bag of decorations with both hands.
Georgie was the one to fling open the door. Cora supposed she should have expected this and she was secretly pleased, because the little girl’s energy was contagious and her chatter immediately put Cora at ease.
“Daddy forgot to buy lights,” she announced as Cora stomped the snow off her boots onto the mat and then began sliding them off.
Phil appeared at the end of the hallway, looking guilty as charged. “I see you’ve already told on me,” he said in a mock scolding tone.
“There appear to be no secrets with Georgie around,” Cora laughed, but a strange shadow fell over Phil’s expression.
His brow knitted for a moment before he recovered quickly. “Well, I’m not really sure what to do about a tree without lights.”
Cora hid a knowing smile and handed over the bag. “I had a feeling you might need these.”
Phil looked in the bag at the six packages of lights and laughed. “What do I owe you?”
Cora brushed his offer away. “This isn’t your boardroom, sir. Here in Blue Harbor, we share. We’re neighborly like that.”
“Don’t tell me that people also knock on each other’s doors without an invitation,” he said.
“Of course! And at this time of year, it’s called caroling!” When he laughed, she pointed to the bag of lights. “I have more in stock than I will ever sell. One year I sold out and I promised myself never to let that happen again. Consider it an early Christmas gift.”
“Well, thank you,” Phil said sincerely. He set the bag down on a console table. “Here, let me take your coat.”
Cora unwound her scarf and unbuttoned her coat, her heart speeding up when Phil helped her slip out of the parka. She was wearing another of her favorite sweaters—a creamy angora scoop neck with the gold necklace that she usually saved for special occasions.
Was it sad that this was such a rare occurrence in her life? That she was already twenty-nine and she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d gone on a date, much less spent any amount of time with an attractive, single man?
And Phil was attractive, possibly even more so tonight, now that it was the first time she was seeing him without a coat on. His navy wool sweater revealed broad shoulders and strong arms, and in casual jeans, he seemed taller than she remembered, but then, she was no longer standing with the extra heel of her boots.
She followed him to the front room, where the dark tree sat in the corner, next to the fireplace. She immediately realized that Phil was in dire need of her help, and not just because of his oversight when it came to the lights.
“Does the fireplace work?” Cora inquired. She’d spotted a stack of firewood just outside the house, covered in a tarp. The Keatons hadn’t lived here in almost a year, and while she knew the neighbors kept an eye on things here and there, she hoped that it wasn’t rain-soaked.
Phil looked surprised at the suggestion and then shrugged. “Don’t see why not. I’ll grab some logs from outside.”
While he did that, Cora quickly found an old-fashioned radio and turned the dial to her favorite station, the one that played Christmas carols twenty-four hours a day all through the season, and which of course made her sisters groan about seven days into it back when they were younger.
By the time Phil returned, with snow dusting the top of his dark, wavy hair, things were almost starting to feel festive, and Georgie was practically dancing with excitement.
Phil grinned as he closed the door behind him, shutting out the cold wind and securing them all in this warm, cozy house. Cora looked around as he crouched at the base of the hearth, albeit mostly to stop herself from staring at the way his wide shoulders strained and moved as he tended to the logs.
“This is a lovely house,” Cora said. “Actually, the owners of this house also own my shop. Well, not the shop, but the building.”
Phil nodded slowly and said, without turning toward her, “They’re my grandparents.”
“Really?” Cora took a moment to process that, along with the fact that he hadn’t said so earlier when she’d referred to her landlords. “Well, small world!”
Now that she thought about it, Mrs. Keaton did mention a grandson, one that was helping to set them up in a smaller, assisted-living apartment. Her eyes shone when she spoke of him, even though she never mentioned her