Her heart lifted when she saw who it was: Daniel.With a smile, she hurried to let him in.
He stood at the door in the bright morning sunshine, dressed in dark jeans and a burgundy sweater, looking as handsome as ever. “I brought you something,” he said as he handed her a familiar cardboard box from Heartsprings Valley Cafe.
“Oh, gosh,” she said. “You shouldn’t have.”
“I stopped by the cafe and loaded up,” he said as he stepped inside. “You and your team have a busy day ahead.”
She opened the lid and found the box stuffed with freshly baked scones and muffins. “Very thoughtful. Thank you. The team is going to love you.” She set the box on the sales counter and glanced at her watch. Did she have time to do what she wanted to do?
Yes, she decided, she did. “Before we open for business, how about I show you the reason we met?”
“I’d like that,” he said.
“Follow me.” She slipped behind the counter and headed up the spiral metal staircase to the attic office.
“Am I about to meet the famous leaky roof?” he asked as he followed her up.
“The one and only. Watch your head at the top.”
Much like Luke had done five short days earlier, Daniel held his hand over his head as he stepped into the attic. His gaze went immediately to the six-foot gap in the drywall on the sloped ceiling. “That’s where the leak is?”
“That’s where the leakwas,” she said. “At least I hope. Luke,a contractor friend, patched the leak and covered the roof with a tarp, which hopefully will protect us until spring.”
“That’s when you’ll put in a new roof?”
“Thanks to your Christmas essay,” she said with a smile.
He smiled back. “And to think my critics are saying my essay hasn’t helped anyone.” He took in the rest of the attic and gestured to the desk. “Is this your command center?”
“If a messy desk in a small attic under a leaky roof qualifies as a command center, then yes.”
He chuckled, his dark eyes alive with feeling. Yes, he was definitely interested in being here —and being with her.
Nervously, she glanced again at her watch. Was there time?
Yes, do it now, she told herself.Right now.
She cleared her throat, attempting to settle herself. “Before everyone arrives and the day gets crazy, there’s something else I want to share with you.”
“Share away,” he said, turning to face her.
“You were very open with me last night about your divorce. I feel I should be the same about my engagement and why it ended.”
His eyes flashed with emotion, his expression becoming serious. “If you’re willing to share….”
She took a deep breath. “I am. Which is kind of new for me. For a long time, I avoided talking about it because I very much preferrednottalking about it.”
He nodded sympathetically. “But bringing it up now is … okay?”
She stood up straighter. “You aren’t the only one Mabel blasted truth at the other night. She said I’m ready to move past what happened.”
“Is she right about that?”
“I think she is. So here goes.” She took a deep breath. “You’re sure you’re okay listening to this?”
“I am,” he said, completely focused on her. “I want to know.”
“Okay.” After another deep breath, she began. “I met my ex when I took a job at a marketing agency in Boston. I was in the design department and he was an account manager. He was smart, good-looking, great with people, and our chemistry was immediate. We started dating and pretty quickly I found myself wondering if he might be the one. Six months after we met,completely out of the blue, he got down on one knee, pulled out a ring, and proposed.”
