As soon as he’s gone, I glance at Nonna, who’s watching with a knowing look. She winks at me, a mischievous glint in her eyes, and I blush furiously. Of course, she’s here right when Andrew shows up.
“Nonna!” I scold her half-heartedly. “What are you doing here so late?”
“I could ask you the same question, dear,” she replies with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Me?” I glance around the bookstore. “I’m working.”
Nonna looks at me, then at the door where Andrew had exited, and back at me, raising her eyebrows. “That didn’t look like work to me.”
“All right,” I relent, seeing her barely contained excitement, “I ran into Andrew when I was in Silver Valley. We started talking and…”
“And?” Nonna prompts.
“We became friends,” I admit with a shy smile.
“Friends?” she asks, a hopeful glint in her eyes.
“Friends,” I confirm, giving Nonna a look that essentially says, “let’s not make this a bigger deal than it needs to be.”
“Hmm,” Nonna hums, folding her arms over her chest and furrowing her brows.
Then she breaks into a wide grin, her eyes sparkling with delight. “I don’t know, Jane. You two looked more than just friends to me.”
“Nonna!” I protest, my cheeks heating up. She simply shrugs and chuckles, looking quite pleased with herself.
“I’m just saying,” she continues, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “That boy was looking at you like you were the last piece of pie at Thanksgiving dinner.”
I groan and bury my face in my hands. “Please tell me you’re not going to start matchmaking…”
She laughs and pats my hand affectionately. “No need for that, dear. I think you two are doing just fine on your own.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out quickly.
Hi, Jane *snowflake emoji*, it’s Andrew.
My heart races again as I quickly save his number and type out a response.
Hey, Andrew *Christmas tree emoji* See you tomorrow at the tree lighting ceremony.
I hit send and clutch my phone to my chest, a massive grin spreading across my face. Nonna chuckles from her seat on the couch, shaking her head at me.
“There’s that smile I love so much,” she says warmly, rising from her seat and making her way over to me. She reaches out, patting my cheek affectionately before heading towards the door. “I’m off for the night, dear. Don’t stay up too late pining after your detective.”
If only it were that simple, Nonna.
11
Andrew
A sense of anticipation fills the winter air as I walk away from Jane’s home with her by my side. Angus happily trots alongside us, his tail wagging in excitement as we walk toward the center of town for the annual tree lighting festival.
Despite the chilly air nipping at our noses and fingers, my body is buzzing with anticipation. Having Jane by my side only adds to the thrill, but there’s a small hint of nervousness knowing that this is our first outing as a couple outside of our Silver Valley bubble.
“The weather couldn’t be more perfect for the festival!” Jane exclaims with a wide smile. “I love it when it’s cold enough to truly feel like Christmas. One year, it was so warm we all ended up wearing shorts to the tree lighting. It was quite comical.”
“Last year was too cold,” I recall, “and not many people showed up. It was a bit sad.
When was the last time you were here for the festival?”
