Nick burst out laughing. Even though Lucy’s initial reaction to seeing him had hurt, Dante joined in on the laughter. It felt like old times sitting here with his childhood friend and shooting the breeze.
“For a while there the two of you were hot and heavy.” Nick wiggled his eyebrows. “I thought you guys were going to go the distance. I’ve never seen a couple so into each other.”
Dante made a face. “Things were great until I left town and lost her trust. Can’t say I blame her for holding a grudge.”
“That was pretty cold, Dante. She was really wrecked after you took off. I’m not going to lie. I was mad at you as well. I couldn’t believe you didn’t even tell me you were leaving until months after you landed in California.” He leaned across the table. “You know there were some serious rumors flying around about your whereabouts and why you took off. There was a lot of gossip about you and Lucy.”
Dante felt as if he might have to pick his jaw up from off the floor. “Do I even want to know what they were saying?” Like most small towns, Mistletoe had its fair share of townsfolk who enjoyed flapping their jaws. Sadly, truth and fiction were often blended in the tales. From what he remembered, it had gotten way out of hand at times. He hated knowing he’d placed Lucy’s name on the lips of town chatterboxes. No wonder she couldn’t stand the sight of him. Even as a teenager, Lucy had been very responsible and mindful of her reputation. And in one fell swoop he’d placed her in a terrible position.
Nick shook his head. “After all these years it doesn’t matter. It’s best not to dredge it up. You’ve really done well for yourself, Dante. This town is incredibly proud of you. Between you and Luke, you’re town heroes.” He raised his cup in a gesture of cheers.
Luke Keegan, Nick’s brother, was a Navy SEAL who was currently serving in Afghanistan. As far as heroes went, Luke ran circles around him. He’d received the Medal of Honor, one of the military’s highest distinctions. Dante knew he wasn’t in Luke’s league, but he appreciated Nick’s vote of confidence.
“That means a lot to me, although your brother is the real hero. Who would ever have thought I’d be welcomed back to Mistletoe with a ticker tape parade?” He let out a throaty laugh. “I guess they forgot about all the trouble I used to get into.”
“Lucy believed in you more than anyone else. She was always hyping you up and telling anyone who would listen how you were going to become a household name one day.”
“Before or after I left?” he asked. He thought he already knew the answer, but his curiosity got the better of him. When it came to Lucy he didn’t have much sense.
“Before,” Nick said, acknowledging what Dante had suspected. “When I asked her where you’d gone after you took off, she told me never to mention you again. And I didn’t. Not even once.” Nick’s comments made the hairs on the back of his neck tingle. It gave him a glimpse into Lucy’s reaction to his departure. It wasn’t pretty.
Dante drained the last of his drink. Would he ever stop feeling guilty about leaving Lucy, his family, and his friends in the lurch? At the time he’d acted from a place of sheer panic and a desire to get away from Mistletoe as fast as he possibly could. He wasn’t sure he could ever fully explain his departure in a way anyone could understand. Staying would have meant giving up his dream of becoming an actor. But also tensions with his father had escalated to a boiling point. When they’d gotten in each other’s faces and Dante had fisted his hands at his sides, he’d been terrified of his own anger. It had felt as if they were on the brink of a physical altercation. He had to leave before he did something he would regret.
“I wish I’d handled things differently,” he conceded. “Part of being back here gives me a shot at fixing things.”
Nick’s eyes widened. “With Lucy?”
“Not just with Lucy.” He sighed. “I need to repair things with my family. Troy, in particular.” Dante hadn’t had a civil word with his brother for years. Troy had iced him out at his father’s funeral. They hadn’t spoken since.
Nick let out a low whistle. “I was wondering what was up between the two of you. I assume things are still frosty?”
“Chillier than a Maine winter,” Dante quipped. “Troy’s a lot like my dad. They don’t bend easily.”
“Troy’s a lot like your dad?” Nick asked, letting out a hearty chuckle. “That’s hilarious.”
“What? You think the old man and I were alike?” Dante asked, feeling stunned by the comparison. John West had been strong-willed and inflexible. He and Dante had butted heads throughout his childhood and adolescence. Dante couldn’t remember a time when his dad had been proud of him. That knowledge still served as a swift kick in the gut.
“Two peas in a pod. It was one of the reasons you clashed so much. Neither one of you ever wanted to give an inch to the other.” Nick picked up his coffee and polished off the contents.
“When did you get so smart?” Dante asked, mulling over his friend’s comment. Never in a million years had he ever thought he and his pops were similar. The truth was he probably hadn’t wanted to see what had always been right under his nose. Dante had spent years resenting his father’s failure to see his potential, but perhaps there had been a lot more going on than he’d been willing to acknowledge. He’d known that Pops loved him, but they’d had trouble resolving their issues with each other.
Nick grinned. “I was always at the top of the class. While you were being chased by all the girls, I was hitting the books.”
Dante scoffed. “You didn’t have your nose in a book all the time. I seem to remember you being the mastermind of some of our wildest schemes. Remember the prank with the principal’s car?”
Nick raised a finger to his lips. “Shh. Don’t ever tell Miles that his dad was a rebel without a cause. I want him to believe I always walked a straight and narrow path. That way I’ll have a chance of keeping him in line. I am not looking forward to the rebellious years.”
“Whatever you say. He won’t hear a thing from me.” Dante chuckled as high school memories came into sharp focus. Those halcyon days had been filled with pure magic. Friday night lights at the football field and gazing up at the moon from Hawk’s Hill. He wished he’d appreciated it more at the time rather than looking off into the horizon for something better. Growing up in Mistletoe had given him a rock-steady foundation, as well as a loving family and a host of friends. And Lucy. He couldn’t have asked for more. If he could go back in time, Dante would hold on to things a little tighter and cherish the precious moments that were now nothing more than dust in the wind.
When Dante and Nick parted ways a few minutes later, he sat in his car for a few moments contemplating his next move. After his meeting this evening with the film crew, Dante would have some breathing room for a few days. He didn’t have to head back to the set until Tuesday morning, so the rest of his weekend was free, except for a few hours of running through the script and making any necessary adjustments. He let out a ragged sigh and leaned over so his head was slumped on the steering wheel.
He’d been ducking this moment ever since coming back to Mistletoe. Dante knew he couldn’t avoid it any longer. It was time to seek out his younger brother and squash the beef that had been causing tension ever since he’d skipped town. It was ridiculous to be filming in their small hometown and not be on speaking terms with Troy. Back when they were kids, Troy had been his best friend and closest ally. They had been inseparable—from the sandbox to Boy Scouts to the football field. Everything had blown up once his father had been diagnosed with leukemia. Nothing had been the same between them since. Dante feared it never would be.
* * *
“You agreed to what?” Stella was gaping at her with eyes that threatened to pop out of her head.
For the hundredth time since she’d agreed to allow Dante to film at the library, Lucy wondered if she’d made the wrong decision. The expression on her sister’s face increased her worry tenfold. Between the two of them, Stella had always been the sensible sis
ter while Lucy had been a bit more rash in her decision-making. Was she being foolish to think she could deal with Dante’s proximity while he filmed at the library? Had she agreed to his proposition too quickly?
“Okay, just hear me out,” Lucy said, holding up her hands. “I had two choices. My first choice would have been to tell him to kick rocks. The second choice was to say yes and get a big fat check for the library.” She let out a frustrated sound. “I could never forgive myself if I didn’t jump at the chance to help out with the library’s deficit. And let’s face it, if I’d said no he could have gone way over my head for a yes. How could I explain turning down an opportunity to put some money in the library’s coffers? You know how bad the situation has been.”
Stella knitted her brows. “But you’ll have to see him all the time. The library isn’t big enough for you to avoid him. Need I remind you that you had a mini meltdown about him being back in town just yesterday?”
Lucy frowned at her sister’s usage of the phrase mini meltdown. She wouldn’t exactly describe it that way. In her opinion, it had been a breakthrough, not a breakdown.
“I know, but it’s a small price to pay so my library can flourish.” Lucy put on her best fake smile. “He also promised to show up for Tess as her special guest at school.”
Stella groaned. “And deeper and deeper you go into the rabbit hole.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lucy asked in a huffy voice.
“You’re getting tied up in him all over again. He’s back in town for less than forty-eight hours and you’re already making nice with him.” Stella tsked.
Lucy drew herself up to her full height of five foot four inches. “Making nice? Did you actually say those words out loud to me?”
“That’s what it sounds like to me,” Stella answered in a quiet voice. She folded her arms across her chest and began to tap her foot on the hardwood floor.
“I was not making nice with Dante. I was trying to make the best out of a crappy situation. There’s absolutely nothing I can do about the fact that he’s back in Mistletoe. The mayor literally handed him the key to the town. He’s got a Mistletoe fan club the size of Texas.” She paused to catch her breath. It felt like steam was coming out of her ears. She couldn’t admit it to Stella, but it still hurt that Dante had accomplished so much greatness after cutting her loose. It made her feel like such a fool for believing he’d been just as much in love with her as she’d been with him. With Dante’s return to Mistletoe so many buried emotions were rising to the surface. Lucy wasn’t sure how long she could hold it together without erupting.
Take it easy, she reminded herself. Dante was going to be in town only for the holidays. Before she knew it, he’d blow back out of town just like a snowstorm. And her beloved library would financially benefit from Dante’s production. Namaste. Deep breaths.
“I’m worried about you.” Stella’s eyes began to mist over. “I saw what Dante did to you last time around. I don’t ever want to see that defeated look in your eyes again.”
Lucy hugged Stella. She loved how her big sister still looked out for her even though she was a grown woman. Stella’s heart was as wide and constant as the deepest ocean. Even though she would continue to cry on her sister’s shoulder, she needed to face this situation with Dante on her own. “It’s time I got my degree in adulting, Stella. The hard part is already over.” She shrugged. “Seeing him for the first time felt like a thunderbolt. After all these years I suppose I built him up in my mind and idealized our relationship. I don’t love him anymore. Those feelings died a long time ago.” Stella didn’t need to know that the sight of Dante caused Lucy’s tummy to do somersaults. It certainly wasn’t love, she reassured herself. He was a gorgeous man who made women melt by simply being in his presence. That’s why they paid him the big bucks in Hollywood.
Stella eyed her with suspicion. “You were pretty hyped up yesterday about a man who you don’t care about.”
“Okay, that’s fair. I may have been a little salty, but I needed to get all that out of my system. You said it yourself. I didn’t get any closure with Dante. And then he comes sweeping back into Mistletoe as this larger-than-life figure, applauded by the entire town. Can’t a girl feel some kind of way about it?”
Stella narrowed her gaze as she studied Lucy. “You’re right. It’s okay that you vented,” she said. “You’re allowed to feel any way you want to about Dante. Who am I to judge?”
Lucy heard the emotion in her voice. She reached out and squeezed Stella’s hand. Although she didn’t bring it up in conversation much, Lucy knew her sister was still dealing with her own heartbreak, which she’d handled in a much more low-key manner than Lucy. While it had always been Lucy’s style to wear her emotions on her sleeve, her older sister had been calm and cool on the surface. Stella had gone inward, never allowing anyone to see her pain and humiliation after being dumped by her fiancé.
Lucy rubbed her hands together. “All I want is a ginormous amount of money to make magic happen with the library.” She clapped her hands together. “Show me the money. With these funds from Dante’s production company, things are really going to improve at the library. We may even be able to add some more hours for the patrons on Saturday.” Lucy could feel a big smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Excitement was building up inside of her at the prospect of being able to help fix some of the issues at the library instead of standing around wringing her hands about it.
The library was way more important than her angry feelings toward Dante.
Stella’s voice softened. “I know how much the library means to you, so it sounds like you did what you had to do. I’m sure Dante knew he was dangling an irresistible carrot in front of your eyes.”
Lucy knew Stella was right. He, more than almost anyone else, knew what the library meant to her. Back when they were young and in love and besties, it had been one of their hangout places. Lucy had worked at the library stocking shelves and she’d fallen in love with the place and with Dante. Her chest tightened painfully as the memories assailed her senses.
Why, after all this time, did they still cut so deep? Why hadn’t she completely moved on with someone else? She wasn’t one of those women who believed everyone had to be booed up all the time, but surely she should have had at least one significant relationship since Dante.
Because you loved him. Truly. Madly. Deeply. It hadn’t just been puppy love. For Lucy, it had been more authentic than anything she’d ever known in her young life. Dante had been her everything. Until he wasn’t. It had taken her years to mend her broken heart and push him to the back of her mind. It hadn’t been easy, but she’d done it.
But now he was back in Mistletoe. And Stella’s cautionary words were worrying her a little bit. Dante had an abundance of charm and their history together showed she was vulnerable to him. Who wouldn’t fall for the guy? He was even more appealing now as a famous movie star with the world at his fingertips.
It was so easy for someone like Dante to waltz back into town and lay claim to everything he wanted. She’d wanted things too. Back when they’d dreamed of a future together Lucy had planned to travel the world once Dante landed some acting jobs in California. They’d talked about Lucy attending school at UCLA while Dante went on auditions. Somewhere along the way, Lucy had stopped dreaming. And it was all Dante’s fault. He’d made her believe in the futility of her aspirations. He’d convinced her that her hopes weren’t important the day he’d left her behind.
This time around she was going to make sure to grab ahold of the things she desired as well. Once and for all she was going to excise Dante from the deepest regions of her heart. And unlike the last time he’d raced out of town, Lucy wouldn’t be crushed by his departure when he headed back to Hollywood.
Chapter Five
Dante pulled up in front of West Hardware Store and parked his rented SUV two doors down. When he stepped out of his vehicle he stood back and surveyed the exterior of the store. It had changed a
lot since the days when his dad ran the place. A fresh coat of paint, along with a brand-new brass-and-black sign plus new trim had revitalized the store. It no longer resembled something from a bygone era. Dante grinned at the sight of the fully lit Christmas tree shimmering from the front window. It had been a holiday ritual for his family to come to the store and help set up the Christmas display.
He felt a pang at the notion that he hadn’t been around to help Troy with the holiday setup. If he was being honest with himself, it had been almost a decade since he’d helped out with the family business. It was probably one of the many reasons his brother couldn’t stand the sight of him. Dante was the one who’d run away from Mistletoe.
Dante took a deep breath before he pushed open the door and entered the hardware store. A rush of nostalgia swept over him as he inhaled the familiar scent of wood and dust. A picture of his dad leapt out at him from behind the counter. With his dark good looks, chiseled features, and the dimple in his chin, John West had been a handsome guy.
He felt a squeeze in the middle of his chest as he gazed at the photo. He’d give anything for his dad to walk through the doors of the shop and greet him with a hearty slap on the back.
“I’ll be right with you,” a voice called out from the back room. Not wanting to stand on ceremony, Dante headed in the direction of his brother’s voice.
For a moment he stood at a discreet distance and studied Troy. With only a year separating them, the two brothers had often been mistaken for twins. At six feet tall, Dante was an inch or two taller with a more rugged physique. Troy was broader, with the shoulders of a linebacker.
“Hey,” Dante said, speaking from across the room. “How’s it going?”
Troy swung his gaze up at the sound of his voice. His jaw clenched at the sight of him. He grunted out a greeting that Dante couldn’t quite make out. At least he’d gotten a response, Dante reasoned. Troy had been radio silent ever since the funeral, with Dante’s attempts to reach out going unanswered.
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