Page 20 of Sweet Christmas Wish
“Yeah?” Sarah leaned against the counter, studying her friend. “Is something going on?”
Lacy gave half a shrug. “I’m not sure.”
“Well, that’s very cryptic of you…”
“No, sorry, I don’t mean to be cryptic, I just…” Lacy sighed, biting the inside of her cheek as she thought. “Look, I don’t have any proof or anything, but I think something is up with Derek.”
“Something is up with Derek?” Sarah repeated slowly. “Like you think he’s cheating?”
“What? No!”
“Okay, okay, sorry, I didn’t think so either, it was just the way you phrased it.”
Lacy sighed again. “I don’t think it’s that, but I’m not sure what’s going on. I mean, we’ve barely talked since I’ve been back from St. Louis, and when we have talked, he’s been so distant and distracted. I have no clue what it means, but I’m starting to worry.”
“Have you two had any big fights or anything? If you don’t mind me asking?”
“No, it’s fine. I would’ve told you if something like that had happened, but no. There’s no explanation for it. We had this wonderful dinner together the night I got home, and he even possibly floated the idea of moving in together. Or, Ithoughthe was floating the idea of moving in together. Now, though… who knows?”
“Wow.” Sarah’s eyes were wide. “That’s a really big step.”
“Do you think he got freaked out by it? Thought it was too much?”
Sarah rested her chin on her hand, her expression thoughtful. “I don’t know. I mean, you said he was the one that brought it up in the first place. Why would he do that if he wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment?”
“That’s what I was thinking too. Like I said, though, maybe I got it all wrong. Maybe he wasn’t hinting about that at all.”
Sarah slapped her hands on the counter decisively. “You know what I think?”
“Nope. Hit me with it.”
“I think that we’re worrying about nothing.”
“You do?”
“I do.” Sarah gave a firm nod. “I mean, think about it. Derek is head over heels for you, so I doubt it’s anything bad about your relationship. Honestly, it’s probably just that it’s a stressful time of year. I mean, don’t get me wrong—I love the Christmas season, but it definitely comes with a lot of extra busyness and plenty of extra things to get done. Besides, this is the busiest season of the year for his business. It’s probably just that.”
Lacy studied her friend as she spoke. Sarah, as she talked, seemed to be getting more and more keyed up, as though she was actually talking about herself instead of Derek. Sarah’s usually bright demeanor was becoming more and more pinched and worked up.
“Hey, hold on a sec,” Lacy said, bringing Sarah’s overflow of words to a stop. “Is everything okay? Are you doing all right?”
Sarah blinked, then flushed a little. She busied herself with wiping down the counter instead of looking at Lacy. “Of course, I’m totally fine. Just busy, that’s all.”
Lacy watched her, waiting for more, but Sarah pressed her lips together, suddenly quiet. Lacy could tell there was more to the story than Sarah was letting on, but she knew that Sarah would talk to her when she was ready, and now clearly was not that moment. Sarah obviously didn’t want to talk about whatever was going on in her own life and Lacy knew she needed to respect that. She just hoped that Sarah would let her know if there was anything she could do to help. She suddenly felt guilty for burdening Sarah with her own worries when Sarah clearly had something going on of her own.
“Well, thanks for being my sounding board,” she said, preparing to leave. “I really appreciate it. And as for the whole Derek thing, I’m sure you're right—there’s probably a simple explanation for why he’s acting so weird.”
“I’m sure there is.”
“I’ll do my best. This cookie helps,” Lacy said, taking another bite and turning to leave. “I’ll see you soon.”
Before Lacy could leave, the front door opened with a jingle and Colette Hillis walked in.
“See you soon,” Sarah called after her. “Try not to worry about Derek.”
Colette stiffened at those words, her eyes darting anywhere but Lacy and Sarah. Lacy pulled up short, noticing Colette’s strange behavior, and stared, trying to figure out what was going on. Sarah, it seemed, had noticed as well.
“Colette? What’s going on?” Sarah asked, coming out from behind the counter.
