Page 4 of Say Yule Stay
“Me too,” she says, shoving the last bite of the maple donut into her mouth before licking the frosting from her fingertips.
Good God.
Lacey and I have always flirted but it’s never gone anywhere—just teasing banter growing up that escalated as we got older.
It’s always just been fun.
Innocent.
But there’s nothing innocent about the thoughts racing through my mind right now.How has this never happened before?
I want to be stumped by the question, but the reality is that when I lived in Chicago, I was married to my job and not much else. Moving back to Starlight Bay was the right choice, but it had been like going from the fast lane to a light jog, and that had taken some adjusting to.
“Are you happy being back here?” Lacey asks, bringing me back to the present.
“Yeah, I needed the change.”
“I don’t think I ever really knew what happened.”
“One of the big bosses, Cullen Andrews, had a heart attack. It came on the heels of his daughter’s sabbatical from the company but it really rocked the foundation of the whole place. Cullen’s brother overhauled what he could—really making health and the work-life balance a priority—but at the end of the day, Cullen’s episode scared the hell out of me.”
The admission is out in the open before I think better of it. I’d told Murphy a less detailed version but not that I’d been scared the same thing that happened to Cullen would happen to me. I scheduled a physical and had quickly been humbled, and a little terrified, by the results.
I’d literally been running myself into the ground.
For my entire career, I’d been praised for my ambition, and despite being razzed by other people in my department for not having a life outside work, I couldn’t see anything beyond my bank account. I’d been damned good at my job, but what kind of life is a job and money if there’s no one to share it with?
I realized I needed the change, not just for my health but for my sanity. It’s easier to admit that now than when I moved back to Starlight Bay and made friends with Sawyer. It’s not like he pressed for details of my former life, but I had to tell himsomething.
So I settled on a bad breakup—not totally a lie because Ididhave a breakup. It was just with a job.
Not a partner.
I just wasn’t ready to admit I was scared of never seeing anything besides the inside of an office in a Chicago high-rise.
Lacey frowns, and I hate that I put it there.
“Are you doing better now that you’re out of Chicago?”
“I think so. Sawyer and I run Coastal Eats and that can be demanding but nothing like before.”
Her lips twitch and I roll my eyes, already knowing what’s coming. “Murphy is stillveryupset you replaced him.”
“I did not replace him.”
“That’s not what I heard…”
“I know. He tells me at least once a week,” I say with a huff because it’s true. He’s got the biggest heart but he’s so damn sensitive sometimes. “The worst part is that he actuallylikesSawyer. They get along, so really it’s just Murph trying to remind me that he called dibs first.”
“That’s absolutely precious.”
“Sure.”
Lacey grins as she rests her forearms on the counter and leans toward me.
“Well, now that we’re all caught up, why don’t you show me around?”
That doesn’t sound like trouble at all.
