For pushing him out of her life.
Without a single explanation.
Even from here, she could see the familiar tick of his jaw. She noticed the way his hands balled into fists. One week. One year. Six years. No amount of time would be able to erase how well she knew Marcus Palmer. They’d been as close as two people could get.
And then she’d ruined everything six years ago when she’d given in and let him kiss her beneath the mistletoe.
Standing in town, seeing Marcus after all this time, she thought she’d be better prepared for this moment. She thought he’d be married, and they could look back on that night and laugh about it. They’d been friends who shared a silly kiss when they were nineteen.
Based on what she’d heard from her grandmother, Marcus was as single as they came. It wasn’t even that Wynter had inquired. Nora Delaney had offered that information up all on her own.
Wynter inched backward a step, and Marcus blinked. Then in seconds, he was through the crowd and standing in front of her. She gasped involuntarily, breathing out his name like it was a prayer. “Marcus.”
“That’s all you have to say?” His voice was cold, detached.
She cleared her throat. It didn’t matter how much she’d changed her appearance. Gone were her long tresses. Gone were the glasses. The woman she was now knew how to best use her appearance to garner respect in her field. And yet, standingbefore Marcus had her reverting back to the awkward nerdy girl she’d been in high school.
Wynter opened her mouth, but no words came out. What could she say to him that wouldn’t completely destroy what little they might have left? She was stuck in Copper Creek for the next three months while she helped her grandmother heal after she’d broken her wrist.
“Well?” Marcus pressed. “We haven’t seen each other in five years. Five years, Wynter. We haven’t talked in four. You fell off the face of the planet. I might have thought you died if I didn’t get the occasional update from Nora.”
She winced. Five years ago, her grandfather had passed. Marcus had been there for her. He’d comforted her without demanding answers for her behavior. That weekend had been the epitome of bittersweet. Marcus had likely expected them to return to normal, but spending time with him had only solidified one thing.
Wynter had fallen in love with Marcus against her own wishes, and she couldn’t handle it.
Marcus huffed out an exasperated breath and turned from her, his hands clasped behind his head as he took a step away from her.
She turned and walked away.
She could hear him calling her name as she practically dove into a crowd of teenagers. Her breathing turned ragged and her face heated, but not from the energy she was expending. She knew if Marcus caught her, she’d have to deal with the conversation he wanted to have. He’d demand those answers that she wasn’t ready to give.
This was a mess, and it was all her fault.
Wynter droppedthe keys to her grandfather’s old pickup on the table by the front door. They clattered in the ceramic dish as Wynter heaved a sigh. If Marcus really wanted to talk to her, he’d show up here. She might not have much time before she was really on the defensive.Lord, please help me know what to say to Marcus without hurting his feelings even more.
Rubbing at her temples, she hadn’t bothered looking up when she entered the house, but then she heard her grandmother’s voice.
“How were the lights? Sorry I couldn’t make it out with you, but the doctor says the icy sidewalks aren’t a good idea.”
Wynter looked up and found her grandmother standing in the kitchen doorway with one braced wrist lifted in the air. Her bright blue eyes were clear, and she had an ease about her that Wynter hadn’t seen in a long time. The smile lines around her eyes deepened as she moved through the open living space and toward her favorite chair.
“Come, dear. Have a seat with me. We can catch up. How was your flight last night?”
Wynter sighed again. She shrugged off her coat and hung it on the old-fashioned coatrack her grandfather had built the year they moved to Copper Creek. Then she found a seat on the sofa. “The flight was good, Grams. Uneventful.”
“You didn’t bring much with you. I thought you said you were staying for three months.”
Wynter nodded. “I don’t need much. I sublet my apartment while I’m gone. I’ll only be here during the winter, so I didn’t have to bring much in terms of a variety of clothes. And since I used to live here, I still have some things in my room I can use.”
Her grandmother frowned. Or did she? It was such a brief shift in her expression that Wynter had to do a double take. “That makes sense.” Nora nodded. “I’m so grateful you can be here with me, sweetheart.”
Settling back against the cushion, Wynter covered her face with her hands. Then she let them fall to her lap.
“Everything okay?” Grams asked.
Wynter looked up at her grandmother. She loved Grams with all her heart. However, she didn’t want her grandmother to know her secrets. “Of course. Why do you ask?”
An arch of a brow was all she was given.
