“Do I look silly?” She smoothed her hands down her skirt. “It was the only dress I had, and obviously I packed it for the Caribbean.”
“You don’t look silly.” He didn’t trust himself to say any more. “So, I hear you’re leaving.”
She sucked in a deep breath. “I have to go take care of things back home.”
“Have to?”
“I should.” Her brow crinkled for a second before smoothing. “I mean, yes. I have to.”
“Would one of those things be your ex? I ran into him earlier today.”
“It’s …”
“Let me guess. Complicated.” He crossed his arms. “Don’t worry. I pegged you as a complicated woman the moment we met.”
Hurt flickered across her face. He didn’t want to hurt her, but everything inside of him ached, and he was doing a bad job of keeping the lid on his emotions.
“It’s not about him,” she said. “We’ve intertwined our lives to the point that I have to go untangle everything so we can both move on.”
But she’d be moving on somewhere else, eventually with someone else, and that left a bitter taste in his mouth. He knew it wasn’t realistic for her to leave behind her job and her life and stay, but he wanted her to anyway. Stupid hope. Stupid me.
Fern stepped up to them and nudged them toward the floor. “Get out there. Everyone’s standing around, and I need a couple to start dancing.”
Emmett opened his mouth to say that they weren’t a couple, but then Regina placed her hands on his shoulders, and he wanted to hold her one last time.
They moved to the center of the floor and swayed to the music. He soaked in her perfume, the tickle of her hair against his chin, and how she felt in his arms. Then she dropped her head on his chest, and he was sure she could hear his heart thundering away against her ear, saying all the things he wanted to but couldn’t.
At the end of the song, Regina reluctantly pulled away, and Emmett dropped his hands. He looked so big and tall and handsome, and a tight band formed around her chest. How had he come to mean so much to her at such a messy time in her life? And after such a short period too?
Somehow, he had. But things would only get messier the longer she stayed, and she had to return home and be the boring, uptight woman who got things done. And if she didn’t go now, she wasn’t sure she’d summon enough strength again, not if she spent Christmas here in this place she’d grown to love.
A giant lump formed in her throat, and she had to force her words past it. “Living in the moment was fun, but I can’t stay in the now. I worry about the future. It’s my nature, and while it bit me in the butt a couple of weeks ago, it’s served me well in a lot of areas.”
Emmett nodded. “Okay.”
“I better go tell everyone good-bye.”
He nodded again.
She wanted to say good-bye, but the real problem was that she didn’t want to. She simply needed to.
Since she was a wimp, she decided to save her good-bye to Emmett for last. She circled the room, thanking everyone for taking her in and trying to return items of winter wear they refused to take back.
Tears clogged her throat as she hugged one person after another.
She hugged Fern extra tightly. “I hope I’m not leaving you in the lurch. I’ll pay for an extra night or two if you need me to.”
“You hush,” she said in a stern yet soothing way. Instead of releasing her, Fern leaned back to look her in the eye. “You’re welcome here anytime. The sheriff’s not the best at expressing his feelings, but he’s sad to see you go.”
He’d seemed … distant. Even with her head on his chest, he was far away. He hadn’t said much, just nodded, and she started wondering if she cared more about him than he did about her, and wasn’t that just her luck? Maybe she was cursed.
She should probably wish on a Christmas-tree star. Or an angel since it topped the tree in the community center.
Through the open doorway, she spotted Gabe, the man who’d—in a roundabout way—led her here. She turned to gather some Christmas goodies to take to him, but then she spotted Emmett, already approaching him with a plate. He gestured toward the building, inviting him inside, but Gabe shook his head. But his “thank you for this”, was loud enough to hear.
He glanced over at her, and she gave a little wave. Cold air nipped at her skin, yet she remained in place, watching as Emmett walked back toward her. He hesitated in the doorway next to her.
“Kiss, kiss!” came from the crowd, and Regina glanced at them, thinking they were being far too bold, even if they were shouting the overpowering thought that was already on her mind. But then several fingers pointed at a sprig of mistletoe hung in the doorway that she swore wasn’t there a moment ago.