Page 54 of A Christmas Duet

“You have no idea how much it means to me to finally see you in person. For us to talk face-to-face.” His gaze bore into hers until she forced herself to look away. He still didn’t take the hint. “I wasn’t exaggerating when I said you’re even more beautiful than ever.”

“Stop.” She raised her hand as if swearing before a court. “You aren’t going to win me over with flattery.” Or anything else, for that matter.

His face folded into a pout of disappointment as they sat next to each other on the couch. “Everything I have to say is the God’s honest truth,” he insisted. “Can we talk, really talk, and clear the air? Just the two of us?”

Hailey hesitated and gestured toward the kitchen, where her mother and sister were no doubt listening.

His gaze followed hers. “I realize your entire family ishere and that might make you a bit uneasy,” Zach said. “I’ll explain that you and I need a few minutes alone.”

“Don’t, please. There’s nothing you can say that is going to change the way I feel. We were over three years ago.”

The hurt-little-boy look was back. Despite her resolve, it went against her nature to be cruel. “Zach, you aren’t hearing me. We. Are. Over. I can’t be any more direct than that. I know you don’t want to hear that, and I’m sorry you’re disappointed, but we can’t go back.”

“Is there someone else?”

She nodded. She wasn’t sure where her relationship with Jay would land beyond Christmas. She wanted to believe the times they’d shared were as meaningful to him as they’d been to her. He’d hinted that they were, but nothing had been definite.

Zach sat up, straightening his shoulders as if this was the best news he’d heard in a decade. “Despite that, I have to believe there’s hope.”

Her shoulders sagged in defeat. She had no idea Zach could be so dense. It was as if he hadn’t heard a word she’d said.

“What if we connect later…say, after the New Year, sometime in January. That will give you time to think about the fun times we shared and how good we were together.” His gaze pleaded with her.

Briefly closing her eyes, Hailey wanted nothing morethan for this to be over. She longed to bury her face in her pillow and scream with frustration.

Her lack of response seemed to encourage Zach. “Say you will. Give me something to hang on to through the holidays.”

“Zach, please, don’t. It’s over.”

As if he hadn’t heard, he continued. His face lit up with a smile. “I saw the video of you singing at that town festival,” he rushed to tell her, “and you were simply wonderful, and before you think I want back in your life because of that, then you need to remember that I reached out long before you became an overnight sensation.”

“My feelings, or lack of, have nothing to do with that video,” she said. Her mistake, she realized, was answering that first text message and every one that followed. He seemed to take her polite but abrupt responses as encouragement. Even now it felt as if he’d convinced himself he would eventually wear her down, despite everything she’d said.

“You sounded really good, Hailey.”

“But I don’t have the talent to make it big, right?” She couldn’t resist, although it was petty of her. Still, it felt good to remind him of the things he’d said. Zach had never understood that a singing career wasn’t her passion. The only thing she’d ever wanted was to create music for others to enjoy.

“I was wrong, Hailey, so wrong,” Zach admitted, hisgaze locking with hers as if to show his sincerity. “I’d hoped you’d be able to find it in your heart to forgive me for the horrible things I said. I don’t know what came over me. I was afraid of what it would mean for us as a couple, I guess, and selfish, too.”

“I forgave you a long time ago.” And she had, she sincerely had. Even though she’d struggled to put his caustic words out of her mind.

Her mother appeared then with a mug of coffee. “I brought the sugar bowl,” she said, handing it to Zach.

“Thank you,” he said, accepting the coffee. He set it down on the side table next to the couch and refused the sugar. “I gave up sugar in my coffee a while ago,” he said, and patted his flat stomach. “I need to watch those extra calories.”

Zach had always been overly proud of his physique. He’d spent more time in the gym than he did in the classroom while in college.

Before Julia could leave, Zach felt the need to brag. “I still work out five days a week.”

“Yes, well, it shows. I’ll leave you two to talk now.”

Her mother returned to the kitchen, but Hailey had no doubt she was intent on listening to every word of Hailey and Zach’s conversation. It must have required hard restraint on her part not to race into the room and act as a verbal referee.

“Getting back to you and me,” Zach said after he sipped the coffee.

Her mother’s face appeared from around the kitchen corner. “You should tell Hailey what you told me.”

“Mom!” Hailey cried.

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