“You can never have too many Christmas decorations,” I say, smiling at her. “Tis the season.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Connor warns, continuing to decorate. “She hates Christmas.”
“People change, Connie,” I say sweetly.
Marion steps away to greet guests who’ve just arrived.
“Going out, baby girl?” Connor asks, his eyes dragging over me.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. I’m going out for a walk.”
My family is in Calgary for the day while I was sleeping off a headache. I’m going stir crazy inside, so some fresh air is needed.
“Need some company?”
“Not yours,” I say, on my way out.
I grab a pumpkin spice latte from the cafe across the street and just walk around town. It really is picturesque. The mountains are so close they loom over us, and I feel like if I walk in a straight line, I’ll get to them.
There’s a black truck with tinted windows I see driving around everywhere I turn, but it usually speeds up and drives past just when I start growing suspicious.
I try to keep my mind off Connor, but it’s not easy when I keep running into him everywhere.
The day after I found him decorating the Inn, I’m in the bookstore and as I round the corner, who should I run into but Connor.
“Is stalking me part of your plan to get me back?” I ask.
“I can’t lie and say I didn’t consider it,” he admits, mouth tilting up into a smirk.
“Stop trying to make us happen, Connie. It’s never going to happen. You ghosted me six months into our relationship.”
I slide the book I’m holding back on the shelf. I’m acutely aware that we’re the only two people here other than the owner and they can probably hear our conversation even though our voices are low.
“Not because I wanted to,” Connor says, brows drawn in. “I neverwantedto leave, Scarlett.”
“That doesn’t make it better, Connor,” I snap.
“I never said it did. I don’t claim to be anything other than an absolute asshole for the way I ended things, but if I’d seenyou…” he trails, swallowing thickly. “If I’d seen you I wouldn’t have been able to leave and I was too fucked in the head to think of anything else.”
A very small piece of me thaws, hearing the pain in his voice. I know now his grandfather died shortly after he left, but it doesn’t make my heartbreak fickle. The only thing left to do is forgive him and try to move on, which I can’t find myself doing right now.
“I have to go,” I tell him.
It’s beena couple days since my talk with Connor in the bookstore and the only time I saw him in town was when he was helping people around town. I don’t know how he has so many regulars, but this is Connor to the core.
I need to focus on my sister’s wedding and making sure everything is ready for the big day instead of wondering about Connor.
Even dad is growing concerned.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Dad asks, on our drive back to the Inn this morning. I hate having him drive behind me, so I usually drive back with him after I've completed my run instead of running back.
I chew on the straw of my coffee and then spat it out when I remembered it’s a paper straw.
“Connor is literally the last person I want to be thinking about right now,” I tell him. “Sienna’s getting married and I’m her maid of honor. She needs me to focus on her and what she wants.”
“But you’re thinking about Connor?” Dad asks, glancing at me.
“It’s a disease. Even when he wasn’t around I was thinking about him and now it’s gotten worse and we’ve only been here for seven days.”
