Page 44 of Snowflakes and Sparks

“They’re working on it,” I lied.

I hadn’t told Alex yet that I’d be leaving soon. Very soon. On some level that might’ve been wrong of me, but he knew from the start that it was never my intention to stay in Old Pine Cove forever.

The doubt started inching its way toward my throat. If I knew we had no future, then why did I let him kiss me? Why hadn’t I listened to my head instead of my heart?

“Maybe they won’t find anyone for weeks. I wouldn’t mind though,” Alex said with a smile.

“Maybe they’ll find someone sooner than we expect. Who knows, they could be interviewing someone as we speak,” Diane said, then wheeled herself toward one of the empty booths.

I turned to Alex. “Are you still convinced that Diane likes me?”

He raked a hand through his hair, as if he needed time to find the right words. “That certainly was odd. But then again, who knows what’s in that post-surgery medication she’s taking?”

I laughed. “Yeah, you might be onto something.”

“Do you want to order and walk home together?” Alex asked.

“I would love to, but I have to pick up Becca Loveheart from the inn. I do have ten minutes to spare, though. We could wait for our order together?”

“Perfect.”

We both ordered a grilled cheese sandwich before slipping into the seats of an empty booth. It was the same one we’d shared the first time we went to Dave’s Diner together. Outside it started to snow, covering the road in a fresh layer of white flakes. The lights of the Christmas tree in the town square were lit, even though the daylight took away some of their effect. Still, it was a beautiful sight.

“Thanks again for helping me bake those cakes,” I said. “The whole thing would’ve been a disaster if it weren’t for you. And they taste so good. Whenever I try to bake a cake, it’s always way too dry.”

“Well, that’s easy to fix.”

“I knew there was a secret I was missing all this time. Please share it with me.”

Alex leaned in and whispered, “If you want your cake to taste less dry, just drink more water when eating it. Easy, right?”

I flicked his forehead. “Ha, ha, very funny, Mister Smartypants.”

He pretended to be shocked. “Did you just flick me? You do remember what happened the last time you made fun of me, right?” he asked.

I grinned. “Crystal clear. Maybe that’s why I flicked you.”

He briefly caressed the tops of my fingers.

“About me leaving—” I started, but he cut me off.

“Shh. I don’t want to talk about that. Not today.”

“It’s not my favorite topic either, but we can’t just ignore it, right? We both know it’s going to happen.”

He entangled his fingers in mine. “You’re right. We do have to talk about it sooner or later. But today, I want to pretend as if nothing is going to change.”

“But things will change.”

He threw me a smile. “Oh, Suzie. I haven’t felt this high on life in a long time. Why don’t we savor it while we can? Have ourselves a magical Christmas and forget we live thousands of miles apart?”

“I don’t want this high to end either,” I admitted. It was the best feeling in the world. Being with Alex made me feel as if I could tackle anything.

He took a paper napkin from the holder and slowly ripped it into small pieces as he spoke.

“You know, you could stay here. Take over the store for real, not just temporarily. That is, if your boss agrees. You could start a life here. I’m not asking you to marry me or anything, but we could try to make this work.”

I bit my lip. How could I give up everything I had back in Los Angeles? My job, my friends, my comfort zone. My heart screamed that I wanted nothing more than to be close to Alex, but I had to be responsible. I couldn’t leave my life behind and start somewhere fresh just because of a couple of kisses.

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