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Glenda had come in to pay Patience a compliment? Patience could tell Tara was surprised by that, too. She knew their history. The whole town did.

“I’m glad,” Patience said. “I hope everyone has a great experience.”

“So do I.” Glenda clasped her hands in front of her and smiled. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Patience wasn’t about to accept any favors. She didn’t want to owe her former friend anything. But Tara didn’t seem to have the same qualms. “You could watch the bakery until my husband gets here. He shouldn’t be more than ten minutes.”

“I offered to do that,” Patience protested.

“You can stay together, if you like,” Tara told her with a wink in her voice. “But I think your time will be better spent floating around and making sure everything runs smoothly, don’t you?”

“I’m happy to cover for you,” Glenda was quick to say.

“I appreciate that,” Tara said, and Patience headed immediately to the front of the store. There was no way she was going to be left alone with Glenda. She was looking back over her shoulder saying goodbye to Tara when she stepped out and collided with Kelsey, nearly knocking her down. “Oh, no! I’m sorry!” she exclaimed, catching Kanon’s stepsister by the arm to keep her from falling. “I should’ve been watching where I was going.”

“It’s fine,” Kelsey said. “No harm done. How are you, by the way?”

“Great.” There were so many more people at the festival than there’d been only minutes before. How could she not be happy? “Better now,” she added when she noticed.

Kelsey seemed perplexed. “I admit…I’m sort of surprised.”

Patience blinked at her. “Surprised about what?” And then, assuming she was referred to the fact that she’d been with Glenda, Patience gestured toward the store. “Glenda and I don’t hate each other. We run into each other all the time. It’s fine.”

Kelsey peered at her more closely. “I’m not talking about Glenda. I thought… Well, I thought you’d be as hurt and disappointed as I am that Kanon’s leaving.”

Patience froze. “Did you say leaving? Where’s he going?”

Kelsey’s mouth rounded into an O. “He hasn’t told you?”

“No. When did he decide this?”

“Someone called the other day from North Dakota with a job offer he can’t refuse.”

All the excitement about the changes in her life, having her own place and making twice as much money as before, instantly drained out of Patience. Even the festival, which looked as though it was going to be successful after all no longer seemed to matter. She couldn’t even imagine Hard Luck without Kanon in it, not now that he’d been here and made such a difference. “When’s he going back?” she asked numbly.

“He starts his new job the first week of January.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. She was so stunned by this news she didn’t even bother trying to hide them.

“I’m sorry,” Kelsey said. “I thought you knew. I assumed that’s why I haven’t seen you at the motel since my date with Guy.”

Patience had been with Kanon when Kelsey returned home from her date, and they’d sat and visited for a while. “No.”

“When he first got here, he told me not to count on him staying,” Kelsey said. “But he seemed to be enjoying helping with the motel. We had all kinds of plans—a par 3 golf course, partnerships with businesses around town, a social media campaign. It felt like he’d finally found his calling, you know? That my mother had somehow gotten it right—so right that I believed it was going to work indefinitely. I never dreamed he’d leave, especially so soon.”

Patience wiped the tears from her cheeks. “It’s okay,” she said, but nothing was okay. Kanon hadn’t promised her anything, either. In fact, he’d done the opposite—warned her not to rely on him. But he’d brought something exciting and hopeful to her life—given her something to look forward to.

Now it felt as if nothing had really changed—as if she’d reached for a mirage.

Glenda poked her head out of the bakery. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Patience said and hurried away. The last person she wanted to be privy to her pain was the friend who’d betrayed her. But as she moved through town this time, she didn’t feel the Christmas spirit, didn’t smell the wonderful aromas or see the beautiful decorations. She didn’t even care about the size of the crowd that was gathering.

She was just glad Jack had said he’d take care of Ari tonight, because all she wanted to do was go home.

* * *

Kanon had agreed to cover the office for thirty minutes or so while Kelsey checked out the festival, but his sister didn’t look happy when she returned. He wanted to ask what was wrong, but the motel was busier than it’d ever been—so busy he didn’t have time to have that conversation. He was checking in guests and handing out free coffee, festival cards and brochures that included a discount on a stay within the next six months. Because of the festival cookie promotion, he’d decided to hold off on his own cookie giveaway.