Collin grinned, big. “Esther Matthews dated my college roommate,” he rumbled. “She told me a lot of stories about you all running amok up there on the farm. That’s how I found out about Advent. It sounded idyllic.”

“Is it?” Miriam asked, shrewdly.

He made a “so-so” movement with his hand. “You can tell I fell in love with the people,” he said, gesturing to the photos on the walls. “Cass did a lot for me.”

Miriam’s eyes welled up, involuntarily, and then his did, too. “Tell me.” She gestured to an empty chair, but he shook his head and leaned his hand the size of a pie tin against its back.

“I came here to visit one Christmas,” he started, his feet shuffling and cheeks going pink, like he was a little embarrassed. “I met a girl who owned a business here, and I kept finding reasons to come visit or to stay longer. And Cass, you know, she saw everything.”

“Collin had been pining over a certain boutique owner,” Hannah teased gently, winking at Collin. “What did Cass say, or do?”

Collin covered his face with his other hand. “That obvious, huh?” he asked, through his palm.

Hannah nodded, but her smile was kind.

“She told me, you can’t base your whole life around someone you might be in love with. That I needed an adventure I could take on, that would help me find out who I really was and would be mine whether the romance worked out or not. When this space came up for sale, I bought it. I’d always dreamed of a diner.”

Miriam’s eyes welled up. This felt like a gift Cass had left for her, like she was still speaking directly to Miriam. Her feelings for Noelle had helped Miriam decide to stay, but she’d begun to find something here that was just hers. If this were the great, life-changing adventure Miriam believed it could be, then she needed to anchor it in who she really was.

The problem was, she didn’t really know herself.

“But,” Miriam asked, “it never worked out with the girl? Do you still love her from afar?” She winced as Hannah kicked her shin under the table. “Sorry, I’m nosy.”

“It hasn’t worked out yet, but Christmas at Carrigan’s is magic, after all. You never know. I’ll bring you both coffees?” he asked, clearly changing the subject.

“I thought this place might be up your alley,” Hannah said from behind a cup the size of her head. “I’ve been meaning to get you over here. I keep thinking about Christmases when we were kids, when our parents put us together to play and by New Year’s, we never wanted to see each other again. Now we’re so busy we barely get a meal together!”