Page 26 of Stranded in A Small Town Christmas
But I glance at the fundraising progress board as I do every time I drive by, and then I stop, right there in the road.
The red paint goes all the way up to the top now. One hundred thousand dollars raised. Tears spring to my eyes and I squeeze the steering wheel to keep from crying. Then I see somebody propped a second board against a tree next to the first, and I lose the battle. The tears stream down my cheeks when I see a line of red paint leading to $300,000 with an exclamation point.
Donovan.
My billionaire stray has come through on his promise, and Mandy and Amelia—hell, the entire town of Charming Lake—will have a very happy Christmas this year. My holiday joy is dimmed, though, because Donovan didn’t stay.
I sit there, tears streaming down my face, until the car behind me lays on the horn. Swiping at my cheeks, I give an apologetic wave to the rearview mirror and hit the gas. Messy emotions clog my head as I drive home, and I can’t stop the slow trickle of tears.
Once I’m back at the inn, I sit in my car and scrub my face with the sleeves of my sweater. I don’t want my family to see me cry. It’s almost Christmas and I don’t want anybody feeling as if they can’t make merry around me. I also don’t want them thinking I’m ridiculous. I get that I just met the man. And I can’t explain to them it doesn’t matter how long I’ve known him—what I felt for Donovan was potent and it was real.
I guess I don’t do a good job of hiding the fact I’ve been crying because as soon as my mother sets eyes on me, she drags me into the kitchen. I don’t think leaving Mel and Elsie alone with markers is a good idea, but she says they’re washable. I never trust that label.
“What’s going on?” she asks once we’re in the kitchen.
I think about lying to her. I could tell her they were happy tears because Amelia is getting her van. Or I could say I’m just overwhelmed by all the things I have to do. But I can’t look her in the eye and hide the truth.
“I miss Donovan.”
“Oh, honey.” She pats my hand, shaking her head. “He’s a nice young man, and he clearly likes you. I think you’ll hear from him again soon.”
“I don’t think so. And it wouldn’t matter, anyway.”
“Why not? If you think he’s the one, you can’t let him get away because of geography. It can be figured out.”
“He’s not just a guy who sells real estate in a nice suit, Mom. He’s a freaking billionaire.” I watch her eyes widen as that word sinks in. “He’s super rich and a workaholic who spends all his time making even more money.”
“A billionaire? Really?” Mom shakes her head. “Then you definitely shouldn’t have let him get away.”
“Why? So I can leave all of you and the inn and Charming Lake to go sit in a fancy apartment in the city alone, waiting for him to remember I’m there and put his phone down for five minutes?”
“He didn’t seem like that at all. He had such a good time, and he was wonderful with the girls. You looked very happy together.”
“We were happy together, but that wasn’t the real him, Mom. He left his stuff on the plane and I brought him here and it was like a forced time out. He wouldn’t have chosen to relax and go to the Christmas fair and watch Elf.”
She thinks about it for a few seconds and then shakes her head. “No, but he did those things and truly had a good time. So maybe now he would choose those things.”
Maybe he’d choose you, Natalie is what I hear. I won’t tell her about his dad and how he’s driven to work harder and make more money out of fear. And without that explanation, I can’t make her understand that he’s not free to actually make that choice. He won’t be able to stop himself from putting business ahead of me.
Plus, I just don’t want to talk about Donovan with my mother anymore.
I had the gift of a lovely weekend, as well as one magical night in his bed, and I just want to hold the memories—as painful as they are right now—close to my heart. I don’t want to pick them apart and hope for more. There is no more.
But as I scrape dishes and load the dishwasher, I can’t stop thinking about him being beside me. The way I’d teased him about knowing how to do chores, not knowing yet about his childhood and how it had forged the man he is now.
I should call him. I need to acknowledge he’d come through on his end of the bargain. That was a lot of money, and I should thank him for the donation personally.
Can I hear his voice without losing it, though? I’m not sure, and the last thing I want to do is call him and burst into tears. It would be embarrassing, plus I don’t want to make him feel bad. There were no promises made.
Maybe I’ll call him tomorrow. The conversation with my mother has me feeling raw, and I can’t trust myself not to get emotional when I hear Donovan’s voice. Tomorrow, or maybe the next day. I’ll focus on getting ready for Christmas and I’ll spend as much time as I can with Mel and Elsie, taking in their joy.
When I’m feeling steady enough, I’ll call him and thank him for his donation. I’ll ask after his mother and wish them a merry Christmas.
And then I’ll hang up and spend a very long time missing him.
Chapter Eighteen
Donovan
