Page 24 of Postmarked December

“I’m not that interesting,” she replied. “I don’t have an adorable dog like Ophelia or anything. I just work and come home.” She was ruining a perfectly lovely moment by being boring. Marion would’ve kicked her under the table.

“Come on,” he urged. “There has to be something interesting. Tell me why you’re in Greenville.”

She bit her lip. She was doomed any way she answered. Either she had to tell him about Toby and really bring him down tonight, or she’d have to say she was following anonymous notes from her deceased husband, which sounded ridiculous in her head, so she could only imagine what it would sound like to him. In fact, she was actively wondering why in the world she’d been so impulsive in going on this trip.

The lightness in his expression faded, and he sobered. “You don’t have to tell me. I was just curious.”

“I just decided to have some me-time.” The half-truth was better than the reality. “Sorry. I wish I could do this better.” She waggled a finger between them. “I’m not used to having someone’s undivided attention. It’s been a long time.”

He gazed at her, something indecipherable passing over his face. “That’s a tragedy.”

Tragedy, indeed. If he only knew.

“You say you just work and come home. But you’re here for me-time? That’s a step in the right direction, I’d say. We need to give you a few stories to take home.”

Why would someone as charismatic as Nick want to show her a nice time? Why did he care so much? “Why are you so invested?” she asked, honestly.

His eyebrows bounced as he formulated an answer.

“Sorry, Heather said. “That was a little direct. But I want to know. People don’t usually come up to me and make conversation the way you did. It’s a little unexpected, that’s all.”

“I’ve learned a lot from Ophelia. She just needed a few good experiences and her life changed. So did mine. I think we all could do with making memories no one can take from us. It might change our lives.”

As they sat in candlelight between the glittering Christmas trees, Heather wondered who this wonderful surprise was that had fallen into her lap.

“Marion, I’m in big trouble.”

Back in her hotel room, Heather rehashed her dinner with Nick. “We went out to the Christmas markets afterward. I got some bubble bath made with local honey, and I bought a bag of homemade chocolates. And Nick wants to have coffee in the morning.”

“Why do you think that’s trouble?” Marion asked. “It sounds amazing.”

“I guess I don’t see what he sees in me.”

“He sees the awesome person I see, obviously,” Marion said.

Heather fluffed the crisp hotel pillow. “There has to be a catch. Maybe he courts women on every trip. This little share-a-table act could be his go-to move. Next thing I know, he’ll have gone through my credit cards and bought himself a ticket to skip the country.”

“You sound like me, now. You were always the optimistic one of the two of us.”

“It’s too perfect, too easy. And I’m not sure I’m ready. I worried all night that I’d nearly bored him to death.”

“Maybe it’s meant to be, whether you’ve planned for it or not. That’s why it feels so easy.”

Heather rolled across the bed and pulled one of her chocolates out of the bag on the nightstand—hazelnut. She popped it into her mouth, the deeply rich flavor exploding on her tongue. “Or it’s my downfall.”

“Look, definitely keep your wits about you. You don’t know him, and you are alone. But give him the benefit of the doubt too. From what you’ve told me, he seems incredibly nice.”

“I wish you were here.” She felt unusually vulnerable without her sensible friend to guide her every step.

“Me too.”

“How are you and Anthony?” she asked, wanting to get the conversation off her. “Any breakthroughs?”

“He’s agreed to counseling. We’re going to see if a third party can help us navigate our differences about having and not having a child—a disagreement that has no answer. I’m not optimistic, but I’m going through with the sessions.”

“That’s a start,” Heather said.

“I guess so… Hey, have you gotten any more letters?”