Page 29 of Inherited Holiday

“I’m joking. You’ll be fine, I promise.”

We hiked up the hill for the next thirty minutes until her nervousness subsided, and she saw the view ahead. You could see the entire town from up there, and it looked exactly as if it were a winter wonderland postcard in real life. I watched her take it in for the first time as if I was experiencing it that way even though it was probably one of my favorite spots.

I went there often, especially when I needed to think. It was a great place to be alone. Not many people knew about it, and I wanted to keep it that way. It felt like our town always belonged to random tourists coming in and out.

She grabbed my arm, leaning her head against my shoulder, and we stayed there for a long time in silence. No words were needed between us.

It was already written in the sky and Christmas lights.

CHAPTER 11

NOELLE: NOW

After I tended to the puppy I still hadn’t named, I placed him back in his crate, and he went right to sleep. He seemed to feel more at home in Nicholas’s house, which I noticed immediately when he made himself at home as if he wanted to live there instead.

In one breath, Nicholas professed, “I hope one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me. If I could go back, just know… I’d do things differently.”

I tried to find my bearings as he untied the ribbon around my wrists, having to move away from him. Now it was my turn to stay silent, not knowing what to say or how to say it.

To my surprise, he broke the silence between us, adding, “For the first time in my life, I’m contemplating if I went in the right direction.”

“Because of your inheritance?”

“Because of you.”

I swallowed hard, listening to every word he was openly sharing. Nicholas always spoke his mind, but this was still newand different. We never talked about our feelings in this way. Despite the number of mistletoe kisses we shared, it didn’t change our friendship for one second.

If anything, we grew closer, but in our friendship.

“What I love about fixing and building homes is I don’t have to be anything for anyone.”

I didn’t make a sound.

“I did what came naturally to me, and I knew it was the only way I’d ever get out from under my father’s thumb. I wanted to prove to him that I didn’t need him like everyone in this town does. That I could stand on my own without his money, his influence, and all of the important people he knows. It’s why I lived and breathed my business since I left here, Elle. It was never personal. I swear it.”

“But you still left me and now you’re back and not only are you the owner of the town I love, you’re also technically my new boss. Do you have any idea how hard that is for me? Did you ever stop to think about me for one second?”

“I was a kid,” he stressed. “Come on, cut me some slack. If I had been in the mindset I am now, I would never have done that. The last thing I wanted was for you to feel like you or our friendship never mattered to me.”

Standing my ground, I explained, “You’re acting like nothing’s changed when everything has, and now we’ve added whatever the fuck we just did into the mix.”

“I hate to break it to you, but we’ve always added whatever the fuck we just did into the mix, Noelle.”

“This was far beyond kissing, Nicholas.”

“So now you’re complaining?”

“I’m confused.”

“Let me unconfuse you.” I grabbed her shoulders. “I like you, Elle. I’ve always liked you.”

“What does that even mean?”

“It means exactly what I just said. I like you more than a bestfriend likes their best friend, and I always have. I was just too young and stupid to identify what it was back then. I thought I had to make something of myself. I thought it was the only thing that mattered.”

“So what? I was holding you back?”

“This town was.”

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