Page 3 of The Inn at Evergreen Hollow

He let out a sharp breath that puffed between them, a small cloud in the frigid air. “There’s no easy way to say this. Butwith the appointments we have next week, I just can’t let this continue on without saying…”

“What?” The word came out more sharply than she intended it to. That sick feeling spread. She thought she knew what he was going to say, and she couldn’t decide if she wanted to put off the moment when she’d hear it forever, or get it over with. She didn’t really think that she was going to get a choice.

“I think we need to break off the engagement.” Rob said the words in a rush, each one punctuated by another puff in the cold air. “I—no, we need to. I’m saying it. We need to break?—”

“I heard you.” Nora’s voice sounded strangled, the sudden lump in her throat trying to block her speech. Somewhere behind her, she heard the valet’s footsteps, but she couldn’t bring herself to focus on anything other than Rob, on the awful thing that he couldn’t actually mean.

But if it was somehow a joke, that was even worse.

“Why?” She sucked in a breath, the cold air jolting her back into her senses. “Why now? Why on earth haven’t you talked to me about this before, Rob? This is the first I’m hearing of it, even though you say you’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”

Rob chewed on his lower lip, shifting from one foot to another. “It’s just been on my mind, Nor. We’re just… we’re not all that suited to each other, you know? I thought about it when we went off to that cabin. You planned everything, all on your own.”

“It was meant to be a surprise!” Nora’s eyes widened, a mixture of hurt and anger tangling up in her chest. “You always said you liked that I was a planner, that it meant I could just pick, and you knew it would be good.”

“Well, it wasn’t. We both agreed on that, after. And I hate surprises.” Rob’s gaze took on a stubborn look that Nora had seen before, from time to time. “I just think?—”

“Rob, that was three years ago.” Her chest felt so tight she could barely breathe. “You’ve been thinking this all that time. We got engagedafterthat! At Thanksgiving last year.”

“I know.” He ran a gloved hand through his hair. “Things were so good, for the most part. I just kind of ignored what kept bothering me.”

“Whatkept bothering you?” Nora felt tears burning at the back of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Not here, not right now. She never cried in public. She would let herself fall apart later. “You never talked to me about any of this. I thought everything was fine.”

“Itwas.” Rob let out another sharp breath. “Look, I’ve just realized that we’re not meant for each other. There are lots of little things. I think we’ll be happier if we just go our separate ways.”

It’s all so vague.

A pit opened up in Nora’s stomach, a horrible suspicion forming. At the last office party, she remembered a pretty blonde in a blue dress who had gushed over Rob’s sales numbers. He had smiled broadly as he introduced the woman and mentioned how hard she was working. And if Nora remembered correctly, the woman had just been made partner two weeks ago.

“Is this about Julie?” She swallowed hard, remembering the proud way he’d looked at her. She’d mentioned something about Rob giving her a glowing recommendation right as she was up for a review with the other partners in the company.

Rob’s lips pressed together tightly. “I don’t have time to go over this, Nora. I really do need to go and catch my flight. I just didn’t want to leave without talking things over with you. I really am sorry.”

It sounds like a sales pitch. Like he practiced it. Nora felt the pit in her stomach widen, that sick feeling spreading. She could imagine Julie on the flight to Chicago, in Rob’s hotel—Rob wanting to neatly break things off so he didn’t have to feel guilty, like a cheater. When in fact, it didn’t matter, if he’d beenwantingto cheat this whole time.

Nora swallowed hard. She couldn’t think of anything to say. The last thing she wanted to do was beg for him to stay, but she couldn’t just say goodbye either. It seemed preposterous that just this morning he’d kissed her as she walked out of his apartment, like everything was normal, and now he’d caught her completely unaware. She had truly never seen this coming.

It didn’t matter anyway. He was already walking away, as if he’d delivered his message, and had nothing more to say. Nothing more than a few sentences, after years together.

She stood there, frozen both literally and figuratively, watching him leave. Tears burned her eyes, and she dipped her head, not wanting anyone else to see as she tried to surreptitiously wipe them away with the back of her glove. She couldn’t quite believe it was really happening.

Rob hadn’t been a Prince Charming. He hadn’t swept her off her feet or romanced her until her head spun or fulfilled any wild fantasies. But he’d been handsome, ambitious enough, stable, secure. He’d had a similar five-year-plan.

He’d fit perfectly in the checklist—boyfriend, then fiancé, soon husband and later a father. He’d wanted kids, eventually. They handled finances the same way. Decisions had always been made easily. If he didn’t have an opinion, he let her choose. He’d fit her vision for her life so perfectly. She had always assumed that she did the same for him.

Now a piece of her puzzle had been forcibly removed, and Nora felt, suddenly, that the entire plan was beginning to crumble.

Someone cleared their throat behind her, and she knew it was the valet. She turned, feeling numb as she took the keys and handed him a cash tip, mumbling her thanks as she strodetoward her sleek, sensible Camry. The interior smelled of warm leather and the upholstery shampoo that they used to detail it at the dealer, and she closed her eyes, trying not to think about the day she and Rob had gone to pick it out together. He’d said it fit her perfectly. Sleek, neat, put-together. She’d taken it as a compliment. But now, everything he’d ever said began to shift and re-frame itself in her mind, making her question all of it.

Julie probably drove a sports car. Something quick and fun and bright. Somethingexciting.

The tears began to fall as she sat there, the car idling as she looked at the venue where she’d just facilitated a beautiful wedding. Where, just a few hours ago, she’d been imagining her own. It had been bright and full of laughter and cheer, but she saw the lights beginning to go out as the cleanup crew finished, and she felt a hollow ache in her chest. Everything felt hollow now.

The week had gone so well. She’d been looking forward to a relaxing weekend, maybe even a little wedding planning, and then an exceptionally productive week to follow while Rob was out of town. She’d been looking at reservations for when he returned, a nice dinner to celebrate the deal that she’d been certain he was going to close. The holidays were right around the corner, and she’d thought of going to get a Christmas tree for her apartment with him, maybe decorating together afterward.

He hated decorating. She always thought he’d enjoyed it when they did it together, but now she thought that maybe he’d always been pretending. That nothing was really as it had seemed, all these years.

As she drove home, Nora was certain that she’d never felt so lost.

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