About time. “Do you enjoy living there?”
She didn’t answer right away. That strange expression drifted across her features again, but it was gone in an instant, and Sean wondered if it was only a trick of the shadows.
“Yeah, but I miss my family,” she said eventually. “It must be nice to have Zoey living just down the street.”
“It is.”
Although it hadn’t always been. There’d been a time when Sean left Patterson’s Bluff briefly, the year after he graduated high school. Things had gotten tense at home—he was fighting with his father all the time and his mother’s drinking had gotten worse. Eventually it had boiled over into him packing his bags, while Zoey sat on his floor crying and begging him not to leave her behind.
What bastard leaves his little sister in a situation like that?
Although Sean had only lasted a year living away from Patterson’s Bluff, the shame of failing her like was still as bright as a freshly stoked fire. They’d talked it through many times, and Zoey had forgiven him. But he hadn’t quite forgiven himself, in truth. If he could turn back time and be a stronger person—a better person—for her, he absolutely would.
But that was the uncomfortable truth of it all: his future was in the same small town where he grew up, with the same people and the same job he’d always had.
Which meant there was no point fantasising about a woman with enough talent to fly her half-way across the world, even if she was…
Well, it was a little hard to say she looked sexy right now, given she had a pair of tracksuit pants tucked into her socks and a baggy oversized jumper with sleeves so long they hung down over her hands.
“You’re looking at me funny,” she said.
“Do you have on every item of clothing you brought with you?” She looked like an adorable brunette marshmallow.
“No,” she replied smartly, crawling into the bed and holding the corner of the bedcover up for him. “I also brought a cocktail dress for the wedding.”
The saucy grin nearly melted his heart. This was Lily at her best—teasing, cheeky, guard down. It was this version of Lily that had captured his heart all those years ago.
It’s fake. It will never be real.
So then why, as he slid into bed beside her and flicked off the torch, did it feel like all his Christmases had come at once?
6
The following morning Lily woke up to possibly the most magical scene ever. The power had come back on sometime earlier in the morning, and thankfully that meant the heater had kicked in and taken the brittle chill out of the air. Snow had gathered along the windowsill, and it fogged the glass around the edges. Ice crystals glittered as the buttery morning light hit them in just the right way.
Outside, the earth was blanketed in thick white snow. Tall evergreen trees were coated so perfectly, it looked like a baker had piped icing along their branches. The cute cottage out back—which must be the guest house where Ethan and Monroe lived—looked like a little gingerbread house, complete with Christmas lights blinking in the front window.
The fogginess of sleep cleared sharply, as if someone had lifted a veil. Glancing over to the other side of the bed, she saw it was empty and breathed a sigh of relief.
One would think, given how she’d been suffering from stress-induced insomnia for the last month, that sleep would have come easily last night. Sadly not. Because every creak of the bedframe, every shift of the mattress, and every release of Sean’s breath had kept slumber from her grasp. Eventually she’d drifted off into a fitful and exhausted sleep at the crack of dawn.
Now she felt wired, and not in a good way.
You know what helps with sleep? A good, old-fashioned—
“You will behave yourself this weekend,” she said to her faint reflection in the window, cutting off her thoughts before they could turn dirty. “You will pretend to be a woman excited about her new relationship so long as someone is watching, and the second you and Sean are alone, it’s back to…”
Back to what, exactly? Unrequited love? A crush as old as time? Silently swooning and hoping no one would notice?
“Back to being friends,” she finished with a nod.
Friends were safe. Secure. And they most definitely didn’t think about doing anything naughty under the covers.
She hopped out of bed, divested her layers, and pulled on a pair of opaque tights before yanking her jeans over the top. It was a tip she’d picked up after freezing her way through working on a movie during a bracing Toronto winter. Then she slipped on a chunky wool jumper that would keep her warm and dry. There was no way she wouldn’t take advantage of all that lovely snow outside.
Maybe she’d build a snowman.
Downstairs, there were male voices coming from the kitchen. She found Ethan and Sean chatting, their hands wrapped around steaming mugs of coffee. The scent permeated the room, and it settled into Lily’s muscles, relaxing her.
“Can I pour you a cuppa?” Ethan held up a pot of coffee. “It’s only the brewed stuff. But I can switch on the espresso machine if you’d like a latte or something.”
“Brewed is fine, thank you. I could definitely use the caffeine.” She smiled, studiously trying to avoid Sean’s interested glance. “Where’s Monroe? Is she at the bakery today?”
“Yep. She’s starting the prep work for Evie and Jasper’s wedding cake,” he said, pouring her some coffee and handing the mug over. “Plus, she’s doing a dessert bar so there’s lots of components to organise.”
“If they make it in time.” Lily breathed in the coffee’s scent. Brewed wasn’t her favourite way to take the magical energy-giving beans, but with how badly she’d slept, literally any type of caffeine was welcome. “I really hope they can get on their flight today.”
The rehearsal dinner was planned for that evening, with a full two days between it and the wedding, giving all the guests outside the bridal party time to arrive.
“The storm looks like it’s passed, and they will clear the airport in no time. Everything will work out fine.” Ethan put the coffeepot back on the kitchen bench. “Now, originally, we’d planned some activities for today, since we were supposed to have the whole bridal party here…”
“No point doing that with only two of us,” she said, waving a hand. “Seriously, I’m more than happy going for a walk in the snow, anyway. It looks beautiful outside.”
“Great idea,” Ethan said. “I was sure you love birds wouldn’t mind some time to yourselves, anyway.”
Sean slipped an arm around Lily’s waist, and she tried not to stiffen at the sudden display of affection. Not because she didn’t want it, mind you. Because she wanted it very much. “Nothing better than a romantic day in the snow. Isn’t that right?”
“Uh, huh.” She nodded, hoping it sounded authentic. An actress she was not.
“I don’t know if you brought enough cold-weather bits, but I have a little stash of hats and mittens that I pulled together for this group,” Ethan said. “I figured a bunch of Aussies might not have the right clothing for this weather.”
“I don’t suppose you’ve got a spare coat, too?” Lily asked, shooting Sean a look. “Someone thought a flimsy leather jacket would cut it.”