Page 69 of Valentine's in Bayberry

“Why couldn’t he still be a part of your life?”

She frowned at Alice. “Because he would be my ex. It’s not like we’d hang out after we broke up.”

“Why couldn’t you? I know people who broke up and are still friends. I even know some couples who got divorced and remained friends. Maybe not at first but after the legal stuff was over and they settled into their new lives.”

It was something she hadn’t considered. She always thought of a breakup as an ending. It had been that way with the guys she’d dated over the years. Sure, there were awkward hellos when they’d run into each other around town, but she wouldn’t exactly call them friends.

But could it be different for her and Jackson? She liked to think so. But it was such a big risk.

“I don’t know.” Carrie moved to the next display and squirted cleaner on the glass.

“What did you have to do to open this place?” Alice asked.

Carrie paused from wiping the window and sent her friend a puzzled look. “What does the shop have to do with my relationship with Jackson?”

“Just answer the question.”

And even though she thought the exercise was a waste of time, she named off all of the steps that she’d taken to open Totally Chocolate. Some she forgot, and Alice reminded her, from approaching Jackson’s mother about renting the space to the bank loan and accepting her grandmother’s help. And thenthere were other things like having some of her friends help with the remodel and attending going out-of-business sales to pick up equipment and furniture with a deep discount.

After Carrie went through each step of opening the shop, she said, “I still don’t understand what any of this has to do with Jackson.”

“It’s to remind you that sometimes you have to work hard for the good things in life. And sometimes you have to take a leap of faith that everything is going to work out.”

Carrie recalled her last conversation with Jackson. “I think it’s too late for any of this to matter. I don’t think Jackson wants anything to do with me now.”

“Have you tried talking to him?”

She shook her head. “I’ve been pushing him away any time he mentions taking our relationship to the next step. I wouldn’t know what to say to him.”

Before Alice could respond, the front door opened. Carrie forced a smile to her lips, ready to greet the customer, but the smile was short lived. Brittany strolled into the shop. She lifted her sunglasses and rested them atop her long dark hair.

Carrie had no idea why she was there. But she got the distinct impression Brittany was here to stir up trouble.

Chapter Twenty-One

Was it possible shejust wanted chocolate?

Probably not.

Carrie stood her ground and waited as Brittany slowly strolled to the counter. All the while, Carrie thought about Brittany throwing herself at Jackson. But she didn’t say anything. This was her place of business. She would be a professional.

Alice’s gaze moved between Carrie and Brittany and then back again. Then she stepped forward. “Can I help you?”

Brittany didn’t immediately respond. She made them wait. When she finally spoke, she said, “I’m here to speak to Carrie.”

Carrie’s body tensed, but she refused to let Brittany see that her presence bothered her. She stepped forward. “If this is about the Happy Hearts, everything is going well. We’ve received many compliments. And everything is ready for tonight.”

“This isn’t about that.” Brittany pursed her lips as her penciled brows drew together. “I want you to quit stringing Jackson along.”

Carrie couldn’t believe her ears. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. I want you to quit playing games with him. We all know you aren’t really interested in him romantically. You just like keeping him guessing.”

Inside, Carrie raged at this woman’s audacity. On the outside, Carrie struggled to maintain an even tone. “Whatever is going on between Jackson and myself is none of your business.”

Brittany’s gaze narrowed. “That’s not true. We’ve been spending a lot of time together.”

“I’ve heard.” The words rushed out before Carrie could stop them. She didn’t want Brittany to know that she cared enough to listen to the gossip. When Brittany smiled, Carrie said, “I also heard you threw yourself at him.”

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