I waited with bated breath for his response.
He nodded."Yeah, it was time."
I wanted to know why it was time.Were his parents in poor health, or was this always his plan?I figured he'd retire from the military.
Eve smiled."I'm sure your family is happy to have you home."
"They are."He cleared his throat."I'll write everything up and get that to you in a few days."
"Natasha is worried about renovating while guests are staying here.Will you be able to keep the dust and noise to a minimum?"Eve asked, and I was relieved that she was asking the questions that I'd forgotten about.
"We could work in sections or maybe even by floor.It depends on how many rooms are reserved," Ford said.
"Think how much nicer it will be to update the pictures on the website with updated bathrooms?"Eve appealed to me.
"We talked about paint, carpet, and decor too," I said.
Eve nodded."We'll have to see how much everything costs and then decide."
"Well, I'll let you two discuss things.I'll get the estimate over to you as quickly as possible."He walked through the doors that led to the parking lot.
Eve rounded on me."Ford Sterling?"
"I had no idea he was home," I said flatly.
Her forehead creased."Are you sure you can work with him?"
"We haven't dated since high school.It's not a big deal.”I moved around the counter, focusing on the computer screen, hoping she wouldn't press me on this issue.Because now that I'd seen him, I wasn't so sure if I could see him every day and not have feelings.
She stood on the other side of the counter."We can go with someone else if you want."
I shrugged even as I was reeling inside."It's fine."
Eve lowered her voice as a guest walked behind her."I can't believe Ford is home.Are you sure this isn't going to be awkward for you?"
I raised a brow."I broke up with him, remember?"
"And why was that again?"
"He'd enlisted in the army, and I was away at college.The long-distance piece was insurmountable."A part of me hoped he'd argue with me and insist that he would try harder.But he hadn't.If anything, he'd seemed relieved.
It was easy for him to walk away, so being near each other was only going to be a problem for me.
I was living my dream, and I wasn't going to let anything get in my way.
Chapter2
Ford
When I'd moved home, I knew it was a possibility that I'd see Natasha.I'd heard that her parents had died and that she and her sister had used their inheritance to buy Christmas Town, the aging resort destination for everything Christmas.
Most people thought they were crazy for sinking their money into the town, but at one time, I'd known Natasha better than anyone else.She'd always wanted to open a bed-and-breakfast, and maybe she saw this as her chance.
She was living her dream, and I was happy for her.
I didn't know if she had a significant other or any details of her life between our breakup and her parents' death.
When I enlisted, I was overwhelmed by my new job.I was part of something bigger than me, and my high-school relationship felt small compared to my calling.It wasn't fair for me to drag Natasha along for the ride when we were so young.The mistake was not telling her how I felt.Instead, I created distance between us until she had no choice but to confront me and break things off.I wasn't proud of that.I was young and stupid.
