Snow:He’s not your type
Me:Because he’s not a bear?LOL.
Snow:Is his name Kyle or Brad?
I burst into laughter, and the two people still lingering before close up glance my way.I mouth anI’m sorry.
Me:Mark
Snow: Same thing.
Another giggle escapes me.
Me:I grew up with him.It’s been a while since I’ve seen him.He might have changed from what I remember.
Snow:Are you saying you might be interested?
Me:No!I mean he’s going to be a lawyer soon.
Snow:What’s wrong with lawyers?
Me:I don’t know.It doesn’t sound like what my love story would be.
Snow:What do you think it would be?
Me:I really don’t know.
That’s what scares me.Why has no one piqued my interest?I love romance, but I’ve never tried to have one of my own.Have I set the bar too high in my mind?Maybe I think that I’ll be knocked over by love one day and I don’t want to believe love at first sight isn’t real.Or maybe I’m not living in reality.
Snow:I don’t think you should toss someone away because they’re a lawyer.
She might be right.I think I still have a bad taste in my mouth from Donna and what she tried to pull between Joy and Mayor North.
Joy is one of the sweetest people in the world, and I adore her.We have become fast friends since she moved to town months ago.I had a feeling Mayor North and Joy would be a thing.She’d moved to Troping to be his secretary, and Joy’s favorite books were office romances.
Me:Are you saying I should give Mark a chance?
I’m only teasing her.
Snow:NO!
ChapterFour
GABRIEL
“Business…” The woman at the front desk takes a moment to look at my hand and see there’s no wedding ring on my finger.“Or pleasure?”
“Privacy,” I clip and pass her my credit card.Her bright mood dims a little as she completes the transaction and hands me the key to my room.
The inn is nice, even if it’s a little crowded.I should have known in a town like Troping the holidays would be busy, but this is next level.It’s like Buddy the Elf shot a load of Christmas cheer over every available surface.I wouldn’t call myself a scrooge, but this place makes me look like the Grinch's evil twin.
“There’s a hot cocoa bar in the lounge in ten minutes if you’d like to join in for the sing-along,” the receptionist chirps, and I just stare at her blankly.“Or not.”She passes me a map of the town that I’m pretty sure has glitter on it.“Tomorrow there’s a cookie crawl happening downtown.You can go to any of the starred locations for free treats and to see the decorations.”
“Was a bar crawl too spicy?”I ask, and when she looks at me in confusion, I sigh and take the map.
I mumble my thanks as I wade through the crowd and then wait entirely too long for the elevator.Once I finally get to my room, I drop my bags and look out the window at the view below.I asked for the best room, and as much as I want to hate this little town, I’m impressed.The ski slopes go on for miles, and the surrounding mountains are incredible.Now that I’m closed off away from the candy cane lickers, the quiet is peaceful.I can see why someone might want to live here.
Enough of this crap.I check my phone and see what Noel is doing.The thing I got from her was a text saying she’s about to have dinner.I grind my back teeth as I think about what she told me earlier and how she thought a lawyer wasn’t her love story.Why do I even care?What the hell am I so mad about?