“I quit.” She says it simply, but I can see the fear underneath. “Two weeks’ notice. I’m done.”
“Holy shit, Mags.”
“Mom and Dad don’t know yet. I’m telling them this weekend.” She takes a shaky breath. “I’m terrified. But also, I feel lighter than I have in years.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Well.” She pulls out more papers from the folder that apparently lives in her bag now. “I’ve been looking at the numbers for the business again. And I think we should do it. I know it’s scary. I know it’s a huge risk. But I’ve been doing more research, and it’s solid, Sloane. Really solid. And I ... I need this.I need something that’s mine. Something that matters. And I want a fresh start.”
Riley reaches across the table and squeezes her hand. “We’re all in. Right, Sloane?”
I stare at them. My sister who just quit her job. My best friend who’s ready to leave the city. Both looking at me with hope and determination, and I’m the one who’s standing in their way. That’s not fair on them and it’s not fair on me.
“We could lose it if we wait too long,” Maggie states.
“Fuck it! I’m in.”
Riley and Maggie’s faces light up, and I know then it’s the right decision.
The next day, I’m walking downtown when I pass a movie theater. The marquee advertises a new Christmas movie.
Snowbound Hearts Coming December 15th.
My chest tightens. I keep walking, but I can’t escape it. Every store window has Christmas displays. Every coffee shop has peppermint mochas. Every radio station plays nothing but holiday music. And every single thing reminds me of Jax.
Then I pass the bookstore window filled with romance novels featuring couples in the snow. The coffee shop with a fireplace crackling in the corner. The gift shop with handmade ornaments and local crafts. It’s torture. I duck into a store to escape the cold and find myself in the Christmas section. Rows of decorations. Lights. Garland. Everything I usually love.
A woman next to me is gushing to her friend. “And then he just showed up at my door with hot chocolate and said he couldn’t spend Christmas without me. It was so romantic.”
“That’s just like that movie,” her friend squeals. “You know the one? Where she goes to the cabin and gets snowed in with the hot guy.”
My face burns, reminding me of my own fate with Jax.
I leave the store quickly, my heart pounding.
“Sloane?”
Fuck.
I turn around slowly, and there he is.
Chett.
He’s standing on the sidewalk holding shopping bags, looking at me like he’s seen a ghost.
“I thought that was you,” he says, moving closer.
I step back. “Don’t.”
“I just want to talk.”
“We have nothing to talk about,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Your mom is worried about you.” He’s using that soft voice. The concerned boyfriend voice. “She says you won’t return her calls.”
“That’s between me and my mom, it has nothing to do with you.” I glare at him.
“She asked me to check on you.”
