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She sighed inwardly. The timing wasn’t great…or maybe it was just another sign that she couldn’t give up her life, her bakery, her hometown for a man she’d only been falling in love with for a few weeks.

Sarah was staring at her expectantly. Fear and uncertainty in her eyes.

Jessica swallowed hard and forced a reassuring smile as she nodded. “Of course. You know I’ve got you.”

Sarah’s relief made her feel even worse. Could she keep her promise to her friend? Or was she secretly hoping that by the time she needed to make her own life decisions, Sarah would have stopped freaking out?


As his feet pounded the pavement, Mitch fought the feeling that he may have completely messed this up with Jessica, despite their conversation on the boat the night before. He had to have come across a little screwed up the day before with his complete meltdown in the dining room, and he’d probably also scared her off the whole idea of traveling overseas.

Truth was, the missions could be dangerous sometimes. Their work wasn’t for the faint of heart or squeamish or people who liked stability and safety…

Damn, what the hell was he thinking even asking her to come along? It had been his own motivation and dreams talking. He’d gotten caught up in the moment and the idea of showing her the world.Hisworld. It had excited him.

It had only put pressure on Jessica. Her life was here. He was selfish to think she should give it all up. For him.

He ran along the boardwalk, the loud music in his headphones not helping to drown out his overthinking. That day was his family’s early Christmas dinner and he was starting to feel Jessica’s pressure. Not because of his sister, but because of the fact that when he’d invited her, he’d been doing so under the pretense of having a friend—a hot, interesting, fun friend with benefits—come to dinner to make it more enjoyable for him.

But in a few weeks, things had changed. Feelings had developed. For both of them. Bringing her home to an important family event could be misunderstood or lead her on, or confuse things…

But damn, he wasn’t even sure that was the case. Maybe he wanted something more, too. Maybe he wanted to be bringing her home for the holidays with his family because she meant a lot more to him than just friends with benefits or a distraction he’d needed to get through the season.

He couldn’t quite define the feelings he had for her. He liked her more than any other woman he’d ever dated. She was by far the most attractive woman he’d ever met. She ticked all the right boxes that he’d look for in a potential partner…if he was looking. He missed her when they weren’t together and he counted the seconds until he could see her again. That would be a lot of counting once he left again.

He had fun with her, but he’d also connected with her on a serious, vulnerable level the day before. Something he’d never have expected to happen. He liked who he was with her and he’d seen his hometown in a different light when experiencing it with her. It wasn’t dull or boring when he was doing the everyday life things with her.

But would that last? Or was it the high of a new relationship that would fade in time?

He reached his father’s clinic and he slowed his pace, struggling to steady his breath. The small white office building with his father’s name on the faded awning held so many memories for him. As a kid, visiting his dad and Mrs. P at work had fostered his own dedication to helping others and his decision to go into medicine. He’d volunteered there as a teen, learning more from his dad than he had throughout his medical school training. His own broken bones had been set in the clinic. Most of the town’s babies were born there.

The clinic meant a lot to so many people. The services it provided would definitely be missed. His dad’s compassion and love of the community would be, too.

He sighed. Mitch had never planned to stay and live in Blue Moon Bay. But he hadn’t planned on falling in love that holiday season, either.

Chapter Twenty

December 20th…5 Days Until Christmas…

This had to be an anxiety attack, because she was far too young to be having serious heart palpitations. Yet, she could certainly understand why people confused this feeling with an attack. Her palms were so sweaty her liquid eyeliner kept slipping out of her hand, and the sweat pooling on her skin made her too clammy to put her dress on yet. She’d applied press powder to her forehead three times already. Not her best makeup job.

Her hair in curlers and one eye made up, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Could she really do this? Go to Mitch’s family Christmas with him, come out to Lia that they’d been seeing one another and potentially cause family drama? For what? Was it really worth it?

All night, she’d tossed and turned. Sarah needed her here now for support with the pregnancy and the baby, and Whitney definitely needed her—she just hadn’t figured out exactly what was going on there yet. Selling the bakery could potentially drive her aunt and Mrs. Barnett out of business. She was terrified about the idea of traveling overseas.

Although she’d been fooling herself into thinking otherwise, the obvious choice was to say no to Mitch’s offer and enjoy the next few days with him. Not go to the family Christmas and ensure that the vibe between them remained casual and uncomplicated. It had been foolish to contemplate any other outcome.

So why was her heart twisting so much at the idea of doing what her head told her was the right thing? The practical thing.

Her aunt had advised her to follow her heart.

She sighed as she applied makeup to her other eye and slid red lipstick across her lips with a slightly trembling hand. She might bail on the overseas trip, but she’d told Mitch she’d go to his family’s dinner that evening, and she wouldn’t back out at the last minute.

She stepped into her dark green velvet long-sleeved dress and stood in front of her air conditioning unit as she stepped into her high heels.

Hearing Mitch’s car pull into her driveway, she checked her reflection one last time before heading outside. He stood at the passenger side door waiting for her, and her heart felt like it might actually explode in her chest.

Dressed in dress pants and a red sweater that hugged him in all the right ways, his hair gelled to the side, his face cleanly shaven, and those damn sexy glasses on, he was absolutely killing her slowly. Only a few more days together. She’d do well to start putting a little distance between them, building up a wall to help the inevitable crumbling of her emotions, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to. She’d never felt like this for anyone before and she wanted the feeling to last as long as possible.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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