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She did too. There might be very little crime in this town, but break-ins could happen anywhere at any time. It just took a couple of extra seconds to stop and lock a door.
Charity took another sip of her cocoa and thought through her next words. She’d defend Misty Mountain to her death, but did she really need to defend it? Nic knew the benefits of this town more than anyone. He’d just said it was a great place to grow up.
His issue wasn’t with Misty Mountain. Never had been. It was with being trapped in the same town his entire life.
And trapped was how he saw it. In his mind, once you set down roots and started having kids, you couldn’t move.
That wasn’t true at all. But it was true for Charity. She had no plans to live anywhere else. So, anyone who married her would have to be okay with that.
“My sister’s getting married in June,” she said.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him look over at her. No doubt he wondered why she brought this up now, but it was relevant.
“I’d love to be able to do all the stuff I dreamed of doing with my sisters,” Charity said, sighing. “Picking out wedding dresses, planning the wedding, raising our kids together… At one time, I even imagined the three of us having our houses on the same property. The kids would run from one house to another. They’d be cousins, but it would be more like they were siblings.”
“Sounds nice.”
Did it sound nice to him? Really? She couldn’t imagine him ever even thinking about raising his kids on the same property as his sister. Both of them had big dreams, and those dreams pulled them away. Charity could say all she wanted about Misty Mountain’s economy, but jobs were limited in a tourist town.
“My mom would love for one of us to move back here,” Nic said with a laugh. “Probably me more than my sister. She’s already said she never plans to have kids.”
“You never know. Some of my closest friends growing up said they didn’t want kids. They’re almost all moms now. People change their minds.”
His sister was older, though—by several years. But women decided to have kids later in life all the time.
Still, that wasn’t the point. The point was his mom wanted one of them back home, and neither of them seemed inclined to ever live in Misty Mountain again.
“I see the sadness in my mom’s eyes when she can’t have all of us together.” Charity crossed her legs and took another sip of her cocoa. “Thanksgiving was quiet. I could tell she felt like something was missing.”
“You were there,” he said.
“I get it.” Charity sighed, picturing their large dining room table, all decorated for the holiday with only three place settings. “My dad and I are around all the time. Holidays are for bringing everyone together. Ana is coming home for Christmas, but Faith hasn’t committed yet. I think it’s hard for her to get away from the store.”
Charity definitely understood that. Anyone else could take time off for the holidays, but retail meant helping all those last-minute shoppers. And she’d no doubt have to be right back at it for the after-Christmas sales. Getting to Knoxville would take Faith at least ten hours, and then she’d have to turn around and fly back again, with a layover in Chicago, almost as soon as they’d finished Christmas dinner.
“I have a feeling your mom is more grateful to have you here every day than you realize,” he said. “And once you give her grandkids, she’ll be plenty busy spoiling them.”
That bugged her in ways she couldn’t quite explain. He was talking about her having kids, and if it were anybody else, she’d light up at the topic. But this was Nic. This was the man the teenage version of herself had been sure would be the father of her kids when they were older. How could he so casually toss out those words? It didn’t hurt him at all to think of her starting a family here in Misty Mountain with a man who wasn’t him?
She needed out of here. She had to retreat to the safety of her house.
“I have to get home to my dog,” Charity said, pushing herself to her feet. Cocoa sloshed around in the cup but didn’t tip over the top, probably thanks to the large marshmallow cushion. “Thank you for helping out with this. It’s really— It was nice of you.”
As she spoke, Charity was backing up, edging toward the door. Inching closer to freedom.
“If I don’t talk to you again, have a safe trip back,” she said.
With that, she was done. She spun on one heel and walked quickly toward the door, taking her cup full of mostly marshmallows with her.
18
If I don’t see you again, have a safe trip back.
Those words stuck with Nic as he put out fires at work the next day. They had a big order for squash they couldn’t fulfill. He’d gotten on the phone and arranged for a partner farm in Illinois to help out the grocery chain.
He should hop in his truck and head back. That would be the right thing to do. Charity had made it clear she was fine with him going back. It would be best for both of them if he just vanished. But he couldn’t skip town just yet. He couldn’t leave things this way between them.
And that was why he found himself looking for her when he headed into town for dinner. He could have eaten with his parents. His mom had made a casserole based on some recipe that was floating around town. Apparently, Mrs. Apple discovered some new way to make Thanksgiving leftovers not taste like Thanksgiving leftovers.
