Page 55 of Valentine's in Bayberry

And yet Carrie hadn’t felt this swept away in her life. Someone had taken great care and time to pull this off. She was touched.

And yet she felt guilty for not being able to thank her secret valentine. Why was he keeping his identity a secret? It was one of the questions that rolled around her mind and kept her from sleeping at night.

The other thought that kept her awake was letting herself get too close to Jackson again. She’d forgotten just how much she enjoyed his company. But letting herself spend so much time with him, she was just setting herself up for heartache when he stepped on that plane and skipped across the pond to his home in London.

But she didn’t want to think those sad thoughts right now. Instead, she’d see if there was a name on this valentine.

As she examined the envelope, she noticed this valentine was different. It was in a big pink envelope with a red heart stickeron the back. Her name was on the front in those big black block letters.

Not wanting to ruin the envelope, she carefully opened it using one of her keys. But it still wasn’t the cleanest job. It would have to do.

Inside was a store-bought card. She found herself a little bit disappointed. The homemade cards might not have been as fancy, and the poem might not have rhymed, but it was the thought and effort that mattered.

This card was white with metallic red hearts on the front. When she opened it, it read:

This Valentine’s...

Will you be mine?

Your Secret Valentine

Her heart beat out the answer to the question. The answer wasno. She couldn’t be this person’s valentine.

It saddened her. She didn’t want to hurt this very sweet, very thoughtful person. She hoped whoever they were that they found someone who was worthy of their attention. She couldn’t be that person, because as much as she’d been fighting it, she knew there was only one valentine for her.

Jackson.

The acknowledgement scared her. She knew this love story wasn’t going to have a happily-ever-after. It couldn’t.

And then she noticed a little note at the bottom of the card:

Find your surprise at 724 Main Street.

The car door opened, and Jackson climbed inside. Once the door was closed, he glanced at her as she held the valentine.

“You aren’t smiling. What’s wrong?”

She shrugged. She couldn’t tell him she wished the valentine was from him.

He shifted in his seat in order to look directly at her. “Seriously, what’s wrong? I thought you liked the valentines. Did he say something to upset you?”

She shook her head. “It’s a very sweet valentine. I was just thinking about all of the work waiting for me back at the shop. I need to get back there. It’s the Valentine’s rush.”

“Okay.” He put the car in reverse. “Are you sure that’s all it is?”

She nodded. “It is.”

It wasn’t. How had she let herself fall for the one man she couldn’t have? Well, she could have him but for only a week at a time, here and there. That wasn’t enough to base a real relationship on.

As they drove back to town, he asked, “So, did you get another surprise?”

“Uh... I, um, don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

She sighed. “Fine. There’s an address on the bottom of the card.”

“Okay. What is it?”

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