AllFreeNovel
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Had he eaten with her? Candles? Laughter? Had they held hands?
“There’s cheese in the fridge. Fresh grapes...”
“Nothing, thanks.” He finished his beer and put the bottle down. “We need to talk, Christy.”
What? No! No, they didn’t. Not now. Not right before Christmas.
“You must be tired. I thought maybe we could light a fire and watch a movie, or—”
“Christy.” His voice was sharper. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
She didn’t want to hear it. Not now. Maybe not ever. She hadn’t decided about that part.
“There’s really no need to—”
“There is a need. I know you hate talking about difficult things, but this can’t be avoided.”
Did she hate talking about difficult things? Yes, she did. But that was a perfectly valid way of coping—and if he knew that was her preference why was he forcing her to confront something she’d probably rather ignore?
“Seb—”
“I need to talk. There’s something I need to tell you. And you’re not going to like it.”
Her heart punched a hole in her ribs and her knees turned liquid. She wanted to stop him talking, but obviously he had no intention of doing that, so all she could do was breathe and get through it.
“What?”
He took a deep breath. “I can’t come with you to Lapland. At least, not immediately. Not when we planned.” He stood still, his shoulders tense as he braced himself for her reaction. “There’s a meeting I have to attend on the Tuesday.”
“A—a meeting?” That wasn’t what she’d expected him to say. She’d expected a confession about a woman. Bad choices. I made a mistake, but I hope you’ll forgive me.
“I know you’ll be disappointed. This is your dream trip. And it’s Christmas—and I know how you feel about Christmas.”
He knew how she felt about Christmas, but he was going to ruin it for her anyway.
“Are you telling me you’re not coming to Lapland?”
“I’m still coming, but a few days later. I’ll change my flight. You go on without me.”
Without him? This was a family holiday! A special trip Holly would hopefully remember happily for the rest of her life. How could that happen if her daddy wasn’t there? How could it be a family trip without Seb? Which part of that didn’t he understand?
Emotion clogged her throat. “You’re saying you have to work at Christmas?”
“Not over Christmas itself—but at the beginning of our trip, yes. And, believe me, I’m no happier about it than you are.”
She didn’t believe him. If he wasn’t happy, why was he doing it?
“What is this meeting? You work with a team. Can’t you delegate?”
“No. I’m the only one who can do this. It’s tough out there, and I don’t have a choice.”
He didn’t look at her, and that felt significant. He’d always been good with eye contact. It was one of the many things that had attracted her to him in the first place. He looked at her. He saw her.
But not now.
He wasn’t looking at her. He wasn’t coming to Lapland with them. Apparently he had no choice.
There was always a choice.
