Yes, that Ice Block nickname had followed him to UVA Law. But he felt the opposite of his nickname as he snatched the card out of her hand without apology. He barely made it out of the building before ripping it open, and his body burned as he read what she’d written.

Dearest Josh,

I’m still in love with you, so I’m writing you another card.

I know what me sending you a card at school looks like. But don’t worry, I don’t remotely pose a threat. If anything, you should feel safer. I have no idea where you live. Lol!

I hope you’re enjoying law school and settling back into civilian life. I know—at least I’ve read that it can be hard to adjust when you come back. If I ever get up the guts to talk to you, you’re welcome to make use of that cabin in the woods I told you about last year.

Well, that’s enough of me being creepy for now. I hope I get a life by next Christmas and stop bothering you. Lol!

I also hope your holidays include hot chocolate.

Love,

Your Secret Admirer

She’d written “Lol!” twice with the claim that she was bothering him. But it had been just the opposite. He hadn’t wanted to stop reading, and the message had ended before he was ready.

Who are you?

He yelled that question inside his head as he re-read the card. Then he flipped the envelope over, seeking out clues.

No return address—just like last time, but there was a postal code….for Greenlee County, Virginia. The same town he’d grown up in—the one named after his dead mother’s family, where their family mansion still sat.

When he returned to his apartment in Charlottesville, he took out the other Christmas Card and confirmed that envelope had the same postal code.

So it had to be someone he’d met before he went off to the Naval Academy. But who?

That question continued to haunt him. That year and the next when another Christmas Card arrived on campus with claims of love, season greetings, apologies for being creepy, and a wish for his holidays to include hot chocolate.

The card for the next Christmas read a bit more somber. His secret admirer had heard about Sawyer’s helicopter crash, and her thoughts were with Josh and his family—she hoped they’d all be able to drink hot chocolate together for the holidays.

That wasn’t the last time she’d reference his personal life. The following year, the cards started arriving at the D.C. office where he’d signed on as a junior associate after law school.

And a few years later, the cards arrived at his new workspace in Richmond.