Page 1 of The Holiday Heartbreaker

CHAPTER ONE

“IS THAT A FOX?”

“I think it’s a bear,” Elizabeth said, knowing that she sounded as distracted as she was, her eyes flickering from the sign her son was commenting on, then back to the highway.

It wasn’t a real bear, obviously, just a rusted-out metal representation of one, one of the many that they had seen on the long drive out to Pyrite Falls.

It was cold, and she knew that the temperature outside might be above freezing, but that didn’t mean there weren’t slick patches in the shade on the road.

It wasn’t her first time out here, but it was her first time bringing Benny. He wasn’t happy about the move, and she knew that it was because he didn’t like change. He was upset that he was leaving his grandma, and she understood that. But she wasn’t upset to put some distance between herself and her former mother-in-law.

There had been a lot of promises about how their relationship wouldn’t deteriorate after Elizabeth’s marriage ended.

After all, Elizabeth hadn’t chosen to end it.

Elizabeth hadn’t wanted Carter to start a new life with a different woman, to have children with her. Act like Benny was a leftover from a life that he had never really wanted to begin with.

It wasn’t that her mother-in-law was awful to her. Or like they’d had a fight. It was just...easier. Easier for her mother-in-law to just visit her son’s new wife and children, and to let her relationship with Elizabeth grow distant.

To trade in afternoons spent over tea at Elizabeth’s kitchen table for dinner with Carter and Ashley.

She had Benny over to her house still, of course. Usually when Carter and the other kids were there.

She was trying to foster a relationship between Carter and Benny, that was what she’d said, and Elizabeth knew it was true. When his mother didn’t get involved, Carter missed more weekends with Benny than he managed to make.

The twins have soccer. Benny would get bored.

Ashley has a dressage clinic. Benny won’t want to sit through that.

But when his mom brought Benny over, he was always delighted. There was usually a cookout and games in their huge backyard and time spent at the stables, riding the horses.

Stables that had been hers.

But were Ashley’s now, for her sweet little children to learn to ride horses in while Benny’s bedroom-window view was a parking lot.

Carter was always so nice on those weekends. As if it wasn’t his mother who had arranged visits. As if it wasn’t Elizabeth who supported them. And then, of course, he had been furious when she had announced that she was moving three hours away. As if he saw Benny all time. As if he was father of the year and she was cruelly ripping his son away from him.

And so close to the holidays!

Because of course. Of course.

Benny was sad. Even though she’d told him it would be so much different than living in the little apartment they were in now. No, they wouldn’t have a community pool, but there would be space to run, and there was a creek, she was told.

Of course the idea of letting him swim in a creek made her nervous and anxious.

But her son deserved more. And the truth of it was she was going to have to work to give him more. Because God knew Carter wasn’t going to do it. At least, he wasn’t going to give him what he should get.

And maybe... Maybe she deserved more. Deserved to find the life that she would’ve had if she had never fallen in love when she was fourteen years old. If she hadn’t followed it to the conclusion of marriage and having a child before she was strictly ready.

Carter had always been in a hurry. She’d never been certain what he was running toward, but she’d gotten caught up in it. Until he’d gone on to someone else.

Left her behind. Struggling to pay her bills, struggling to remember who she’d been before. If she’d ever even known who she was on her own.

She’d been Carter’s girlfriend, Carter’s wife, Carter’s ex-wife.

Who was she when he didn’t define her?

Maybe she deserved to find out.

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