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Cami smiled. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who was smitten.

Chapter Three

From across MainStreet, a few minutes later, Cami spotted Gus and Eloise, hands full of shopping bags, heading toward Sage’s Copper Mountain Chocolates as she and Shay walked toward the church parking lot. She felt an unwanted flutter at the sight of him and was still processing that reaction when Shay elbowed her.

“Don’t look now, but there’s Gus Claymore.”

At almost the same moment, he looked up and noticed them, too. Hesitantly, he lifted his arm in a wave. Cami waved back, but they both stood on opposite sides of the street indecisively wondering if they should trek across it.

“Don’t be weird. Go say hi,” Shay said. “Look at him. All gorgeous and interested.”

Cami made a face as she pulled her arm back. “Clearly, you’re delusional. He’s just being polite.”

But he took Eloise’s hand and steered her across the street in their direction.

“Uh—Oh. Uh-huh—” Shay said. “Here he comes.”

Gus and his daughter dodged traffic as they jaywalked across Main toward them. In the background, like the soundtrack to some Nancy Meyers movie, the music from Wham’s “Last Christmas” drifted from a shop speaker out onto the street.

“Stop,” she whispered to Shay. “Seriously. Don’t try to matchmake m—”

“Hey, Gus. What a coincidence,” Shay said as they neared, and she gently shoved Cami forward. “We were just talking about you. Weren’t we, Cami?”

Cami shot a dagger-y look at Shay, then furiously blushed at the two of them. “Hi, Gus. Eloise.”

He shifted his shopping bags and extended a hand. Cami took it awkwardly. His fingers closed around hers with an unexpected warmth.

Flustered, she pulled back her hand. “We were… saying how nice it was of you to drive me home last night.”

“The least I could do. You survived the night, I see.”

“Where’s the baby? Where’s Lolly?” Eloise said. “You didn’t lose her, did you?”

“No. Definitely not. She’s sleeping at home, thankfully. My mom is watching her so I could come and get my car. And yes, I survived.”Barely.“She’s doing well, all things considered. And what’s all this?” she asked, pointing to the shopping bags. “Christmas shopping?”Ugh. Brilliant repartee, Cami.

Gus smiled. “Hard to avoid when everything is so festive in town. Is it always like this?”

“Festive? At Christmastime? Oh. Yes. Absolutely. Isn’t it, Shay?”

“Mmm-hmm. Festive. Very Christmasy.”An-nndshe dropped the ball back in Cami’s court with a look.

Cami bit her lip for a moment. “Yes, and since this is your first Christmas here, you’re probably discovering all the fun things to do here at this time of year.”

Gus nodded. “Like—”

Shay directed a pointed look at her.

“Oh. Like ice-skating on Miracle Lake? Sledding when there’s enough snow. Christmas tree cutting over at the Gallagher Tree Farm. Do you have a tree yet?”

“Not yet.” He met Eloise’s worried look with a frown. “I guess we’ll have to do that soon.”

“Can we today?” Eloise said. “Please?”

He rubbed a hand on her head. “Sure. We can. Maybe after hot chocolate.”

“Maybe Ms. Hardesty can come, too?”

Gus lifted an uncertain look at her.