Page 46 of Rebel Without a Claus
“Yes,” Gemma snaps. “And I’ve been biding my time for years, waiting for him to realize I’m the perfect match for him.And then you just swoop on in like the nor’easter you are and ruin years of my hard work.”
I swallow hard. “It just… happened. Neither of us meant to hurt you. Which is more than I can say for what you did to me years ago?—”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Youwin. You’ve got it. His heart. All of it.” Her voice cracks, just slightly. “So if you’re going to run again, do it now. Don’t string him along. Don’t let the whole town paint a picture of a life he’s never going to get. Not again.”
My throat tightens. “I’m not stringing him along.”
She exhales slowly, stepping back. “Then you need to decide what you are doing. Because this town may love a fairy tale, but it doesn’t do well with heartbreak. And neither does Luke.”
Her words hit harder than I want to admit. I want to clap back. To remind her that my life—my choices—aren’t any of her business. But the problem is, she’s not wrong. And Ihatethat. I hate that she’s right. I hate that I hurt Luke once, even if I didn’t know it or mean to. And I hate it even more that I may do it again.
I watch her walk away, and it takes a moment before I realize I’ve crumpled the ribbon in my hand.
I turn to leave, desperate for air, but I’m intercepted again.
“Oh, Eve!” Pam trills from behind a display of peppermint bark. “I heard the big news!”
“There is no news,” I mumble.
“You mean notyet.” She winks, practically vibrating with excitement. “I always knew you two would end up together. You’re meant to be. The farmer and the firecracker.”
“I’m not a firecracker,” I say, voice hollow.
“Oh, but you are!” She laughs, tossing a box of hot cocoa into her cart. “He’s so serious and you’re so... sparkly. You two perfectly balance each other.”
I nod, my face frozen in a smile that’s growing thinner by the second.
“You’re going to be so happy here,” she says. “You’ll settle down, have a few kids, take over the Christmas festival planning committee... maybe even run for mayor someday.”
I laugh—but it’s barely a sound. “That’s... a lot.”
She chuckles like I’m just being modest. “Well, you’re the town’s favorite now. And now that you’ve got Luke, you’ve got everything.”
Except I don’t know what I have. Or what I’m supposed to do with it.
When I finally get outside, the cold slaps me across the face, and I welcome it. It’s real. It stings. It’smine.The voices from the general store echo in my ears as I walk blindly toward nowhere.
Meant to be.
Perfect balance.
Future Mrs. Dawson.
I hug the ribbon to my chest like it might hold me together. Ribbon that I didn’t even pay for.Great, now I’m a thief!
I love this town. I do. And I love Luke—no, I’m falling in love with him. Which might be worse, because it’s new and terrifying and not yet rooted. Not safe. And now, I’m supposed to carry the weight of an entire town’s expectations and Luke’s heart like some glitter-covered Santa bag I never asked to carry.
I wanted cozy and quiet. Hot cocoa and firelight. A kiss under the mistletoe, not a promise I haven’t even figured out how to make yet.
Because what happens if I mess it up?
What happens if Iamthe reason Luke becomes a grinch again?
What if I don’t stay?
And what if Ido?
I stop in the middle of Main Street, snow swirling around me like the whole town is holding its breath.
