Page 48 of Maybe This Christmas
“You do,” Sabrina said softly.“It’s just a thought.That space has been vacant for months now.And there hasn’t been much interest, given that it’s such a narrow space downstairs.So, there’s no rush.”
Emma took a sip of her drink.With just a few words, Sabrina had helped solidify this dream of hers into something tangible.
Sabrina chuckled.“You’re thinking about what I said, aren’t you?”
Emma was, but she was also thinking about Caleb, which felt a bit weird to discuss with his younger sister.
“You do have a persuasive way about you.”
She rose to her feet.“That’s a nice way of saying I’m pushy, but I’ll take it.”She squeezed Emma’s shoulder before moving on to the next guest.
Emma returned to her cabin before dinner.She and Caleb had tentative plans to attend the Sunday night movie in the lodge’s small theater.Even with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, Sundays were a slower night.
Weekend guests checked out that morning, and there was a lull before mid-week guests arrived.Few were like Emma, who stayed the entire holiday season.
She set her canvas in the corner of the room and regarded it in the soft glow of the Christmas lights.She’d always been harsh on herself, but she had to admit that she was talented at pretty much any art project she tried.She just wasn’t sure that translated into running a crafty business.What did people say?Don’t monetize your hobbies, or you’ll end up hating them.
She rifled through her wardrobe to find the perfect casual yet pretty outfit.She pulled out a cozy sweater and leggings and tossed them on the bed.
Her phone chimed with a text.She reached for it and groaned.The message was from Davis.
Hey, do you have a minute to talk?
No, she most certainly did not.After all, what did they have to talk about?He’d given her the deadline to get her things out of his condo.She’d replied to that with a thumbs-up reaction.An acknowledgment without further comment.
They didn’t have anything left to talk about.As she was debating a reply, another text came in.
I’ll give you a call tomorrow.Have a good night.
She groaned and tossed her phone onto the bed.She immediately began to dread the conversation.
Then she remembered they were no longer together.She didn’t owe him anything other than moving her things out of his place.She’d even pay to have it cleaned as a thank-you.After all, she could never have afforded to live in his swanky building on her own.
But that was it.She’d broken things off, and he’d taken the ring and left her here.There was no coming back from that.
* * * *
“Looks like movie night might be a bust.”Caleb closed the door to the popcorn machine.
“Most of our guests are older,” Sabrina said.“We always like to have activities available if anyone is bored in their room.But it’s not uncommon to have events with zero turnout.”
“I know you keep track of these things.How long should I stay to see if a guest turns up?”
“Well, one guest is for sure coming,” she said.
Caleb rifled in a box for more popcorn buckets.“Emma.”
“Yes.She and I had a nice chat this afternoon at the paint-and-sip class.”
He groaned.“Don’t go scaring her off.It’s only been a few days.”
“It sure feels like a lot longer, doesn’t it?”
He set the popcorn buckets down harder than he had to.“You need to butt out, biddie-in-training.”
Sabrina put her hands in the air.“We didn’t talk about you at all.We were talking about the space next to Ellis & Daughter.Wouldn’t it be a perfect stationery store and artist space?I don’t think we’ve ever had a stationery store in town, have we?”
“We haven’t, far as I can recall.I think it would fit in well, if that’s something Emma wanted to do.”
