Page 144 of All I Want For Christmas

Steve didn't care about their huge light show, their sleigh rides, the Christmas trees, or reindeer anyway, so the fact that she’d missed Christmas there didn’t matter. He wanted her to see the inn, the rooms, the nearby town, and talk to them more in-depth about their plans. Then he wanted Savannah to give him a presentation in two days about how they could renovate the place.

She didn’t want to do it.

She thought the farm should stay as it was.

She also wanted to go back to Louisiana today. With Theo.

“I know, but what choice do I have?” she asked. “I mean, I don’t have to get back to work like you do. Thisiswork for me.”

“Is Mark going to be there?” Theo asked with a scowl. He didn’t know how he would pull off staying longer and going with her, but if some other guy who was going to hit on her the entire time was going to be there, Theowouldfind a way to protect her.

“No,” she said. “He decided it was too much trouble with the weather and the flight delays and cancellations.”

Well, at leastthatwas working out. “Good.” His hands were resting on her hips as they stood next to the rental car in front of the lodge. He pulled her closer. “Just quit. You’re going to anyway. Just do it today.”

“I can’t quit without another plan in place.”

He understood that. But he already missed her, and he hadn’t even left yet. "This sucks," he told her.

She looked sad too. "I know."

His plane ticket could've been switched just like hers had, but Steve wasn't paying for his. And Theo did have to get back to work.

"At least this time you’re in first class," she told him with a small smile.

"I don’t give a shit where I’m sitting if you're not next to me," he told her, cupping her cheek.

Henry was giving her a ride up to the Monroe Farm. It was an hour away, but Lucy, Henry, and Scott knew the Monroes. Then Henry had said he could give Savannah a ride back to Asheville on the twenty-seventh. He’d assured her that there were plenty of supplies he could go get and it was no problem.

Savannah was insisting on paying him even though both he and Lucy argued it wasn’t necessary. Theo’s money was on Savannah winning that battle, but Lucy was tough.

Theo almost smiled thinking about the people here at the lodge that they’d gotten to know in their short stay. But he couldn’t quite muster a grin.

This was not how he’d planned for this all to end up. He wasn’t done with Savannah Lee. But he wasn’t sure what to say or do to make sure she knew that, yet not push too hard at the same time.

"Are you coming to Autre when you’re done here?”

She grimaced. "No. I have to be in Alexandria on the thirtieth and thirty-first."

“Alexandria, Louisiana?”

"Yeah. It’s a renovation Steve just completed. His favorite one so far. He’s throwing a big New Year’s thing and we’re all supposed to be there.” She paused. “You’d hate it."

“Why is that?”

"Super fancy. Tuxes and everything."

Theo could admit he wasn't really a tux guy. But he wasn't sure he’dhateit. Plus, Savannah would probably be wearing some slinky sexy dress that he would very much love to see.

"When will you be back in New Orleans?"

"Probably on the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth,” she said. “Unless something comes up. “Steve said something about going to some Texas winery. But he was still trying to work it out."

"I want to see you."

She nodded. "I want to see you, too. But…"

"But what?"

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