Small Town Christmas (Blue Harbor #4) - Olivia Miles Page 0,13

wind either. It was Phil. And his daughter. Standing in the tree lot.

Did that mean that they were here to stay for the next few weeks?

“Hello,” she said, smiling slowly as she crossed a few feet into the lot. Bart was busy helping old Mrs. Benson now, and given how picky she had been just a short hour ago in the store, Cora was fairly certain her indecisiveness would distract Bart long enough to keep him from picking up on Cora’s obvious delight at seeing Phil.

Bart had been after her for years to find a little romance, after all, but then, he was yet to find any himself. More than once they’d lamented the fact they were just friends—which they were—because that’s what happened when you knew someone as long as she and Bart had known each other. Since preschool to be exact. He was a sweet guy, and he was in the business of Christmas, but there wasn’t a spark.

There wasn’t…magic.

Whereas with Phil…

She let her gaze drift from Phil to Georgie, who was staring at the trees with obvious joy. She could see the resemblance more clearly now. The dark hair, the bright eyes. There was something else familiar about the little girl, though. Something she couldn’t quite pinpoint.

“Is it safe to assume that your Christmas wish has come true?” She winked at the little girl and then smiled up at Phil, who looked less amused than she was.

“I have a very convincing daughter,” he said wryly. “But it seems that you can’t have a small-town Christmas without a tree, so…”

“You can’t have any Christmas without a tree!” Cora said, laughing. “But then, I do own a holiday shop.”

He gave her a funny look, and she wondered for a moment if her enthusiasm for the holiday was bordering on “too much” as her sisters sometimes accused her of over the years.

She paused, thinking of how, despite their complaints, they were always grateful for everything that she did, and always eagerly looked forward to the little traditions she kept alive, like tonight’s tree decorating, for example.

Phil gestured to the tree he was holding by the trunk. “What do you think of this one?”

Cora hadn’t even considered where they might be staying, but now her interest was piqued.

“It’s beautiful, but it might be a bit large for one of the inns.”

“Oh, we’re staying in a house,” Phil said tightly.

Cora didn’t press. There were plenty of people in town who rented out vacation properties, though less so at this time of year. Still, if Phil had decided to go so far as to rent a house, that meant that he was committed to staying.

She couldn’t hide her smile.

“I think it’s perfect,” Georgie said.

“I couldn’t agree more.” Cora shivered against a gust of wind. Maybe it was the shop owner in her, or maybe it was the thrill of a potential romance, but she added, “If you need some decorations for the tree, you know where to come.”

“Right next door!” Georgie exclaimed. Then, after a brief pause, she asked, “Will you have cookies again?”

Cora laughed. “Every day of the holiday season,” she promised. Maddie’s bakery was new; it was her way of supporting her youngest sister, and so far the customers were all too happy with the addition.

“Then we’ll be there!” Georgie said.

Cora gave Phil one last glance before she walked away. “I look forward to it.”

*

Phil groaned under his breath. Georgie certainly wasn’t making any of this easier for him, not that he could tell her that. She was a child, and she wanted a magical Christmas, and he could already tell that Blue Harbor was going to offer her more than his “sad” apartment back in Chicago ever could.

If that wasn’t history repeating itself, he wasn’t sure what was.

But it wasn’t just the part about staying in town that was the issue. It was Cora, and her friendly way with Georgie. After all, what child wouldn’t love a store like that at Christmastime? There were toys and lights and…a pink tree!

He smiled in spite of himself. He knew the answer to that question, and it was him. Growing up, Christmas was just another day of the year. His father saw it as his busy season—close to the year-end crunch. His mother saw it as a social season, a time for parties and toasts. There wasn’t time to bother with a tree most years, and eventually Phil stopped seeing the reason for one and started thinking practically, like his parents. Take this