Page 75 of Postmarked December

As the night went on, Heather lingered with each person, listening as much as she spoke, feeling as if this release were not a farewell but a homecoming. “Christmas With You” played softly in the background, along with Toby’s other songs, and a couple of the artists surprised the fans with a special appearance.

When the event finished and they’d said their goodbyes, Marion, the final guest, gave Heather a big squeeze with one arm, her daughter Sadie in the other. “I’m proud of you, girl!”

“Thanks.”

“Now it’s time to really celebrate.” She did a little dance, pulling Anthony by the arm and making Heather giggle. “I’ve got Sadie’s and Scarlett’s things and the wine packed! We’re sleep-deprived and needing some adult interaction!”

Marion and Anthony’s daughter was two months old. It hadn’t taken Anthony too long last Christmas to come around, and within a couple months, Marion had danced into the school library and inconspicuously opened her handbag to reveal a positive pregnancy test. They’d danced through the aisles of bookshelves.

“You know the new door code to the cabin?” Heather asked.

“Yep. Got it in my phone.”

“Okay, we’ll see you there.” Heather gave her another squeeze and then hugged Anthony.

After they left, Nick pulled Heather into his arms in the middle of the bookstore as the staff busily rearranged chairs and cleaned up from the event. “You were wonderful tonight.”

“Thank you. You were too. Everyone seems to love this book.”

“How could they not? It’s all about you.”

She pushed herself up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

He pulled back and looked down at her, his smile reaching his eyes. “Ready to go to the cabin for two whole weeks of Christmas fun?”

She wound her fingers through his. “Yes.”

“Earlier this month, while you were at work, I drove up there and decorated it for Christmas.”

“You did?”

“It was a lot easier this year since I wasn’t darting around bushes every time I heard a car on the road.”

She laughed.

“I’ve got everything packed. We just have to swing by my house and pick up Ophelia.”

“Marion and Anthony are on the way now. Think Ophelia and Scarlett will get along?”

He made a face. “There’s only one way to find out. If not, I packed Ophelia’s favorite peanut-butter bone.”

Heather laughed. “She’ll ignore everyone for that.”

Heather and Nick had been inseparable over the last year. He got along famously with Marion and Anthony, and she’d even met a bunch of his friends in East Nashville. She’d realized pretty quickly that Ophelia actually loved her when she wasn’t stomping around the house yelling, and the dog would beg her for cuddles every time they were together.

The four-hour drive was full of radio Christmas carols, old stories, and laughter. The drive would have been less than four hours, but Ophelia kept crying to do her business, and they’d pull over, but most of the time she just wanted to play in the snow, so they let her.

When they finally arrived at the cabin, Ophelia jumped out and ran circles around the outdoor Christmas tree, barking and eating snow.

“Sadie’s asleep, and I’ve already got the wine poured!” Marion called from the open front door as Nick unloaded their luggage and Ophelia’s crate.

All of them were still dressed in their clothes from the launch, and the night felt festive. Heather grabbed what she could and brought it inside where Marion traded her for a glass of chardonnay. Scarlett sat in the chair by the back door, licking her paw.

Anthony had the fire going, and the candles lit, but something else pulled Heather’s attention. The entire room was filled with helium balloons and there were photos tied to the end of each string. She took hold of one of the photos. It was of her and Nick ice-skating a couple of months ago. Every single photo was of the two of them—their summer ice-cream dates, candlelit dinners, her birthday, washing the car, wearing matching sweaters with Ophelia…

“What is all this?”

The dog ran in and sat on the rug next to the fireplace, and Scarlett darted to higher ground, opting for the windowsill. Nick shut the door and left the bags by the stairs.