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MALLORY

T he fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as Mallory pushed her cart down the baking aisle. She grabbed the last bag of flour, adding it to her growing collection of winter supplies.

"Looks like everyone's stocking up," a young mother commented beside her, wrestling with a squirming toddler in her cart.

Mallory managed a tight smile. "Winter's coming." She moved to step around them, but the little girl caught her eye.

"Pretty hair!" The child reached out toward Mallory's platinum strands.

Despite herself, Mallory softened. "Thank you, sweetheart." Children had always been easier to deal with than adults. They didn't expect small talk or judge her solitary lifestyle.

The mother apologized, but Mallory waved it off. "It's fine. She's adorable."

Moving through the store, she added a stack of new paperbacks to her cart. The covers promised cozy winter mysteries - perfect for staying in during the storms ahead. More shoppers crowded the aisles now, their carts bumping and voices rising. The press of bodies and noise made Mallory's skin prickle. A familiar tension built in her chest as her magic responded to her discomfort. The lights flickered again.

"I need to get out of here," she muttered, heading for the checkout. Eli used to squeeze her hand in moments like this, grounding her when the magic threatened to spiral. Now she dug her nails into her palm instead.

The checkout line snaked through the store. Mallory took deep breaths, focusing on the book titles in her cart rather than the chattering crowd. A child somewhere started crying, and the wind outside picked up speed.

"The weatherman says this storm's gonna be a big one," the elderly cashier commented as he scanned her items.

"So I've noticed." Mallory kept her responses clipped, willing the conveyor belt to move faster.

The last thing she could afford was for her magic to cause a scene in the middle of the grocery store. The wind whipped even harder against the windows. Several customers muttered about the weather, and Mallory felt their anxiety feeding into her own. She needed the sanctuary of her quiet house, away from all these people and their emotions that tangled with hers.

"Stay safe out there," the cashier called as she hurried toward the exit with her loaded cart.

"You too," she managed, pushing through the automatic doors into the gusty afternoon.

The automatic doors whooshed shut behind her as she stepped into the swirling snow. The wind whipped her hair across her face, and she struggled to keep her grip on the shopping cart.

"Oh, come on," she muttered, pushing against the gale that threatened to send both her and her groceries flying. "This is definitely not helping my anxiety."

The cart rattled across the parking lot, its wheels catching on patches of ice. Her SUV sat in the furthest spot possible - she had deliberately parked away from other cars to avoid social interaction. Now that decision seemed less brilliant.

"Eli would be laughing his head off right now." The thought brought an unexpected smile to her face. She could almost hear his teasing voice: 'Maybe next time park closer, storm girl.'

Snow pelted her face as she transferred the bags from the cart to her trunk. The wind swirled again, and a particularly strong gust sent the empty cart careening across the lot.

"Sorry!" she called to no one in particular, watching it crash into a snowbank. She quickly walked over to retrieve it and tucked it into a nearby cart corral.

Once inside her vehicle, Mallory gripped the steering wheel and took several deep breaths. The SUV rocked in the wind, and she knew her heightened emotions weren't helping the weather situation any.

"Okay, Mal. Get it together." She closed her eyes, focusing on happy memories. Eli teaching her to make hot chocolate from scratch. Curling up with a book by the fireplace. The view from her cliffside house on clear days.

The wind eased slightly. Not much, but enough that she felt confident about driving. She started the engine and cranked up the heat. She flicked on the radio mid-weather report.

"...unprecedented storm system moving through the area. Residents are advised to stay indoors..."

Mallory switched it off. "Yeah, thanks. I'm aware."

She maneuvered carefully out of the parking lot, her windshield wipers working overtime against the heavy snow. The bridge to her house was only a few miles away, but in these conditions, it might as well have been a hundred. At least the roads were mostly empty now.

"Just get home," she told herself firmly. "Then you can have hot chocolate and pretend this whole day never happened."

Red and blue lights soon pierced through the curtain of snow, reflecting off her windshield like a disco gone wrong. Her stomach dropped at the sight of sawhorses blocking the bridge entrance.

"This can't be happening right now." She slowed to a stop as a tall figure approached her SUV, his flashlight beam bouncing off the falling snow.

The officer bent down slightly to her window level, and she rolled it down reluctantly. His badge read 'Sheriff Blackmane,' and despite her rising panic, she couldn't help but notice he looked more like he belonged on a romance novel cover than directing traffic in a snowstorm.

"Evening miss. I'm afraid the bridge is closed. Part of it collapsed about twenty minutes ago."

"Collapsed?" Mallory's voice cracked. "But I live on the other side. Will it be fixed soon?"

"Not until this storm lets up, and even then we're looking at several weeks of repairs." He shifted, snow collecting on his broad shoulders. "You'll need to head back into town."

Perfect. Just perfect.

"Several weeks?" She gripped the steering wheel tight. "But all my things are over there. My house, my work setup, my-" She cut herself off, realizing she was starting to babble.

"I understand it's inconvenient, but-" A particularly strong gust of wind rocked her vehicle, cutting him off. "Miss, you really shouldn't be out in this weather anyway. It's getting dangerous."

Mallory bit back a laugh. If he only knew she was partially responsible for that growing danger. "Right. Yes. Of course." She tried to calm herself before she accidentally turned this storm into a full-blown blizzard. "I'll just... go back to town then."

"Drive carefully." He tapped her car roof twice before stepping back.

Mallory executed a careful three-point turn, her headlights cutting through the thickening snow. As she drove away, she caught sight of the sheriff in her rearview mirror, now directing another car to turn around.

"Well, Eli," she muttered to herself, "I could really use one of your terrible jokes right about now." The silence that answered made her throat tight. She blinked rapidly, focusing on the road ahead.

The snow fell harder, driven by her churning emotions. Somewhere in town, she would have to find a place to stay. The thought of being surrounded by people, trapped in close quarters, made her magic surge again. A nearby tree branch cracked under the weight of accumulating ice.

"Calm down, Mallory," she whispered, easing off the gas as she navigated the winding road back to town. "One crisis at a time."

Once back in Saltwater Grove, Mallory circled the town square three times, her windshield wipers fighting a losing battle against the snow. The quaint buildings blurred together in the storm, their holiday decorations twinkling like distant stars through the white haze.

"This is what I get for not coming into town a lot lately," she muttered.

She soon passed by an upscale hotel called Lux Grove. Even if they had rooms available, the chrome and glass monstrosity looked about as welcoming as a dentist's office.

Then she spotted it - The Hearthstone Inn. The stone building sat on a quiet corner, warm light spilling from its windows onto the snow-covered sidewalk. Window boxes, empty for winter, hung beneath each pane, and a wrought-iron sign swung gently in the wind.

"Well, it's not home, but..." She pulled into the small parking lot and grabbed her emergency duffel bag and groceries from the trunk. "At least Eli's boy scout mentality is finally paying off."

The inn's lobby wrapped around her like a warm blanket. A fire crackled in a stone hearth, and the air smelled of pine and cinnamon. Overstuffed chairs clustered around coffee tables, and watercolor paintings of local landscapes dotted the walls.

A young woman looked up from the front desk, her name tag reading 'Amy.' "Welcome to The Hearthstone! Nasty weather out there, isn't it?"

"You could say that." Mallory brushed snow from her wool coat. "Please tell me you have a room available."

Amy's fingers flew across her keyboard. "You're in luck! We just had a cancellation - one small room left, second floor. How long were you thinking of staying?"

"Two weeks, if possible." Mallory pulled out her credit card, trying not to wince at the expected cost. "The bridge is out, and apparently it's going to take a while to fix."

"Oh no! Were you trying to get home?" Amy's genuine sympathy made Mallory's throat tighten. "That's terrible timing with this storm."

"Story of my life," Mallory said dryly. She signed the registration form, accepting the old-fashioned brass key Amy handed her.

"Room 214. The stairs are just around the corner, or there's an elevator down that hallway. Breakfast is served from seven to ten in the dining room." Amy's smile brightened. "And we're decorating more for Christmas tomorrow if you'd like to help!"

"Thanks, I'll... keep that in mind." Mallory hefted her bag, heading for the stairs. The thought of participating in group activities made her magic stir restlessly, and a gust of wind rattled the windows.

She had barely taken two steps toward the stairs when raised voices caught her attention. Back at the front desk, two red-faced men loomed over Amy, who kept her professional smile despite her obvious discomfort.

"What do you mean you can't upgrade us both?" The taller man slapped his hand on the counter.

His companion jabbed a finger at the computer screen. "This is ridiculous. I demand to speak to your manager."

Amy's smile wavered. "I'm sorry, sir, but as I explained, we only have one suite available-"

"Then give it to me," both men said simultaneously, then turned to glare at each other.

Mallory felt the wind pick up outside, rattling the windows in response to her rising irritation. The last thing she wanted was to get involved, but watching these men bully the young receptionist made her think of all the times Eli had stood up for others, even at his own inconvenience.

"You'd have done something," she muttered under her breath. Taking a deep breath, she marched back to the desk.

"Gentlemen." Her voice cut through their bickering like an icy wind. "Perhaps I can help solve this dilemma."

They turned, startled by her intervention. The shorter man opened his mouth, but Mallory held up a hand.

"You're both acting like children fighting over the top bunk. This lovely receptionist has already explained the situation. One suite. Two of you. Instead of harassing her, why don't you flip a coin, and the winner buys the loser a drink?"

The men blinked at her, then at each other. The taller one's mouth twitched.

"That's... actually not a bad idea."

His friend chuckled, tension draining from his shoulders. "I could go for an old fashioned."

"Heads," the tall one called as his companion pulled out a quarter.

The coin flipped, glinting in the lobby's warm light. Tails.

"Looks like I'm buying." The tall man shrugged good-naturedly. "Sorry about the fuss, miss." He nodded to Amy, who beamed with relief.

As the men walked away, Amy mouthed 'thank you' to Mallory. Outside, the wind had calmed to a gentle swirl.

"Eli would be proud," Mallory thought to herself, a small smile tugging at her lips as she finally headed for the stairs.