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Winnie reaches out for the box, and as he hands it to her, the ribbon unravels and falls to the floor. She laughs. “Afraid not. Why don’t you leave the tying to me?”
I stare at the man, filled with enough envy and rage to throw him off the mountain. But I know he’s not to blame for the situation; I am. I should never have left her. I don’t know how we could have made a relationship and my career work at the same time, but I should have tried.
I should have fucking tried.
He rests a hand on Winnie’s stomach, and the gesture is so loving, so private, that I avert my gaze. I see his face for the first time and realize that he looks familiar. I rack my brain, but I can’t place him.
“I’ll do whatever I can to lighten the load for you and our daughter,” he says, wrapping her into a protective hug.
My heart spasms with pain. I’d give anything to be in his shoes, starting a family with the woman I love.
She swats him playfully. “You didn’t marry a weakling, Jax Whalen—and your daughter won’t be one, either.”
Jax Whalen? The hockey player? My eyes boggle as the name clicks into place. I was a fool to think she’d still be pining for me. Not only has she moved on, she married a superstar athlete and is pregnant with his child. Turning on my heel, I stalk out the door, completely unnoticed by the adoring couple.
It was a mistake to come back here. I’ll tell Gavin I can’t be the head chef at Omnivore Tavern. Maybe he’ll have a job for me someplace else. Or perhaps I’ll go back to Manchester and beg for my old job back.
Either way, I’m leaving Winnie behind in the review mirror.
Even as the thought crosses my mind, I know it’s not exactly true. I’ll leave and never return, but she’ll always have a piece of my heart. She may not remember me, but I’ll never forget her.
Chapter 4
Sebastian
When I return to Frosty Crest Haven, I sit in my car in the parking lot for a few minutes, debating what my next move should be. I need to tell Gavin that I can’t accept the head chef position at Omnivore Tavern as soon as possible, but I also want to beg him for an opportunity at one of his other restaurants in a different city. Any city. I’ll even take a demotion and work as a sous chef for a while to earn my stripes with him. Whatever it takes to leave Frosty Crest without destroying my entire career. I decide an email is the best way forward, simply asking when he can be available to talk again. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I send the email. Now, all that’s left to do is pack my bags, right?
As I walk from the parking lot to the hotel, my footsteps seem to have a mind of their own, leading me straight to Omnivore Tavern. I look up at the sleek sign over the door. This really is my dream restaurant, but I can’t stay in the same town as Winnie and Jax. There are just too many hard feelings. On my part, not theirs. To them, I may as well not even exist.
I’ve never felt so disappointed, stupid, or ashamed in my life. I was a clown to believe I even had the smallest chance of finding Winnie again, let alone finding her single and waiting for me after all these years. She’s a breathtakingly beautiful woman with eyes bluer than a robin’s egg. A smart man was sure to scoop her up. Proof positive that I am not a smart man.
My hand reaches out for Omnivore Tavern’s door. It’s bound to be locked. There’s no way Gavin would risk leaving it unsecured. But I can’t help myself. I have to at least try to take one more peek before I walk away forever.
To my surprise, the door opens easily. Is Gavin here? I take a tentative step inside. “Hello?”
“Over here,” a woman calls back. I spot her in the corner, sitting on the floor, and whittling away at the leg of a chair with a small knife. I’m not sure which stands out more, her soft curves or her lavender hair.
I walk toward her. “You must be Willa McAllister?”
“I must be,” she agrees, looking up at me from the ground. Her large plastic safety glasses obscure half her face. “And you are?”
“Sebastian Powers,” I answer, holding out my palm for a handshake. “Gavin hired me to be the head chef.” I decide to hold off on telling her that I’m not accepting the position. It’s better if Gavin hears it from me first.
Willa shakes my hand. “Gavin told me about you. He likes you. That’s rare. He sure doesn’t like me.”
“That can’t be true,” I argue. “He told me all about your talent, walking me around the restaurant to show me your pieces. It’s truly amazing what you can create with nothing but a block of wood, a chainsaw, and a chisel.”
She smiles. “Thank you. Gavin is a fan of my work. It’s my mouth that he can’t stand. He says I’m a chatterbox. He’s not wrong. I do talk a lot. Always have. Always will. And I’m certainly not about to change my personality at this stage in my life just to make Gavin Wheeler happy. He can take me or leave me, just like everyone else. I couldn’t care less how much money he has in the bank, you know?”
She is a chatterbox, that’s for sure. Her words come at me faster than an auctioneer’s voice calling in bids. It’s not unpleasant, though. In fact, it’s refreshing to be around someone so honest and true to herself. If I were staying in Frosty Crest, I have a feeling Willa and I could be friends.
She pushes the goggles up to her forehead and blinks big, blue eyes at me. I take a step back, my mouth falling open. “Winnie?”
No. She can’t be Winnie. I just left Winnie and Jax at the pet store. She wouldn’t have had time to dye her hair, drive to the resort, and start a woodworking project.
“Not Winnie, obviously,” she says, frowning. “I just told you I was Willa. And I couldn’t be both Winnie and Willa at the same time, could I? Well, I guess I could, but only if I had multiple personality disorder. And maybe not even then? I’m not really sure how it works. Do the personalities only come out one at a time? Or can they come out all at once? Do people with multiple personalities know they have more than one? And can the personalities ever communicate with each other?” She pauses for breath, looking at me for an answer.
“I don’t know much about multiple personality disorder,” I say. “I’m sorry for the name confusion. It’s just that I had no idea that Winnie had a twin.”
