liam’s mom.
Zach had picked it up when he’d gone to get the trees—turns out, she’d been working on it all along.
“I don’t know,” Madison said, stepping back, hands on her hips. “I think it looks even better than before.”
“High-five to the best Christmas decorators in town,” Kit agreed, going up high.
Cassidy had to agree.
There was something simple and beautiful about it. The farm-style reindeer, the warm lights, the hometown charm… It reminded her of his family farm. Comforting. Real.
A place where she could see herself belonging.
And now he was gone and she flat-out missed him. It was crazy how used she’d gotten to seeing him, spending time with him. And now it was just silence.
She knew he had to be hurting, and even though part of her was furious for jumping to conclusions, she hated that for him.
Cassidy looked at the storefront one more time and silently wished he could see it.
Maybe then he’d know how much he meant to her.