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"Yep. Give yourself a break, and the two of you—" She leveled a hard look at Keegan and Gabby. "You both give her a break, too. Got it?"

"Got it." Keegan grinned, and Gabby nodded.

"All right, then, bring me my food." Alice held the door open. "I assume you're bringing my Christmas goodies? If so, bring 'em in, kiddos! We're almost out!" She switched topics as if she had not just unlocked a fully loaded conversation. "Sofia, come with me inside."

Keegan started to go with Alice and Sascha, but the older lady held up her hand. "Give us a sec, Cowboy. Gotta do some girl talk. Go."

Keegan frowned, but he caught Sofia's eye, silently asking her if she wanted him to intervene. She met his gaze, then shook her head. "It's fine."

"All right, then." He fished Millie out of his coat and handed her to Sascha, who tucked her against her chest, holding the tiny furball. "Can you hold onto her while I bring stuff in?"

Alice's eyes widened. "You got a dog?"

"She was homeless," he said simply.

"Of course." Alice smiled. "All right. You know where the goodies go. Come on, Sofia."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Sofia did not want to do the secret-baby-bonding thing with Alice.

She didn't want to rehash the past.

She didn't want a stranger to give her permission to hold the secret she'd already held.

But she was happy to have Millie tucked against her chest, so she decided to focus on that, and just get the discussion out of the way with Alice. She could tell the older woman wasn't going to let up until she'd gotten out whatever she wanted to say, so Sofia steeled herself to just get through it, hoping at least that judgment and lectures would be minimal.

But the moment Sofia stepped into the store, she forgot about her anti-social mood. "This shop is adorable." It was a rustic general store, and it was filled with Christmas cheer. A decorated tree in the corner, Christmas lights strung around the walls, a life-sized stuffed reindeer in the corner. It actually reminded her a lot of her bookstore, and she felt instantly at home. "I love it!"

"Thank you, my dear. It's been a labor of love for several generations. My sister owns a similar store in Birch Crossing, Maine, and she loves it, too. When you love your work, you never work, right?"

"That's so true," Sofia agreed. "I run a romance bookstore. I have the best customers."

"Customers make all the difference," Alice said brightly. "Are you having a Christmas party for them?"

"I am, actually. Monday evening. I'm excited. It's always fun."

"I bet it is." Alice gestured her through the store, past tables with red checkered tablecloths, where a few Hart bakery items were displayed. "To the back, my dear." She hustled Sofia through double doors and into a storage room, which was full of boxes. The minute the door closed behind her, she spun toward Sofia. "Girl talk."

"Okay." Sofia hugged the puppy against her chest.

"That was an incredibly unenthusiastic response." Alice raised her brows. "Not interested in what I have to say?"

Crap. She didn't want to be rude. "No. I just—"

"You don't need permission to do what you did, and you don't want me to offer it. I get it. I was like you." Alice sat down on a stack of newspapers. "Damn straight you don't need permission. I wasn't going to offer it. Maybe some congrats on making a tough call, but you probably don't want that either."

Sofia relaxed a little. "Then what's our secret chat for?"

"I can do the math. I know you knew Keegan Hart before he was gracing the covers of People magazine."

Sofia had no idea where this was going. "Yes."

"Well, then, there's something I need to say." Alice met her gaze. "That man out in my store might be rich, he might be a celebrity, and he might have a string of women who want a piece of him, but he's one of the most decent human beings I've ever met."

Sofia let out a breath. "I know."

"Do you?" Alice leaned forward. "Now that your secret's out, you don't need to be afraid of him. However you want this to shake out, he'll respect it and make it happen. So, quit looking so damned scared! Now that you don't need to fight so hard to hide the truth, you can take a deep breath, relax, maybe giggle a little with this freaking handsome as hell escort, and let the Christmas spirit seep into your bones."