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“Thank you, Jess. For bringing this up.”
She tossed a smile back at me from over her shoulder. “Sure thing!”
Opening the envelope, I pulled out a soft blue piece of paper. It was in Wes’s handwriting and simply had his address, seven thirty, and the words:
Please join me for our decorating adventure. Love, Wes
Drawing my brows together, I stared at the piece of paper. “A decorating adventure? What does that even mean?”
I slipped the paper back into the envelope and placed it on my desk before I sat back down. The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to focus on my work when all I kept doing was glancing at the envelope. I was kicking myself for deleting all of Wes’s voicemails and texts.
When I couldn’t take it anymore, I grabbed my phone and texted Rory.
Me: Are you excited for your first Christmas as a mom?
She responded back almost instantly.
Rory: I am so excited. Wait until you see the adorable outfit I got for Karleigh!
Chewing on my lower lip, I typed out my next message, not sure if I should ask about Wes or not.
Me: What are the family plans for the holiday? Mom and Dad want to keep it simple, we’re doing breakfast, then they would like to spend the day just watching movies.
Rory: You should come with us to Finn’s parents’ house. Everyone will be there, and I know Jennifer and Mike would love to have you there.
If Wes was going to be there, and Mandy was back with him, there was no way Rory would have invited me. Unless Wes wasn’t going to be there?
I shook the thoughts away.
Me: Thank you, but I’ll probably just stay home and watch a marathon of the Hallmark Channel.
Rory: ? We’ll miss you…all of us. That includes Wes, who hasn’t been the same these last two weeks.
Me: He’s not with Mandy?
Rory: God, no! I wish you would call him, Clare.
Me: He dropped off a note for me at work today. I’m going over there this evening.
Rory: !!!!! I’m glad! You two really need to talk. If you want to talk to me before you go over, best friend to best friend, you know I’m here for you. Always.
Smiling, I wanted to hug my phone.
Me: Thanks. I’m sorry I’ve kept you at a distance and haven’t been truthful to you and Autumn about how I felt about Wes. A part of me wasn’t sure myself.
Rory: Trust me…I’m not one to judge. I have to go…call me later, okay? Good luck tonight!
One look at the clock on my office wall, and I decided I was going to leave work early. It was a Friday after all, and the day before Christmas Eve. I deserved to leave early.
I finished up what I was working on, shut down my computer, and grabbed my coat and purse. I wished everyone a happy holiday as I made my way down to the lobby. A light snow had started to fall, and I pulled the hood up on my coat.
“Happy holidays, Jess!” I called out as I walked by the receptionist’s desk.
“You, too, Clare!”
For the first time in two weeks, I had a smile on my face as I walked home while snow fell, turning the city I loved so much into a winter wonderland. Grinning, I dared to let myself think something amazing was going to happen this evening.
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