Page 102 of Dance with Me on New Year's Eve

Her smile brightened as she rubbed the dog’s floppy ears. “It is so amazing to meet you, Roxy! I heard I could find you here.”

My brows scrunched together. “You did? That’s … interesting. I only joined the permanent staff today.”

Her eyes twinkled as she stuck out her hand to shake mine. “I’m Abby.” She paused and watched me closely, but I only smiled politely. “Chamberlain.”

My jaw dropped as I let go of her hand. “You’re …”

“Jeff’s my big brother.”

I stood speechless, eyeing her more intently. Those eyes. They were exactly like Jeff’s. And the hair, the facial features …

“I can’t believe I didn’t see the resemblance immediately,” I said softly. “Wow. You’re here visiting him, I guess? I mean, yes, of course you must be.”

She nodded. “Can we go sit down? Or can you go have coffee?”

“Um, I’m not sure the nearest coffee shop allows dogs.” I bit my lip. “Do you want to come chat in my office?”

Why was I inviting her into my office? I should be immediately inventing an excuse—somewhere I had to be, an appointment I was late to, a conference call.

I forced myself to stop that train of thought in its tracks.

Breathing in steadily and then exhaling slowly, I reminded myself that I didn’t need to invent excuses anymore. I could just … be me. As crazy as that sounded.

Abby nodded, still smiling. “Yeah, it’s totally not fair that adorable puppies aren’t allowed everywhere. We have that same problem in Duluth.”

“Oh, you’re from Duluth?” I asked while leading her into my office and pulling up a chair for her.

“We’re from Superior, but I live in Duluth now.”

“Oh, I’m jealous. I went there once on a business trip, and it was so beautiful. Then again,those massive hills must be treacherous in the winter.”

She laughed. “Seriously. You can’t even imagine. I wish I could fly south for the winter.”

“But it’s worth it to live there, right? I would just love living so close to the lake. Any lake.”

She frowned. “Isn’t there a nice big lake over by that resort where Jeff works?”

“There is. Obviously nothing comparable to Lake Superior, but still gorgeous in the summer and even in winter. Don’t even get me started on the fall.” I smiled.

Her beautiful eyes were round as she asked, “Why don’t you find a house or apartment on the lake?”

I tapped my chin with my finger as I pondered this. The thought had never crossed my mind, probably because I wasn’t a big fan of change. “I don’t know, actually. That’s a good question. I do know there are some cozy little houses to rent on one side.”

She smiled and nodded.

“But you’re not here to talk about lakeside homes, are you?” I asked wryly.

She grinned. “Obviously not.” After placing the eager puppy on the floor to explore the room, she leaned forward in her seat. “So, let’s get to it. Why don’t you want to live happily ever after with my amazing brother?”

My eyebrows rose, and I nearly laughed. “He didn’t tell me you were so, um, direct.”

“I think he believes that I reserve my bluntness just for him. But he’s wrong, as is often the case.” She laughed and sat back. “Are you going to forgive him or not?”

My lips parted to speak, but the words died in my throat. I couldn’t tell this woman I’d never forgive Jeff. Though it was probably true, I didn’t want to hurt her. She obviously adored him.

“You’re trying to find a nice way to say no, aren’t you?” she asked with one raised eyebrow.

I couldn’t help smiling. “I like your directness, actually. I’ve spent so much of my life trying to guess what other people werethinking, usually assuming they were judging me. But with you …”

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