No Business Like Snow Business by Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock

Author:Lisa Henry & J.A. Rock [Henry, Lisa & Rock, J.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-12-03T00:00:00+00:00

nine

STERLING

Islept better than I should have in a bed that was still unfamiliar and with a bed partner who definitely was. I didn’t do relationships. I did one-night stands and I did not, as a rule, invite the guy to stay over in my very minimalist, very beige apartment. But the rules had taken a break in Christmas Falls, probably because this place felt less like a change of scenery and more like an actual alien planet when compared with my regular life, and it had felt nice to sleep with Harvey beside me. I’d woken up a few times when he’d shifted, or snuffled, and I’d smiled each time in the darkness when my sleepy brain remembered who was there with me. And now, with the morning light filtering through the curtains, I took a moment to prop myself up on one elbow and take Harvey in.

I couldn’t say he looked like an angel when he slept, not with his face violently smooshed into my pillow like that. But he was breathing, so it didn’t seem like anything I had to intervene in. He just looked like Harvey—a little ridiculous, a lot cute, and probably dreaming of girl detectives and Christmas trivia. I resisted the urge to brush his hair off his forehead, and instead slipped out of bed and into last night’s clothes, gross underwear notwithstanding, of course.

I thought of what Harvey had said last night about gas station snacks, and figured that at least the coffee from there—hot chocolate for Harvey—had to be better than the Pear Tree’s. I left the room quietly, closing the door softly so Harvey could keep sleeping.

It was another cold, bright day in Christmas Falls, and my eyes watered when the breeze first hit me. I blinked away the tears and crossed the street. The gas station wasn’t directly across the road, but the walk was very short.

I was inspecting the selection of donuts when my phone buzzed. I looked at the screen, winced, and answered it.

“James, good morning.”

“Good morning, Mr. Van Ruyven,” he said, with a note of anxiety in his tone I hadn’t yet managed to train him out of. It was like he thought I was going to yell at him every time I spoke. To be fair to him, he had been my father’s PA first—a terrible month for everyone involved, honestly—so his concern wasn’t without cause. “I know you said not to bother you while you were taking personal days, but I thought you should know that there’s a board meeting scheduled for next week. I wanted to be sure you were advised, just in case you weren’t checking your emails. Not that you should be checking your emails if you don’t want to, just⁠—”

“I get it, James, thank you.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I wasn’t aware there was a meeting, so I appreciate the heads-up. Do we know what it’s about?”

“No, sir,” James said. “But Mr. Van Ruyven—Patrick—is coming.”

“Patrick hates coming into the city.

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