Page 59 of Meet Me at the Christmas Cottage
“It’s just?—”
“Jonah, will you play a game of Go Fish with me? I have the cards, see?” Finn’s towhead pushed between them. Bronte leaned back, scooting her chair back to its place.
“Finn, stop interrupting Jonah and come sit back down,” Mia said, shooting a look of apology in their direction.
“It’s okay, Mia,” Jonah said. “I’ll play a quick round with you while we’re waiting for our dinner, okay, Finn?”
Finn nodded and pulled himself up in the empty chair next to Jonah.
What had she been about to do? She couldn’t tell Jonah that she was falling for him. She couldn’t tell him why it would never work between them. Not here, where there were too many people to overhear. But she had to tell him. She needed to let him go so he could make his dreams come true. She’d just hold him back.
Jonah’s gaze remained on her as he played a round of Go Fish with Finn, but she refused to look at him. She couldn’t. If she did, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to hold herself together any longer.
* * *
The pasta Dani had catered in was the definition of perfect. It gave anything Jonah had ever had in Italy a run for its money. He’d been excited about seeing how their hard work in the ballroom looked in action—comparing it to Christmas balls past—but now his mind was fully focused on Bronte. He thought she’d been having a good time, but something had happened to change her mood.
“Are you guys enjoying your meal?” As Dani stood next to Bronte’s chair, her strapless gold gown made her green eyes sparkle. Or maybe it was the excitement of seeing all her hard work come to fruition.
“This is so good, Dani,” Cody said. “Good call picking the catering.”
“So glad you’re enjoying it. Hey.” Dani smiled and put her hand on the back of Bronte’s chair. “Can I steal Bronte for a moment? There’s a guest who’s a big fan and wanted to know if an introduction could be made.” She shot a glance toward Bronte. “If you’re not okay with that, I could tell them now isn’t a good time.”
After the fiasco that’d happened at the Christmas stroll, Jonah knew Bronte would politely decline. He hoped she’d decline, but for selfish reasons. He didn’t want to share her.
He swallowed his disappointment when Bronte shrugged and said, “Sure.”
Dabbing her mouth, she tossed her napkin next to her plate and pushed back from the table. She still wouldn’t make eye contact with him. What had happened?
“She get that a lot?” Mia asked, wiping Finn’s face. He had enjoyed the pasta as well.
Jonah shrugged. “It seems like it’s happening a lot here.”
“I think it’s fun. So, Jonah, I heard something today and just wanted to give you the heads-up—” Mia’s phone, sitting on the table, rang, interrupting whatever she had been about to tell him. Picking it up, she said, “Excuse me, it’s my mom.” Cody helped pull her chair out from the table.
“What was that all about?” Jonah asked, watching as Mia disappeared into a dark corner, phone tucked to her ear.
Cody shrugged and asked, “Is Bronte okay? She seemed a little quiet at dinner.” Cody settled Finn back in with a coloring book and some markers he produced from Finn’s backpack, which sported different kinds of sharks.
“She seems upset.” Jonah straightened his silverware next to his plate as he watched Finn coloring, tongue poked out the side of his mouth. “I’m not really sure what happened.”
“You don’t think Finn upset her, do you?”
“Are you talking about me?” Finn paused his coloring, round eyes looking between Cody and Jonah.
“Yes, Finny.” Cody ruffled the boy’s hair. “It’s all right. Go back to coloring that awesome dinosaur.”
“I don’t think so,” Jonah continued when the boy was distracted again with his artwork. “Who could be mad when Finn’s around? He’s the best.”
Finn paused again, looking up from his coloring. “Thank you,” he said before diving his head into Cody’s side.
“I think she’s just tired, maybe?” Jonah said, frowning in the direction Bronte had disappeared. He heaved a deep sigh. “Maybe a little overwhelmed?”
“I get that. Mia told me this afternoon was a little crazy with all the dresses, and you know how the girls can be when they all get together,” Cody said, pushing back his dessert plate.
Dessert had been a fudge mousse provided by the Fudge Shop on the Corner. It was amazing, but so rich. Jonah had only made it through half before he couldn’t eat anymore.
“How’s she doing since her fall?” Cody took a sip from the cup of coffee that had come with desert.
