“Good choice on the pasta order,” I told him.
He’d orderedThe Jack.It was the same dish I had taken from his table and poured on Vinnie’s head a year ago. I’d renamed it.
He laughed. “I had to.”
Silence filled the air until it was pregnant with every unsaid thing. A year ago today, I’d been at my lowest, and Jack had swooped in and saved the day. Now we were here, and I felt more distant from him than ever before.
“So, you’re in town,” I said, trying to keep my voice light. We hadn’t left things well the last time we spoke. It was obvious he was avoiding me. But I didn’t want things to be like that, especially not on Christmas. Maybe with the holiday, it was time to make amends.
He nodded. “It’s Christmas.”
“Right. I’ve been meaning to ask. Why is Christmas in Willow Harbor your thing?” I leaned on the doorframe, falling into easy, casual conversation with him.
His face betrayed that I’d touched on a sensitive topic, but he didn’t shy away from it.
“When I was ten, my mom and I were driving from Salt Lake City, where we lived at the time, to Spokane, where my uncle lives. It was Christmas Eve, and the snow was really bad. Our car spun out and the entire wheel axis snapped.”
“Oh gosh.” I hoped this story had a happy ending.
He nodded. “We walked half a mile in the snow off the highway to the nearest town”—he gestured to the shops around him—“and landed in Willow Harbor.”
I smiled. “For real?”
He inclined his head. “And her car tookfourdays to fix. So we spent Christmas here at the Butterfly Inn on Main street, and we came back every year since, making it our tradition. This place holds all of the best memories I have of her.”
My heart pinched, and I swallowed hard. I knew that his mother was gone now, so this was a touchy subject. But I thought it was so sweet that he’d fallen in love with my town and had such awesome memories if it.
“You’re coming to the parade, right? I heard you never miss a Willow Harbor Christmas parade.” I tossed his words back to him. The streets were already decorated with wreaths, and the floats were parked to the side, ready to ride at eight p.m. The Willow Harbor Christmas parade was a highlight of the day.
He looked over at me with a serious expression. “I am.”
“I’ll text you. Maybe we can meet up. I’ll be with Luke and my best friend, Jules. Oh, and my mom will be there?—”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He faced forward, eyeing the rearview mirror as if checking for traffic and looking for an escape.
My heart fell. “Why not?”
He looked at me then, and the sadness in his eyes stole my breath. “Because, Hannah, I?—”
“Hey, babe.” Luke’s voice rang over my shoulder and I stiffened.
No.This was bad timing.
Pushing off Jack’s car, I turned to Luke.
“Lunch ready?” he asked me.
“Yeah, one second,” I told him and then faced Jack again.
“Merry Christmas, Hannah,” Jack said from the car before I could get out a word and then took off.
A foreboding feeling settled in my gut, one that only came around when Jack and Luke were in the same room together.
“You okay?” Luke asked, watching the red truck drive off.
My face must have betrayed how I felt inside, which was pretty awful. I plastered on a fake smile. “Yeah. That was Jack.” I pointed to the red truck now halfway down the road.
Luke looked surprised. “Oh, I wanted to say hi to him.”
