He nods. “Honestly, I didn’t expect a response. If I were in his shoes and a random person messaged me after an ancestry kit claimed we had a close familial DNA match indicating he could be my father, I’m not sure I would have answered. But he did. We messaged back and forth, and he said he remembered my mother, but never knew she was pregnant. He was in San Diego on shore leave from the navy, had a few drinks at a bar, and one thing led to another…”
“Wow. That’s… That’s incredible.” I wrap my arms around Joshua. “I’m so happy for you.”
This time last year, I never would have been able to hug him like this. Not after he’d proposed. But it was obvious he only didso out of grief due to his mother’s decision to enter hospice. For a brief moment, I nearly agreed, scared to lose him as a friend.
Now we’re back to being the friends we were before we overcomplicated things. Hell, these days, he’s more than just a friend. He’s family. Someone I can’t imagine my life without.
“Thanks, Claire.” He pulls back, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “He’s in San Francisco for business next week and has agreed to meet up for dinner before heading home. I was sort of hoping you’d come with me.”
“Me?”
“I just thought it’d be nice to have someone there with me. Plus, you’re so good with people. You always know what to say. Having you there might help with my nerves.”
Of course he’d ask me. Joshua and I have always understood each other in ways most people don’t. We both grew up without fathers. The difference is that I knew mine chose to walk away, while Joshua never even had a name.
I give him a reassuring smile. “I’ll be there.”
Relief washes over his expression. “Thanks. It means a lot.”
He wraps me in a hug, and I hold him tightly before pulling back with a smile. “Now go salt the walkways before someone breaks a leg.”
He mock salutes. “Yes, ma’am.” Then he walks off in the direction of the large garage on the edge of the property that’s essentially his home base as the head groundskeeper of Holley Ridge.
I get back to work, shooting videos and photos of all the behind-the-scenes stuff going on to make this year’s Christmas festival the best yet. I’m not too proud to admit I capture several minutes of the firefighters working on the Christmas tree. They’re social media gold.
“That boy is lucky to have you,” Grandma Estelle calls out as I zoom in on a few of the firefighters.
I grin, shifting my gaze to meet hers. “I’m lucky to have him, too.”
We may have made more than our fair share of mistakes when we were younger. But we grew out of them. Learned from them. What’s left is something stronger. Steadier.
I wouldn’t trade my friendship with Joshua for anything in the world.
CHAPTER NINE
CLAIRE
I’m alreadyten minutes late, and I still have to finish applying my makeup.
I jab the mascara wand back into the tube with a muttered curse, rummaging one-handed through my jewelry box until I find the dainty hoops I planned to wear.
This is the absolute worst time to go to dinner with Joshua, considering the tree-lighting ceremony is tomorrow night, which is the official kick-off of the Holley Ridge Christmas Festival. My to-do list is longer than Santa’s infamous list, and I haven’t checked off a single thing today that didn’t feel like a minor emergency.
But he needs me. He’d never let me go through something like this alone. I can’t let him either, even if that means pulling an all-nighter editing videos and graphics for this week’s launch.
My phone buzzes against the vanity as I apply my lipstick. I don’t have to look to know it’s Joshua. I tap on the message and read his text.
Joshua:
Just making sure you’re okay.
I’ve known him long enough to understand it’s his nice way of asking where the hell I am.
But Joshua would never come right out and say something like that. He’s always been exceedingly polite. He would never pull my hair or bite me during sex. Not like Declan did.
The memory flashes sharp and hot through me, leaving a trail of heat in its wake, my core aching with need.
I squeeze my eyes shut, telling myself to stop thinking about him. The last thing I need right now is a distraction. And that’s all thinking about Declan would be.
