ChapterTwenty-Four
BRYCE
Aglance at the clock in the station confirmed that Krystal officially left Minden an hour ago. At least, according to Monica. Because I’d carefully managed to avoid Krystal for the last week. After she saw me crying over her in the park, I figured it was better to just cut my losses. After all, I’d told her I was okay. Or that I would be.
One of those was true. Hopefully.
There was a knock on the door of the station, and I bit back a groan when Gladys opened the door and came inside. “Yoo-hoo! I come bearing cookies! No need to put your shirts on for me,” she hollered with a giggle.
“Hi, Mrs. Pinkman. What can we do for you today?”
If being rude while I was off duty was a bad idea, doing it while at the station was absolutely unthinkable. Still, seeing Gladys was the last thing I wanted on an already crummy day.
“Captain Storm, I was just dropping off the cookies I baked for you and your fellow firemen. We appreciate you so much!”
“Firefighters,” I corrected her. “The proper term is firefighter. Not fireman.”
“Oh.” She waved a hand. “Whatever. I heard that Krystal left town, so I figured you could use some cheering up. Trina was going to come, but she said she had some sort of quench treatment to do? I’m not really sure. I’m just glad she’s moisturizing.”
I tried not to laugh. Trina definitely wasn’t skipping out on cookie delivery to moisturize. With her blacksmithing hobby, I found it likely there was another type of quenching happening.
“Well, that’s very kind of you, Gladys. But no cheering up is necessary on my part.” I grabbed the plate and gave my best nonchalant, non-heartbroken expression as I set them on the coffee table. “The guys will certainly enjoy the cookies, though. Right, guys?”
Matteo looked up, his mouth already full of chocolate. “Mmm-hmm. Thank you,” he said, the words garbled.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, firefighter,” I ordered.
He paused and swallowed. “Thank you, ma’am. They’re delicious.”
Gladys looked down her nose at Matteo. “Yes, well, Captain Storm, I hope you will get some as well. If you like them, I can have Trina bring more for your date on Saturday.”
I couldn’t stop my mouth from falling open and my eyebrows from springing upward. “Say what now?”
“Your date. After the auction, of course. With Krystal out of town, you’ll be up for grabs again. My Trina is just so excited.”
Her Trina couldn’t care less about dating me, or anyone else, as far as I could tell.
“Ah. Well, bidding can be quite competitive, you know. I suppose we will just see what happens.”
I mentally prayed for deliverance and cursed Krystal for leaving me without a rescue partner. Monica would never go along with being my shield, since she was as determined as Gladys to set me up with someone–even if it was Trina.
“I better go. I’ll see you Saturday, though, Captain Storm.”
I shut the door and locked it behind Gladys before turning around to lean against it.
Great. I was already dreading the event with Krystal gone. Now I had one more thing to worry about.
* * *
KRYSTAL
Being back in Snow Hill, Pennsylvania felt a bit like returning to summer camp as a child. There were familiar faces and places and a sense of excitement bubbling inside. We’d filmedA Nanny for Christmashere last year, though I was only on set for three weeks with my relatively minor role.
Snow Hill was the unofficial filming ground for TV Christmas movies. Several of the big-name streaming companies and cable networks filmed here during the year. While I explored the quaint town last year, I began to understand why this little town was so perfect for these heartwarming films. Christmas tree farms filled the countryside outside of town, and the downtown area had several cute courtyard squares perfect for filming fake holiday festivals, Christmas tree lighting ceremonies, and parades.
The townspeople seemed to have embraced their default role as Christmas movie central, decorating for the holiday nearly year-round. After I checked into the hotel, I called Priscilla.
“I made it,” I said by way of greeting.