Page 19 of Christmas at Valentine Inn

“I hope it will be.” He leaned forward. “I just wanted to give you some insight into men.”

I laughed. “Please enlighten me.”

He gave me a wry grin. “I just thought you might want to know what Patrick’s thinking.”

I perked right up. “Did you talk to him?”

“I didn’t have to. I’ve been in his shoes.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I know what it’s like to be so crazy in love with a woman you’re livid with, you feel like you might lose your mind.”

My brow popped. “He doesn’t have any right to be livid with me, and he’s not in love with me. He never was.”

“You’re right, he has no business being upset with you, and I can’t say for sure if he’s ever been in love with you. But you’re wrong if you think he’s not wishing he could take you into his arms.”

My cheeks flushed to think of such a thing and to have it come out of Drake’s mouth. “He doesn’t—” I stammered.

“Yes, he does,” Drake cut me off. “You didn’t see the way he looked at you last night.”

“What way was that?” I bit my lip.

“Like he wished he would have never let you get on that plane twenty years ago.”

That couldn’t be. “He got married and had two beautiful kids. He’s mourning his wife.”

Drake shrugged. “Maybe, but a lot can happen in twenty years.”

“Believe me, I know.”

Drake stood. “That’s my two cents. You can take it or leave it. But as someone who lives with a lot of regret, it’s easy to recognize it in others. And your boy, Patrick—he has some.”

“He’s not mine,” I was quick to say.

“Not yet,” he said slyly. “Goodbye, Izzy.” He turned.

“Drake,” I called out.

He turned.

“Thank you. I don’t know if I believe you, but thank you.”

“Like Charlotte would say:believingis an action word.”

“What should I do?” I asked before I could stop myself. Dang man was making me like him and seek his advice.

Drake smiled, knowing he had gotten to me. “I don’t have all the answers, but I would say don’t do anything you will regret later on.”

It took everything I had not to roll my eyes. “How very generic of you.” And not exactly helpful, I might add. I could have gotten that advice from a fortune cookie.

“Izzy, love is complicated. In many ways it feels like a guessing game. All I’m saying is, don’t leave the game until all the pieces are in play and you know whether it’s worth trying to win.”

Wow. That was actually insightful, even poetic. Maybe it was a line from a script he’d read. I had to stop thinking like that if we were going to become friends. “I don’t think Patrick wants to play with me. Wait ... that didn’t sound right.” I blushed.

Drake chuckled. “Believe me, he would take a tumble with you.”

I cleared my throat. “Anyway, moving on. You know what I mean.”

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