As she continued across the intersection, she locked gazes with her high school sweetheart.Her heart skipped a beat.She hadn’t expected to run into him so quickly after returning to Kringle Falls.
The wheels of her suitcase bounced over the uneven pavement.Distracted by Justin’s presence, she wasn’t prepared for her luggage to come to a halt.The now-unmoving suitcase acted like an anchor.Her body jerked to a halt, but her feet didn’t get the message.
She slid over a patch of ice.One moment she was standing up.The next moment, her arms windmilled as she struggled to regain her balance.Oh no!
Chapter Three
Onemoment,shewasstaring into the most unforgettable brown eyes.
The next moment, her feet went out from under her.
Thud!
Felicity’s head smacked the snow-covered concrete.She couldn’t honestly say what exactly happened next.The collision short-circuited her brain.
Darkness descended upon her…
“Felicity?”The voice reached out to her in the shadows of her mind.
She tried to follow the voice, but it faded away.
“Felicity, can you open your eyes?”There was that deep, warm voice again.It was louder, clearer that time.
When her eyes fluttered open, her gaze met warm brown eyes.
Justin Bishop.Oh my!
It was as though time stood still in that moment.Justin Bishop looked at her with concern written all over his handsome face.Her heart beat faster.
She had known him her entire life.He was born one day after her.They’d been placed side by side in the hospital nursery.Their mothers, being lifelong friends, had hoped Felicity and Justin would be together from cradle to grave.
They’d shared a playpen, a sandbox, and a swimming pool.They were in the same classes in school.Everyone said it was inevitable that they would get married and have a family of their own.And for a long time, she believed it herself…
She continued to stare into his eyes, feeling as though she could drown in their chocolatey depths.They had a sweetness to them because Justin had the biggest heart, but then she noticed a bit of darkness.What had put it there?Loneliness?Pain?Something else?Not that any of it was her business.
Realizing that she was staring into Justin’s eyes while she was lying flat on her back, she shut her eyes and inwardly groaned.Her bad luck had followed her home.
“Felicity, don’t worry.I’m calling nine-one-one.”
Her eyes sprang open.“No!Don’t.I’m fine.”
Justin sent her anI-don’t-believe-you look.“I think you need an ambulance.”
The initial shock of her fall had worn away, and then the events of the day came rushing back to her.Her mother had sold the family home.She’d been walking to her mother’s new apartment.She’d fallen on some ice.And now she was staring into her ex-boyfriend’s dreamy eyes.
She gasped.This was not all right.She lowered her gaze and started to get up.Why did she decide to leave her dressy clothes behind?She had so many nice-looking clothes that would help her feel more confident in this awkward situation.Instead, she had to face her ex, wearing faded jeans with holes in the knees and an over-sized gray hoodie.Of course, she’d paid extra for those holes, but still… She longed for her professional clothes.
Justin pressed a hand to her shoulder, holding her on the ground.“Are you sure you should be moving?You might have broken something.”
Heat gathered in her chest and rushed up to her face, setting it ablaze.“I’m fine.Let me up.”
Justin hesitated, as though trying to decide if he believed her or not.While he hesitated, she noticed he’d grown a mustache and had some scruff that trailed down his jaw.And his hair was shorter.A lot shorter on the sides and back, while the top was a little longer, letting his curls show.
He no longer looked like the boy she’d been madly in love with.Now he looked like a sexy man—a man who was engaged to Nadia Wiley.It happened a little more than a year ago.Her mother said it was huge news in Kringle Falls.Everyone was anticipating the big wedding as Nadia’s family had money, and with her being an only child, they’d always spoiled her—at least that was the way it had felt to Felicity.
Then again, they were probably already married.Her gaze searched for his left hand.There was no ring.It was possible since he worked for the township maintenance department that he didn’t wear it to work.
He removed his hand from her shoulder before straightening from his crouched position.He held his hand out to her.She placed her hand in his.It was her second mistake in just a couple of minutes because the old chemistry still arced between them.The static electricity sensation started in her fingertips and then pulsed up her arm, settling in her chest.
