She frowned."Of course not.”
"Then how do you know for sure that everything’s going to be okay?”
Eve shook her head."You're so focused on the negative; you haven't considered the other possibilities.What if he's in love with you, and he's going to tell you on the holiday light trail?That maybe he thought seeing you in person wasn't enough, and that he had to show you how he felt."
Eve trailed off, and my mind was racing with the possibility that she could be right."I suppose it’s possible.”
“You’re both adults.You can talk about things and make a plan to do better in the future.This doesn’t have to be the end.”
I wanted so badly to believe that Eve was right, but it was hard to let go of the past.
What was that saying?Fool me once, shame on you.Fool me twice, shame on me.
Istayed busy with holiday event planning.We'd hired a front-counter person for the busy season, and it freed up my time to work on other projects in town.I was in my office well before Ford started work for the day and long after he was gone.I refused to go upstairs until his truck left the parking lot.The video feed of the parking lot and entranceways aided my avoidance.
The fact was that I was scared to see him.To find out that my worst fears were true.I could acknowledge that Eve could be right.But it seemed too farfetched.Things never worked out for me.
I’d gotten the inn I wanted, but it came with the town.I wasn’t even close to making it a success.
But tonight was the night Ford and I were supposed to meet at the holiday light trail.He hadn’t offered to pick me up, and I preferred to have my own car in case his plan was to break up with me.
I dressed warmly and headed to the light trail, telling myself I’d take notes on the set up so we could implement something similar here.But my heart was racing and my palms sweaty.
I wasn’t ready for this conversation.I wasn’t sure I ever would be.
I parked and checked my messages, following Ford’s request that I meet him at the entrance.
There was a ticket window and a hot chocolate booth.I got in line for a cocoa, looking around for Ford.
What if he didn’t come?What if he decided that he didn’t want me after all?What if he’d already made his decision, and he just needed to tell me.
My mind was reeling and my stomach churning.I turned toward the parking lot, wondering if I should just go home.
Ford appeared in front of me, holding two to-go cups.“I got you hot chocolate.”
I took one.“Thanks.”
“And tickets for the trail.Are you ready to go for a walk?”
I nodded.“Sure.”
It was cold tonight with a stiff wind that threatened to break through the barrier of my jacket.We showed our tickets to the teenager at the gate and walked through.
I sipped the warm liquid, hoping it would keep me warm no matter what happened.
We walked slowly, letting the kids run around us, their shouts of excitement fading into the background.
The trail was lined with characters from favorite holiday movies and classics like Santa and his reindeer.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you what was happening.When River asked me to help a friend, I was focused on getting to him as fast as I could.”
There was nothing inherently wrong with what he did.“Given our history, I wish you’d tried harder to communicate that to me.”
He looked at me earnestly, as if willing me to forgive him.“I texted you, but that wasn’t enough.Even if it had gone through, I should have talked to you over the phone or even in person.You deserved to know what was going on.”
“If we’re going to be in a relationship, we should talk about these things.We shouldn’t assume that the other person is on board.”If he’d talked to me, I would have told him to go.It was the way he cut me out that brought back bad memories and fears I wanted to let go of.
“Are you saying we’re in a relationship?”
