Page 30 of Happy After All

“I do.” She doesn’t seem convinced of the whole thing, and I give the world’s most half-hearted wave as I slip into my car, several plates of goodies piled high in the passenger seat, and head back toward the Pink Flamingo.

The neon sign greets me, along with the Christmas lights around the palm trees and Joshua trees in front of the place. It’s pink and glorious and welcoming. I’m going to put the goodies in the lobby.

I know that Wilma, Gladys, and Lydia will be by for treats. They’ll scent them like a small pack of dachshunds. I like that about them.

We’ll chat, and I’ll forget about Chris and fires for a while. About the real, shocking truth that no matter how nice a life I’ve made for myself here, it hasn’t erased the one I left behind.

Even worse, it isn’t staying behind me. It’s coming right for my new life, and I’m not sure what to do about that.

It is the season of miracles.

And I got my ex.

If this were one of his Christmas movies, it would be a reunion romance.

That thought hits me when I’m alone in my unit.

It makes me laugh and laugh and laugh.

Chapter Eight

You (Again)—when two characters continually cross paths—seemingly at random—but it’s an indication that their connection is “fated” or part of a bigger plan.

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks stewing about the situation with Chris. I come to the same conclusion every time. I’m not going to tell anyone that they’ve hired my ex-boyfriend, because it’s too important. There are families counting on this. Our community is counting on this. I don’t want to contribute to any issues. Now, I’m determined to find something that will raise even more money than Christopher Weaver’s presence. Maybe?

It’s still charitable, even if it’s petty. I assume the charitable aspect overrides the pettiness.

I feel bad, but I haven’t even told Elise. I just worry. I worry she will—out of the goodness of her heart—try to manage the whole Christopher situation, and I don’t need that. I’m stronger than that.

Though, on December 1, I sit in my feelings. Because it’s almost my birthday. My thirty-second birthday, as a matter of fact. While I feel like I’ve definitely changed my life since I moved here, there’s something ... melancholy about it. Or maybe I’m just filled with a sense of doom because five months ago my very safe life caught fire, and now a piece of my old life is getting set to invade. Maybe my feeling weird is normal, all things considered.

Maybe. Though I have to stop sitting in my feelings. I haven’t been able to do any real work on my book since the Chris announcement, and this morning I finally emailed my editor saying change of plans, it’s not a reunion romance anymore.

It only hurts a little bit. It’s only ten thousand words to delete. Whatever.

This is my tenth book. I’m familiar with this game. At this point I’d rather burn it all to the ground than work on something I don’t want to write.

There’s no way I can write a reunion with ... all that looming up ahead. Absolutely not. I don’t write reunion romances ever for that reason, actually. I foolishly thought it’s been three years and obviously the hero of the book won’t have been a cheater, so it’s fine and not at all the same.

But now, no.

Too real. Way too real.

I don’t explain why. I assume my editor will think it has something to do with my muse.

Luckily she’s fine with it and tells me so within ten minutes of my sent missive, and I respond with something about a different trope, but then I don’t even remember what I told her five minutes later and have to check my sent folder to see what I said.

Enemies to lovers, I’ve now promised.

I can’t avoid getting restarted.

I finally commit to making my manuscript full screen—always a harsh warning to myself to stop clicking around the internet—when the little cricket alert chime goes off on my computer. I have it set to crickets because I find it soothing. Or I did, two years ago, when I made the decision to make that alert a cricket sound.

Now it makes me grind my teeth.

Time to change it again.

I open my reservation software, and I see that a new request has come in.

---