But when she did, she saw that Maya’s mother and Hayden were standing beside him. That was why he’d suddenly felt the need to show off his feelings for her.
It’s all an act.
The weight of her bitter disappointment felt like an anchor on her heart, but she tried her best to put on a brave face.
If he can pretend to care about me deeply, I can pretend to be okay with it. Christmas is almost here, and it will be over soon…
19
ASH
Ash stood by his kitchen window a few days later, gazing out at the snowy woods, and wondering if he’d found the perfect way to pull everything together, or if he was about to blow it all up.
He’d been happier than he could remember while he was participating in the town Christmas traditions with Maya and Allie on Saturday. From the first moment of the snowball fight, through the lighting of the tree and the giving of gifts, he’d felt like he was walking on air. Even Libby showing up hadn’t dampened his happiness.
Unable to sleep that night, he’d lain awake staring at the ceiling and pictured what sharing his life with Allie might look like.
Would she want to keep teaching even if she didn’t need to for money? He suspected that she would. What she had was more than a career, it was a gift. But maybe he could encourage her to grow their family too. He could certainly afford any childcare she wanted, andMaya would be a wonderful big sister, eager to help out in any way she could.
Honestly, Ash could make just about any dream Allie had come true, and he couldn’t wait to do it. Having had a taste of what they could be together, he knew now that he had to do whatever it might take to win her heart completely.
The only problem was that Allie had been ignoring his texts since they left the park on Saturday.
His stomach twisted again at the thought.
Days had passed now, and she hadn’t so much as put a thumbs-up on one of his messages. If he hadn’t been there himself, he would have thought something awful had happened Saturday.
Nothing is wrong,he reminded himself.She’s a busy woman. Planning and teaching this last week of school before the kids are off on winter break is probably a beast. Of course she doesn’t have time to chat.
Instinctively, he felt that there must be something more. But no matter how many times he played the events of the day over again in his mind, looking for a reason for her to be unhappy with him, he just kept coming up empty.
The buzz of his phone in his pocket reminded him that he had work to do before it was time to pick Maya up at the church afterschool program.
And Allie wasn’t the only one ghosting him right now. The investor group that was planning to help him take Tailor Beverage Company national had been slowly backing off over the past few weeks.
He knew moving out here probably hadn’t helped his case for growing TBC. But Maya needed the change. And if he was planning to come out here anyway, it was more honest to do it before he signed anything with the investors.
But it was one thing to do the right thing and another to live with the consequences. His family legacy had finally been close enough to touch.
As he worked through both problems in his mind today, he’d taken a long walk in town, and hit on something that just might help.
Moving to his desk again, he grabbed the phone, tapping on a contact and pacing in front of the windows as it rang.
“Mr. Tailor,” his secretary, Amanda, said brightly. “It’s so nice to hear from you.”
He heard the unspoken reprimand behind the words. Ash hadn’t been as focused on work lately as he normally was. Amanda was probably dealing with unhappy colleagues as a result.
“I’m sorry I’ve been off the grid so much,” he told her sincerely.
“You and your daughter just had a big move,” Amanda said right away. “It’s understandable that you need a little time to get settled.”
“Thank you,” he told her. “And you know that I’ve been brainstorming ways to get the investors back on board. I’ve actually got an idea now.”
“Sir, I hate to say it, but I’m worried they won’t get back on board at this point,” Amanda said softly. “I overheard them as they were leaving the lastpresentation. They think that you leaving the city means you’re not committed anymore.”
“That’s just it,” Ash said. “I’m going to fly them out here and let them see it for themselves.”
“Oh,” Amanda said softly.
