Page 42 of Blame it on the Mistletoe
“Noah was pretty open about his feelings,” Faith said.
“Look, if you want encouraging, ask her.” Gina pointed to Shelby. “I tell it to you straight.”
She was right. Faith didn’t need help remembering all the wonderful things about Noah. She had a mental spreadsheet already exceeding Santa’s Naughty and Nice list. What she needed was someone to remind her why ending things was best for everyone.
Shelby scooched closer to Faith. “Can I ask you something?”
“If I said no, would you still ask?”
“Yes.”
“Then who am I to stop you?”
“I’m not making excuses for Noah’s boneheaded move because, good intentions aside, his execution had Tucker written all over it. Believe me when I say, I get it. I live with the most stubborn of the brothers.” Shelby gentled her voice. “But are you really upset over him barging in like a Ranger instead of your boyfriend? Or was it that you’d started to feel something and it scared you, so you used the situation to push him away?”
“I didn’t push him away.” She sounded a little more defensive than intended. “I told him to go.” Which he had, right out the front door and out of her life.
“Did you want him to go?”
“Yes,” she said as her head shook in betrayal. “No. I don’t know, maybe. He’s leaving in a week anyway, so maybe it’s better this way, before I become too invested.”
What was she talking about? She was already so invested her heart felt as if it was pieced together by twice-used Scotch tape, ready to fall apart at the slightest breeze.
Her friends gave her identical looks of disbelief.
“You know we’ll support you, no matter what,” Shelby said. “But take it from someone who almost lost the best two things in her life. Relationships that really matter take work. I was so afraid of getting hurt or hurting the people I loved, I thought it would be easier to walk away. It wasn’t.”
“My whole life, I’ve been the one to put in the work,” Faith said, forbidding the tears to fall. “With my dad, my mom, and even though I love him to pieces, with Pax. For once, I want to feel what it’s like to have someone work for me. To know they think I’m worth the effort.”
“Sweetie,” Shelby said. “You are such a treasure. I don’t know how I would have survived these past few years without you.”
In a rare sign of emotion, Gina slipped her arm around Faith’s shoulder. “You know that we love you, right?” The three of them did a group hug that had Faith sniffling. “Who needs men when you’ve got girlfriends like us?”
“I do,” Shelby said. “But you guys are pretty great, too.”
They laughed and Faith breathed in the sweet scent of gingerbread and friendship. Noah had been right about one thing. Faith wasn’t alone. She’d made a family of her own. People who loved her as she was, and always had her back.
“I heard someone here hasn’t had their hot cocoa yet.”
Faith looked up to find Noah standing at her booth, with two steaming cups in hand and a heavy expression. Her heart pounded against her rib cage, as if it was trying to escape. Which was exactly what Faith considered doing. She started to stand, and a steady hand came down on either shoulder, holding her in place.
“You’re worth it,” Shelby whispered, not letting Faith get up. “But you’ll never know if you run.”
“I’m not above chasing,” Noah said quietly.
Faith took in his long legs and knew he could easily outpace her. “It doesn’t really seem like a hot cocoa–appropriate day.”
“That’s on me.” He set the paper cups down and took off his hat. “And something I’d sure like to fix. Because if you allow me the chance, I’ll make sure every day is a hot cocoa–appropriate day for you.”
Faith was having a hard time seeing through the growing moisture. “You won’t be here every day.”
“No, probably not,” he admitted. “But I’m thinking of putting in for a transfer.”
“To Sweet?”
“Yeah I’m hoping to spend more time with this amazing woman I met. Actually, it was more of a reconnection and I told her I wanted to court her, then acted like a jerk. Making her feel as if I didn’t trust her. Treated her feelings like an afterthought when she’s my every thought.”
Gina gave him a hard look. “Big words for a man who should wear a Bah Humbug shirt to alert people that his superpower is ruining Christmas.”
