Rachel gritted her teeth as she ripped open the tea bag. “I remember.”
Because her mother still recounted the story on a semi-annual basis. And because Rachel had never cared to clarify she’d seen the skywriting for herself, while she was finally in Gavin’s arms after weeks of chasing him. She’d never forgotten the look in his eyes—the betrayal in Gavin’s gaze even though she’d had no idea Luke was contemplating a proposal to win her back. And that had been before Luke found them together. She’d hurt two guys in one fell swoop.
Coming around to sit on a stool beside her daughter, Molly brought a fresh mug of tea for herself, too. “Imagine the poor boy’s humiliation when the whole town was reading ‘Marry Me, Rachel,’ while we searched everywhere for you?”
And of all the luck, Luke had to be the one to find them together. The confrontation had ended any chance she might have had with Gavin Blake, prompting all three friends to leave Yuletide early that summer. Gavin had committed to his snowboard cross training. Luke returned to his army base, and Rachel left for college a month earlier than planned. Her father’s embezzlement and defection ultimately overshadowed all the rest of it anyway.
“I’m sure it was awkward for everyone, Mom, but it was many years ago.”
Her mother patted her hand. “For you and me, maybe. But the Harris family has a memory for old grudges.”
Rachel sipped her tea, agreeing wholeheartedly. The Harris family was the pre-eminent founding family of Harristown, and they’d been holdouts against her father’s whole “Yuletide” makeover from the start. She had thought that was why Luke’s parents had never seemed to like her when they’d been dating. They must have been appalled Luke proposed to her—let alone in such a public way.
“I have my work cut out for me, don’t I?” Rachel observed between sips.
“You know who might be able to help you?” Her mother swiveled in her counter stool, facing her.
“Santa can’t help with this one, Mom.”
Her mother narrowed her blue eyes. “You’d have to get on the nice list first anyhow,” she countered. “But seriously, Rachel, you should talk to our new neighbor.”
“You’ve met the person who bought the house next door?” Rachel remembered her mother saying that there was an offer in on the property, but she hadn’t heard an update about that in weeks.
Her mother slanted a mysterious look over her steaming drink. “It’s Gavin Blake.”
The mug handle slipped from Rachel’s grip, sloshing some hot tea on her hand.
“Who?” She must not have heard correctly. She blew a cooling stream of air along her scorched skin.
Gavin Blake could not be in Yuletide. Surely Kiersten would have mentioned something like that before wheedling Rachel into coming home?
“Gavin,” her mother repeated, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for the other third of the Luke-Rachel-Gavin love triangle to move in next door and for her not to have mentioned it before. “He’s not in town often with his training schedule, but apparently, he wants to invest in Yuletide and retire here one day. Or so I’ve heard. So he’s going to be fixing up the house next door.”
But Gavin was an international snowboard cross star. He traveled around the globe to chase snow and, she guessed, attractive women. He wouldn’t spend time in the tiny village of Yuletide now that he had a successful career of his own. Besides, she’d checked his schedule before she booked her trip—just to be safe. And she’d seen with her own eyes that Gavin had been in Park City, Utah, preparing for snowboard season as part of the U.S. team.
“But he’s not in town…now?” She battled the urge to retrieve her phone and double-check the team schedule. She couldn’t have possibly misread it.
Her allergies stirred, fueled by a wave of anxiety. She’d planned her timing so carefully for this homecoming.
“I’m sure he’ll come to the wedding, so if he’s not here yet, I bet he will be here soon.”
Rachel set the mug on the counter before any more spilled, her lungs feeling wheezy. Her mother had recovered a good deal of her standing in Yuletide if she knew this much local gossip. “I’m surprised he could afford to leave the training program during December with the Olympics right around the corner.”
She was already breathing faster than her Christmas allergies would allow.
“He’s still in training for snowboard cross events, so he keeps a place in Colorado, but I see him next door from time to time.” Her mother must have noticed all the breathing because she set her mug down. “Honey, are you okay?”
Rachel shook her head, searching through her purse for an inhaler. Or maybe a new life. “No.” Settling for the lung-clearing effects of albuterol, she took a puff and set it down on the counter. “I just had no idea that so much was changing in town. And I’m surprised you never mentioned him to me.”
She was more surprised Kiersten hadn’t mentioned it.
“Are you?” Her mother shook her head, genuinely perplexed. “I guess it didn’t occur to me when we were on the phone the last few times. But I thought you liked him?”
Rachel tried to will away the wheezing, but a squeaky inhalation seemed determined to ignore her wishes.
“Uhm.” She wondered if it was too late to call back the Uber and return to Brooklyn. Too bad the train didn’t run this far north for two more days. She’d have to tough it out in Yuletide at least a little longer. “It’s complicated. And I’m surprised Kiersten never told me he bought a house here.”
She itched. Wondered if her allergic reaction to pine now included hives, or if that was all courtesy of Gavin.
“Kiersten has had too much on her mind to think about anything but the wedding.” Her mother went back to drinking her tea. “You must know Gavin is the best man?”
No doubt about it, she’d been kept in the dark on purpose. She was going to strangle Kiersten when she saw her.
“Now I do.” Her lungs made a whistling sound. “Do you have a Christmas tree up already?” That had to be the source of her sudden distress and not the thought of Gavin Blake.
“It’s two weeks before Christmas. Of course I have a tree up.” Her mother slid off the counter stool. “Do you want to see it?”
“My allergies have gotten worse in the last few years. I think balsam is a trigger.” And Yuletide. And her embarrassing past. Not necessarily in that order. “Mom, I’m going to spend the night and talk to Kiersten in the morning, but I’m not sure I can patch things up with Luke before the wedding.”