Page 8 of Soldier’s Christmas Crush (Trinity Falls: Home for Christmas #4)

When the admin at Tarker County General called, Willow came back to her booth to accept a donation of supplies from the hospital. Jensen wound up helping them carry in some of the items, and he reorganized the booth with her afterward .

Back when she was younger, Willow had been on the shy side. But now that she had come out of her shell a bit more, and Ransom wasn’t there to take up all his attention, it was really fun to talk and joke with Jensen. And the work was easier with extra hands.

“Time to wrap up,” someone yelled out as the interior lights were dimmed, highlighting the fact that it had gotten dark outside while they worked.

“Today flew by,” Jensen said softly.

He was looking down at her, but suddenly it felt like they were standing too close together for her to meet his eyes. She nodded, wishing they didn’t have to say goodbye. Today was the most fun she’d had in a long time.

“Hey guys,” Sam said with a happy smile as she approached. “It’s time for us to wrap up here, but all volunteers are invited to the Chinese place in town for dinner, Captain Anderson’s treat. Will we see you there?”

Bowl of Joy hadn’t been in town when Willow left for college, but she’d heard it was a wonderful spot. She had been meaning to try it.

Biting her lip, she glanced over at Jensen. It wouldn’t be a good idea for her brother to see the two of them there together before they’d both had a chance to make peace with him.

“I can’t tonight,” Jensen said quickly, as if he had read her mind. “Maybe another time.”

“Are you sure?” Sam asked him. “You could just stop by for a few minutes.”

“Nah,” he said. “Tell the Captain I said thanks, though. I’ll see you later. ”

He grabbed his coat from the chair behind the audio table, gave Willow a quick wave, and headed out.

Sam leaned in, as if she were about to say something about Jensen, and Willow braced herself, hoping she could handle it without giving herself away.

“Willow,” a familiar voice called out before Sam had the chance to say anything.

Willow looked up to see her old friend Mallory Fisher approaching, her auburn ponytail swinging behind her as she jogged up.

“Hey, Mal,” Willow replied. “How’s it going?”

“You’re going to Bowl of Joy , right?” Mal asked. “Valerie and Ana and I are going to grab a table now. If you want to sit with us, we’ll save you a spot.”

“Go on,” Sam said, patting Willow’s shoulder. “I’ll see you guys over there.”

“Okay, thanks, Sam,” Willow said.

But the young woman was already hurrying off to speak with the people at another booth. Her enthusiastic energy was obviously contagious.

“She’s super nice, right?” Mal said with a smile.

“She really is,” Willow agreed. “Yes, I’d love to hang with you guys. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Want to meet over there, or ride with us?” Mal asked.

“I drove, so I’ll meet you there,” Willow told her. “I just need to grab my stuff.”

“See you in a few minutes,” Mal said before turning away. “Valerie, wait up. Table for four.”

Willow smiled. It would be good to hang out with friends.

She already missed the women she had served with.

Those friendships were deeper than any she had known before.

All of them had spent so many hours together doing important work with real consequences.

Sometimes she wondered if she would ever have a friendship like that again.

I’m home, she reminded herself. I’ll be back at work soon, and I know everything will fall into place.

Today with Jensen had been so much fun. Their friendship wasn’t exactly new, but even with so much history between them, it felt like she was getting to know him all over again.

Stop thinking about him, she scolded herself.

She grabbed her stuff and headed out to her car. It was snowing lightly, masking the transition of the gravel lot into the grassy field and making the whole thing look soft and pretty, almost like Trinity Falls was trying to help her remember that she was happy to be home.

As a child, she’d never imagined wanting to see the world outside this sweet little town. But when her brother and Jensen and so many others turned to the military or went away to college, or both, it was hard not to wonder if having an adventure away from home was the right thing to do.

For the most part, her time away had given her context for how much she loved it here, and how special the community was.

Willow got into the car, which somehow seemed even colder than it was outside.

She heard her mother’s voice in her head, telling her to be nice to the old girl and warm her up for at least five minutes, so she sat there with her teeth chattering and the engine rumbling for three full minutes before giving up and pulling out.

The homes at the north end of town were larger—big stone colonials and Victorians on more spacious pieces of property. As she drew closer to the village, the houses started to get a little closer together. Christmas lights twinkled all over town, the soft light reflecting in the snow.

She couldn’t help thinking back to the days when Mom bundled them up and took them out to drive around and see the Christmas lights before bed.

She and Ransom would sit in the back, gazing out at the beautiful decorations.

She could picture her brother now, back when his cheeks were soft and rounded, the warm glow of the streetlamps lighting up his face.

She couldn’t help wondering if he took Travis and Mae out to see those same lights. Hopefully, she could offer to do it with him one of these days.

She pulled into town and found a parking spot in the lot by the library. Getting out, she spotted her friends being seated at a table in the front window of Bowl of Joy . They were smiling and chatting, and she got a warm feeling in her chest at the reminder that she still belonged here.

“ Willow,” Mal called out happily when she stepped into the fragrant warmth of the restaurant.

Colorful paintings and hangings brightened the walls, and each table had a pretty little candle glowing at its center.

“Hi, guys,” Willow said, shrugging off her coat and hanging it on the rack before sliding into the remaining empty seat.

“Willow, this is Ana,” Mal said, indicating the pretty dark-haired girl across from her. “She and her mom run the dress shop on Ambler.”

“Hey, Ana,” Willow said. “It’s nice to meet you. I hear great things about your shop.”

“Thank you,” Ana said with a friendly smile. “We love it here. The town has been good to us.”

Mei, the owner of the restaurant, stopped over to take their orders. It was clear that she knew the other three women well. Willow wondered if they came here often. The group decided to order a couple of different dishes and share it all family-style.

“Does everyone feel ready for Saturday?” Ana asked, leaning in.

“We got a lot done today,” Mal said. “My booth will be fine, and I helped a bit with the trains.”

“I was on general crew,” Valerie said, shrugging her shoulders delicately. “I think we have everything set up pretty nicely.”

It was hard for Willow to imagine Valerie setting up chairs or moving booths around. Valerie had always been incredibly elegant. Growing up in a farming village like Trinity Falls, the height of fashion for most girls was well-fitting jeans, warm sweaters, and maybe a pretty dress for church.

But Valerie had always been a fan of sleek black outfits that would have been more at home on the runway or a Manhattan street than out here in the sticks.

When Willow heard that Valerie had opened a boutique jewelry store here in town rather than moving to Paris or something after high school, she had been stunned.

But this week she had seen the shop.

“I walked past your shop the other day,” she told Valerie. “The display is gorgeous. Did you do it yourself?”

“Visit anytime,” Valerie said, nodding. “It’s on the busy side this time of year, but I can show you around.”

“It wouldn’t be so busy if you opened more hours,” Mal scolded Valerie lightly.

“No way,” Valerie said with her signature sniff. “I would have to hire someone, and I don’t want anyone else in there.”

“She refuses to upsell,” Mal said to Willow, shaking her head.

“The whole point is the right piece for the right person,” Valerie said, not seeming to care at all what her friend thought of her business practices.

“If you’re selling trinkets and you can push a little extra merchandise, fine.

But I’m helping people make once-in-a-lifetime purchases.

The key is to get it right, and that means being there myself. ”

Willow smiled at Valerie’s passion for her work. It was nice to think that her sophisticated friend was so dedicated to her customers.

“How about you, Ana?” Willow asked. “Are you extra busy at this time of year?”

“Yes,” Ana said. “Thank goodness I have my mom and she has me. We like to work together, but days like today I can still get away to help out with other things.”

“I’ve got a couple of college kids who help me out at the bakery,” Mal said. “But it’s not the same as being there myself, so I try not to step away unless it’s important.”

“I don’t know,” Valerie said. “The Williams girl seems good. She’s got my lunch order memorized.”

“She’s the best one I’ve got, and she graduates next year,” Mal said. “I don’t know what I’ll do without her.”

“Here you are, girls,” Mei said, coming over with a tray of drinks and a steaming bowl of dumplings they hadn’t ordered. “Dumplings are on the house.”

“Oh, amazing,” Willow said, inhaling the fragrant aroma. “Thank you so much.”

“I hope you enjoy your night out,” Mei said with a smile before hurrying off.

“So how has everyone been?” Willow asked.

“Nope,” Valerie said with a wicked smile. “No way.”

“What?” Willow asked, genuinely confused.

“We gave you a couple of minutes for small talk,” Valerie said. “Now we want to know what’s going on with Jensen Webb.”

“Nothing,” Willow said reflexively.

It was only when everyone’s eyes snapped to hers that she realized she had said it too quickly, and maybe also a little too loudly.

“I… haven’t seen him since I was home on break from college,” she said, tracing her finger along the path of a drop of condensation on her water glass.

“Come on,” Mal said with a teasing smile. “We all saw him hanging on your every word today.”

“He was Ransom’s best friend,” Willow explained, trying hard not to smile at the suggestion that Jensen was into her. “We were just catching up, that’s all. ”

“I don’t know about that,” Valerie said.

“He’s so handsome,” Ana whispered.

“For sure,” Mal agreed with her. “Even if you were just catching up, it looked to me like he wanted it to be more than that.”

“Really?” Willow couldn’t help asking.

“I’ve never seen a man happier to be moving a wrought-iron bench,” Valerie said definitively.

“How would your brother feel about you and his best friend falling for each other?” Mal asked, her brow furrowing as if it had just occurred to her that maybe this was why Willow wasn’t happy.

“They’re um, not as close as they used to be,” Willow admitted in the understatement of the year.

“What happened?” Valerie asked. “I thought those two were joined at the hip?”

But Mei arrived with a waiter and two enormous trays of food, and Willow was saved from having to talk about the rift between her two favorite men.

They all bowed their heads for a moment of silence before serving themselves, and Willow found herself praying for restraint.

I need to make things right with Ransom, she reminded herself when the moment passed and they were all spooning out the delicious food.

So does Jensen. And I don’t need to fall back into mooning over him.

How can I prove to my brother that I’ve grown up if I haven’t even outgrown my schoolgirl crush?

The subject mercifully changed to Christmas plans, and Willow found herself grateful to have a group of women to talk and dream with. They were so positive, even Valerie, for all her sniffing and straight talk.

Willow knew her transition home would be challenging in so many different ways. But with friends by her side, and a community to serve and to lean on, she was sure she could come out on the other side of all of this a stronger, better person.

She just needed to get her head straight about Jensen. It wasn’t like he was spending all his time thinking about her.