Page 58 of The Christmas Eve Delivery

“Don’t call my inn shit. Now get out. Go away already.” She turned and started to walk away from me. I wrapped my hand around her upper arm, stopping her, turning her so she would face me.

“Who’s the father of the baby, Lydia?” I demanded.

She twisted, yanking her arm out of my grasp.

“What does it matter to you? You’ve already proven that you don’t care about anything other than trying to destroy my town, my home, my life. So why do you even care?” she spat out.

“Sign the paper, Lydia,” I growled.

“I don’t have to sign that stupid letter. It’s only applicable if I want something from you. Read the room, Miles. I don’t want anything from you. I don’t want you. I just want you to go away,” she snarled. “Leave me alone. Leave Brookdale alone.”

“You and your little historical society are not going to get rid of me that easily.” I chuckled. “Be prepared for a fight.”

“There’s nothing to fight for, Miles. No one is willing to sell to you, and you can’t force us. Take your resort development somewhere where they want you. Nobody wants you here in Brookdale. I don’t want you here in Brookdale.” She was crying in earnest now, real tears, and not just those anger tears women get.

“I’m sure you’ll be singing a different story the second that child is born and you realize you can’t do it on your own.”

“I can do anything I want, and if that means I’m raising this baby without a father, then that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

“You’re no longer claiming I’m the father?” I asked.

“I will never admit it. It was a mistake to have told you. Forget I ever told you. Forget you ever met me. Forget about Brookdale. Just leave already.”

Her desperate sadness and tears seemed to trigger a tightening in my chest. There was still something in me that hated to see her in so much pain. If she let me and accepted my terms, I could take away all of her troubles and grief. I could make sure she never had to struggle again. But she would not listen to sense. She held on to this ridiculous idea that she could restore this inn, this town.

The urge to reach out to her started in my gut and grew more intense.

I shoved that weak emotion down.

“Fine. I’ll leave, but this isn’t the last you, Brookdale, or your little Historical Society have seen or heard from me.”

“Go already.” She sounded tired and defeated and unwilling to fight anymore. Her shoulders rounded as if it took too much effort to stand upright.

I had won this round. Lydia didn’t know who she was dealing with. By the time I was done with her and this place, I would own Brookdale, the whole town.

29

LYDIA

Ididn’t need Miles. I didn’t need a man. I could do this all by myself. I knew I could. Mom did it. Why couldn’t I? Except I hated myself right now.

I was alone, and every time I tried to look at my feet, I couldn’t see them because there was a baby in the way.

Miles’s baby. And no matter how hard I tried, I could not seem to let go of that fact. I hated him and I was having his baby.

I was such a screwup. How was I supposed to get anything done when I couldn’t even do this right?

Leaning on the counter, I stared at the lobby and the empty fireplace that desperately needed to be cleaned out before I started using it for the season, and it was chilly enough that I could start using it any day now. Only bending over anymore was a bit more complicated with the baby in the way. Maybe I should call Tony and see if I could hire him to clean it out.

People loved fireplaces in the late fall. They were cozy and took the chill away. There was nothing that was going to take the chillthat had settled on my heart away. I was doomed to be alone, me and this old building.

Maybe I was too harsh and quick to judge when it came to selling this place, but there was no way I could let it go. No way.

The door opened and a smiling, laughing couple came in.

I pressed my hands down on my sweatshirt, as if I could smooth away the dreary, worn feeling of my existence by smoothing out the wrinkles on the front of my shirt.

They were happy and smiling and laughing, and so distracted by each other that I almost burst into tears while checking them in. It didn’t seem fair that they could be so happy while I was so miserable.

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