“I should find somewhere to stay for the night,” he said. “Maybe that hotel you mentioned?—”
“Good luck,” I said and walked away.
I wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible. I didn’t even look back at Kent. My gaze was focused on Brom.
“Inside,” I said. His eyes were locked behind me. I grabbed his arm and pulled. “Inside. Now.”
“I want to smack that guy,” he growled.
“I know, but that won’t solve anything.”
I got him inside the lodge and closed the door.
“What did he want?” Brom asked.
“It’s complicated,” I said.
“Everything’s complicated with that guy,” Brom muttered. “Just be careful, Sylvie. I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”
I squeezed his arm gratefully. “I know. I will be.”
“I could run him out of town,” Brom said.
“Can we please just finish hanging the lights?”
“Fine.”
Emmy was directing the placement of furniture in the main room, creating a cozy semicircle around the fireplace where Santa would hold court with the children later that night. The armchair we’d designated as his throne looked perfectpositioned next to the Christmas tree, with a smaller chair beside it for Mrs. Claus.
When she saw me, she gave me a sympathetic look.
“I’ll be back in a second,” I said to Brom.
“How did it go?” Emmy asked as I joined her in arranging the wrapped gifts that locals had donated throughout the year. Each present was carefully labeled with age ranges and interests, ensuring that every child staying at the lodge would receive something special.
“You saw him?”
“Duh. Not to mention Aspen and Alder ran in here and told everyone your boyfriend was back.”
“I honestly don’t know what’s happening,” I said, turning to the task at hand rather than meeting her curious gaze. “He made another offer. Different from the first one.”
“Different how?”
“Personal investment instead of corporate acquisition. Partnership instead of takeover.” I smoothed the ribbon on a gift wrapped in silver paper. “And he wants to try again with us.”
Emmy’s hands stilled on the present she was holding. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Oh.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
I set down the gift I’d been fussing with and looked around the room. Everything was coming together beautifully. The fire crackled merrily in the hearth. The pile of presents looked great. In a few hours, this room would be filled with the laughter of children and the joy of families.
This was what I was good at. This was what made sense to me. Creating magical moments for other people, preserving traditions, making sure everything ran smoothly.
Matters of the heart were considerably more complicated.
“I feel like I’m standing at the edge of a cliff,” I said finally. “And I can’t tell if jumping would be the bravest thing I’ve ever done or the stupidest.”
