Small Town Christmas (Blue Harbor #4) - Olivia Miles Page 0,56

the last hour or so.

“You never stop,” Phil remarked. He hesitated before adding, “I was sort of hoping you’d have some free time today. So we could…talk.”

Talk? Her heart skipped a beat when she considered the implication. There was something he wanted to tell her.

Her mind wandered back to that visit he’d made to the real estate office. Had he seen the good that being here had done for Georgie? And for himself?

Never mind, she thought, biting her lip.

Natalie raised her eyebrows. All but mouthed, “Go!”

Cora hesitated. In years past, she only ever took a break from the stand to make the rounds, support the other kiosks, and of course grab some cider or hot chocolate to stay warm. But this year, she had too good of an excuse to leave.

“Time for you and Georgie? Of course.” She stage-whispered to Georgie, “There’s a snowman contest later on and I happen to be an expert snowman maker.”

“Why doesn’t this surprise me?” Phil laughed again.

The first stop was a warm beverage, complements of Buttercream Bakery, of course. As much as Cora enjoyed chatting with her sisters, she was happy to see that Maddie’s assistant was covering things while Maddie picked up the last of her supplies from the storefront. She didn’t need any more suggestive glances just now, even though she was sure there would be more to come.

“Do you like to sled?” Cora asked Georgie, as they all sipped steaming cups of thick hot chocolate. They were seated near one of the warming stations, and as reluctant as Cora was to leave behind the cozy feeling she had, seated with Phil and his daughter on a bench, sharing a thick, wool, plaid blanket that they used to cover their legs, she couldn’t imagine a better reason than to enter the sledding contest.

“We don’t have sledding in California,” Georgie said. “And when I visit Daddy, he lives in a big building in the city, and there are only other buildings all around it.”

“Well,” Cora said, with a knowing smile. “Just a couple blocks behind this town square there happens to be a really big, huge, giant hill.”

“Really?” Phil looked at her in confusion, and Cora had to burst out laughing. The tension had officially dissipated and she was thankful for it. She liked this, spending time with Phil and Georgie, showing them her town, and seeing Georgie get nearly as excited as she was as a child.

And she was starting to get the impression that Phil liked it too.

“Oh, that hill!” Phil winked at her, catching on. Really, it was hardly a mountain, but it was steep, and the walk up and down it used to make Cora and her sisters break a sweat through layers of thermal shirts, sweaters, snowsuits, scarves, and hats. The wind in the face as they whisked down to the bottom again made the hike worth it, though.

“There’s a sledding competition,” Cora said. She checked her phone. “We still have time if we hurry.”

“Can we, Dad?” Georgie turned to him excitedly.

“Sounds like fun!” Phil said, standing, and Cora had the impression that he wasn’t just saying that for his daughter’s behalf.

They trekked through the snow to the back of the festival, and through the wooded path where signs led everyone to the hill. Already, Cora could see a crowd gathering at the top, and she realized with a little laugh that the hill looked even smaller now as an adult.

“It’s been a few years since I’ve done this,” she admitted to Phil, who was just shaking his head.

“It’s the Midwest,” he said. “Not Colorado. Still, look.” He jutted his chin to Georgie, whose eyes were wide circles now as she gasped at the sledding hill before her.

He bent down and whispered, “Think you’re brave enough?”

She swatted him, the smile never leaving her face. “Let’s hurry!”

Cora and Phil stood in line for the sleds while she dashed away. “She reminds me so much of myself when I was that age,” Cora said.

“How so?” Phil asked.

“Oh, you know, just a zest for life.”

Phil thought about it for a moment. “She doesn’t get it from me. I…I never was that way, you know? Guess I’m still not.”

“Oh, now,” Cora said, not willing to let him off the hook that easily. “You are about to enter Blue Harbor’s annual sledding competition. Winner gets a gift certificate to the Carriage House Inn. The pub there can’t be beat.”

“And the loser?”

“A trip to the hospital for a broken leg?” Cora was only half