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“Ha ha, no.” I laugh. “Far from it. I was born and raised in Kansas. But I always wanted to be an actress. So the day I graduated high school, I bought a one-way ticket to L.A. and never looked back.”
“Your family must miss you.”
“Not really. I have a younger sister and my parents’ entire universe revolves around her. I doubt they miss me at all.”
“I find that hard to believe.” Maddox squeezes my hand and my heart flip-flops in my chest. “Here we are.”
He points to Rudolpho’s, a tiny restaurant with black bistro tables scattered outside, holiday string lights hanging above the patio area.
“Is Italian good with you?”
“Sure.”
We walk inside and Maddox exchanges niceties with the hostess, then she takes us back outside and seats us at a table for two. One other couple’s dining nearby and they both say their hellos to Maddox as we sit down.
“What’s good here?” I peruse the menu, debating between traditional Italian or the Florida Keys version of Italian, which seems to be heavily pescatarian.
“I like the grouper diablo myself. But the spaghetti Bolognese is also outta this world. And they make fantastic bruschetta.”
“Wow. That all sounds amazing.”
“Do you want to start with wine?” Maddox peruses the wine list, and I nod.
“White would be great.”
The waiter appears and Maddox takes the lead, ordering a bottle of pinot grigio, bruschetta, calamari, two salads, then the grouper for him and the Bolognese for me.
I sit back and relax, the tension of the last few days—hell, weeks—seeping from my muscles. Soft instrumental holiday music plays through muffled speakers and it blends in nicely with the ocean waves and the hubbub of this unique small town.
“What do you think about Candy Cane Key so far?” Maddox asks as the waiter returns with the bottle of wine, pouring us each a glass.
I take a sip, contemplating as the chilled wine slides down my throat. “I like it more than I thought I would. Everyone’s so nice and friendly—I can definitely see the small-town appeal.”
Maddox tilts his head, candlelight dancing across his square jaw. “Don’t you like small towns? I thought almost every Christmas Network movie takes place in a small town.”
“They do. But those movies aren’t reality. I never thought I’d actually be in a small town like that. But Candy Cane Key kind ofisthat small town.”
“I haven’t traveled the world or anything, but every time I do leave home, I realize Candy Cane Key is special. The people here are great and obviously the land’s a little piece of paradise.”
I’d love to argue with him here and tell him he’s wrong, the world beyond this small tropical place is better, but I honestly can’t.
Instead, I nod and agree. “You’re right—this place is special.”
Maddox reaches across the table, taking my hand and locking his eyes on mine, and my breath hitches in my throat.
“It’s even more special with you here.”
Those words, coupled with the sincerity shining in his eyes, roll over me and my heart unlocks for the first time in years.
Deep down, I know this man is different.
That thought both terrifies me and thrills me all at once, and I’m like a kid on Christmas morning, my insides bouncy with excitement. Also fear and trepidation, but I push those negative thoughts away.
Even though I know I shouldn’t stay here and take the risk of falling for someone as incredibly perfect and wonderful as this man when I have a life in an entirely different world, I’m frozen to my chair in the dead heat of the Florida summer.
But maybe, just maybe, Maddox Banks is meant to be my Happily Ever After. And I deserve a chance to find out.
8
