“Then that’s weird.” Silence on the end of the phone meant Liv was truly stumped. “I’m assuming this guy lives in St. Nicholas?” she finally asked.
“He apparently lives up north.”
“Then Jack needs to trace the IP address, find out exactly where he lives and tell him to butt out of your business.” Liv seemed upset enough for the both of them.
“He already traced it. The location came back as the North Pole.”
“The North Pole?” Liv laughed. “No one lives at the North Pole. I suppose you’re going to tell me the trucker looks like Santa.”
Charley sighed loudly.
“I hate to say this, but maybe you need a reality check, or maybe you need to get out of that town. Santa eating at a diner, an elf picking up mail. St. Nicholas sounds obsessed—so obsessed that maybe they put a bug in Jack’s car.”
“I think Jack would know.”
“Would he?”
“I don’t know,” she said wearily.
“Charley, you’re tired, you’re emotionally exhausted. If no one was in the car but you and Jack then that means either you or Jack wrote the comment, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t you.”
She stared at her computer screen. “It does sound a little arrogant stating that he’s my soulmate, and I’m the one in the wrong.”
“I’ll give him props for reaching out after you said you were through.”
“Yeah, and so publicly, which is not like Jack at all.” She bit her lower lip.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. My instincts seem nonexistent these days. When it comes to men, I make the wrong choice every time.”
“Do you love him?” Liv’s voice softened.
“I never stopped,” she confessed.
“You never told me that.”
“Yeah, well, I knew professing my love for him wasn’t going to bring him back. Jack was gone, he’d taken my heart, and that was the cold hard fact. Maybe that’s why every guy I’ve dated after him has felt like I was settling.”
“Settling sucks. I did it for a year and regretted it,” Liv said. “The big question is, does Jack love you?”
“He acts like it, but I don’t know for sure.”
“You need to find out.” Her suggestion was more of a command.
“Not going to happen. I told him I never wanted to see him again.”
“And I said I was going to win the lottery last Saturday night.”
Charley had missed Liv’s no-nonsense advice. She wanted to take it, but how could she when her wounded pride was still stinging? “He should have told me.”
“You’re right. He should have. But what’s done is done.” Liv’s doorbell rang, causing her dog to bark.
“I hear Murphy’s on intruder alert.”
“Always. I wonder if he could learn how to sniff out the jerks before I go on a date with them.” Liv opened the door and greeted her date. “Hi. I’ll be right with you.”
Murphy growled loudly. “Sounds like he already has.”
“Ha, yeah. I’m thinking the same thing,” she said, sounding deflated. “Can I call you later?”
“Sure. Have a good evening.” Charley hung up, went into the bathroom, and washed the black streaks of mascara off her cheeks. Was she making a mistake? She stared at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath.
“Hi, Jack. Remember when I said it was over? Well...” She shook her head. “Hey, are you Reality Check, or is your car bugged?” She rolled her eyes. “Jack, I love you, so do you love me, too, or what?” She groaned, flipping off the bathroom light. I can do this.
Grabbing her room key, she headed out the door, shaking the nerves from her hands. She took a deep breath and marched down the hallway to Jack’s door. She stood there for a moment, gathering her courage. As she raised her hand to knock, she heard laughter coming from inside his room. It was Jack. Laughing hard.
Who’s he laughing with? She put her ear closer to the door, but couldn’t hear anyone except Jack. Was he talking to her on the phone? Again? She backed away, did an about-face, and hurried back to her room where she slammed the door and sank onto the end of her bed. She glanced at Arthur sitting on the fireplace mantel. “You’re a stupid stuffed mouse. I don’t believe in the Christmas spirit. Jack is not my soulmate. It’s all an illusion, just like love is an illusion. That’s the cold hard fact.”
The comment on her blog was still up on her laptop. She went over and slammed it shut. She sat back in the chair and tucked her feet up under her, crossing her arms over her body. She wished Jack’s so-called ex had never shown up. She and Jack had been so happy the past few days. Why did this continue to happen to her?
She opened her laptop, refreshed her blog page, and stared at the comment, chewing on her fingernail. Was she going to let him get the last word like he had in high school? She unfolded herself and started typing.
Hello, Jack. Don’t try to pretend. I meant what I said, this is the end.
She posted her reply, and this time, she shut her computer down for good.
* * *
Jack sat on the end of his bed, laughing. “That’s what I thought, too, Charley. I’m glad you found it funny,” he said to himself, and then he groaned, clenching his fists. He began pacing in his room again, trying out anything that might work.
“I know you never want to see me again, but...but what?” He rubbed the back of his neck and tried something else. “I didn’t write that pithy comment, but it sure makes a good point or two, don’t you think?” He forced another laugh. “I know you hate me, but I love you, so whaddaya say?” Jack threw up his hands, grabbed his key, and yanked open his door.
He stormed down the hallway and stopped in front of Charley’s room. He raised his hand to knock, hesitated, then chickened out. He needed to talk to his hosts.
Jack jogged downstairs, poked his head in the living room, then proceeded toward the kitchen where he found them at the sink. “Joe, Mary?”
The couple turned to see him standing there. “Good evening, Jack.” Joe picked up a dish towel and dried his hands. “Can we help you with something?”
“Yeah, I, uh...” He rubbed his forehead.
“You look a little tired. Did you get yourself some dinner?” Mary asked, putting away the clean mixing bowls.
“No, uh... I kind of missed that.” He clenched his jaw, not understanding why he was feeling so emotional.
“Let me make you something.” She removed a dinner plate from the cabinet.
“I couldn’t. You folks have been working hard all day, and your kitchen’s all clean.”
Mary walked over to the refrigerator. “I can make you a turkey sandwich, or I’ve got leftover mac and cheese. Your choice.”
“Seriously, I—”
“She won’t stop,” Joe said. “You better choose or she’ll choose for you.”
“Mac and cheese would hit the spot,” he said gratefully.
“All right then.” She took a casserole dish out of the fridge, transferred a good-size portion into a microwave dish, and heated it up. “Come on in and have a seat.”
“Thank you.” He wiped his hands on his jeans, suddenly feeling like he was sixteen again.
“Looks like you have something on your mind.” Joe leaned against the kitchen counter.
“It’s Charley,” Jack said on a sigh. “We had a bad fight, and I’m worried about her leaving before I can fix things. Has she said anything about leaving early?”
“Not to me.” Joe glanced at his wife.
“I talked to her earlier tonight, and she didn’t make mention of it.”
“You talked to her?” He perked up. “Is she all right? What did she say?”
Mary set the hot mac and cheese in front of Jack with a fork and a glass of water. “She was pretty ups
et, which tells me she loves you.”
“You really think so?”
“I do.” She gestured for him to eat.
Jack took a quick bite and swallowed. “Then maybe she’ll give me another chance.” He shifted his gaze between Mary and Joe. “I messed up. I didn’t handle a breakup well with an ex-girlfriend, and she showed up here tonight.”
“Where is the ex now?” Joe asked.
“I assume she’s on her way back to Denver, but now Charley won’t speak to me. I wanted her to be with me tomorrow when my parents arrive. I know I haven’t shared this with you, but my uncle went missing when I was ten, and I think it’s Mike.”
“Oh, my goodness.” Mary’s hands flew up to her cheeks, her eyes instantly misty.
“It all makes sense.” Joe eyed Mary.
“What does?” Jack asked, confused.
“More Christmas wishes coming true.” A big smile took over Mary’s face. “Now that you told us, I can definitely see a family resemblance between you two.”
“There’s a resemblance all right.” Joe stared at Jack. “I knew something was up the other day with you and your twenty questions.”
“I wish he would have recognized me.” Jack shook his head. “If Mike doesn’t remember my parents, it could be more painful for them than if I hadn’t told them what I suspect.”
“It’ll work out as it’s meant to,” Joe said. “What can we do to help?”
“I know!” Mary clapped her hands together. “I’ll host a little get-together tomorrow afternoon with Mike as the guest of honor. It will be a thank-you to him for creating that beautiful train display in our front yard.”
“What a great idea.” The heaviness in his chest started to lift. “My parents will have a chance to observe him before I make the introductions.” He sat back, picturing it in his head. If his dad could get Mike to remember who he really was, it would be one of the happiest moments of his life. But without Charley? “I’ve got to get through to Charley. The last thing I want is to lose her while I’m focused on my uncle.”
“When you’re with your folks in the morning, we’ll make sure Charley doesn’t go anywhere,” Joe said.
“Thank you.” Jack released a big breath. “Mary, Joe, you have no idea what this means to me. With your help, I just might get them both back.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
After thinking things through, Charley regretted her decision to end her relationship with Jack. She’d planned on taking it all back, especially the part about it being over forever, but when she heard him laughing, she couldn’t get it out of her head. Even if he hadn’t been laughing with his ex-girlfriend, how could he have sounded so cheerful when she’d just broken up with him?
It was all Charley could think about, which was why she hadn’t fallen asleep until four in the morning, and exactly why she’d slept through her six o’clock alarm. When she finally awoke, it was almost nine. Convincing herself that Jack’s feelings for her weren’t as deep as he led her to believe, she had planned on packing and slipping out the door before anyone, especially Jack, knew she was gone. But now she would have to do it the hard way.
She turned on her phone and immediately noticed she’d received a reply on her blog from Reality Check.
Open your eyes and you will see that you and Jack are meant to be.
“What?” Liv was right. R.C. had to be Jack, and by referencing the high school poem, he was toying with her emotions. She reread the comment. What was he doing? If he honestly felt they were meant to be, why hadn’t he come to her room last night instead of laughing it up with someone on the phone? She sat back, staring at her computer screen. She had to be missing something. It didn’t add up. Why couldn’t she see it? Irritated, she stormed out of bed, marched to the bathroom, and slammed the door.
* * *
With a loud bang, the front door to the bed-and-breakfast flew open. Tom, leaning on Jack for support, hobbled into the house on one leg while his wife, Rebecca, followed close behind.
“Easy now.” Jack maneuvered Tom around the large table in the foyer.
Mary raced out of the kitchen, hearing the commotion. “What happened?”
“Tom fell on the ice and badly twisted his ankle,” Rebecca replied.
“I’m fine,” he grumbled.
“Take him to the living room,” Mary said. “I’ll get some ice.”
“Don’t put any weight on it.” Jack led the way. “I got you.” As he helped Tom to an oversize chair and ottoman, he spotted Charley coming down the stairs with her bags. They made eye contact, but Charley immediately broke it off.
Mary appeared with an ice pack in one hand and a couple of pillows in the other. She spied Charley with her bags and instantly dropped one of the pillows. “Oh, shoot. Charley, can you get that for me?”
“Of course.” Charley set down her bags, retrieved the fallen pillow from the floor, and followed Mary into the living room.
“I don’t want everyone worrying about me,” Tom said as Mary put the pillows under his knee and injured ankle.
Jack fixed his eyes on Charley, but she ignored him.
“It looks really swollen.” She stared at Tom’s ankle. “What happened?”
“I was showing Rebecca some of my great hockey moves and, I don’t know, someone must have gotten in my way.”
“You got in your way by showing off, but you’ll live.” Rebecca sat on the edge of the ottoman and set the ice pack on his ankle.
“That’s cold!” Tom jerked his leg back.
“It’s meant to be.” She waited for him to settle, then placed the ice back on. “At least it’s not broken.”
“What else can I get you?” Mary asked.
“You’ve done more than enough,” Tom said. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad you’ll be okay.” Charley smiled at Tom. “And I just wanted to say goodbye to everyone.”
“What do you mean goodbye?” Rebecca threw glances between Charley and Jack. “I thought you weren’t leaving until Tuesday.”
“I...uh, can’t stay. Besides, I’ve already called a car service, which will be here any minute.”
“But you’ll miss seeing my parents.” Jack sounded a little desperate, even to his own ears.
Surprise, hope, and sadness crossed Charley’s face in quick succession. Was she questioning her decision to end their relationship, or was she wondering why he was acting like they were still together? He wanted to give her every opportunity to hit the reset button, but it was up to her to actually do it. She didn’t look at him, like he had hoped. Worse, she pretended not to hear him.
“Anyway, it was great getting to know you,” she said to everyone but him.
Tom eyed Jack, who shook his head in disappointment.
“And thank you, Mary, for everything.” She handed over her room key before giving Mary a heartfelt hug. She then picked up her bags and started toward the door.
Jack could feel his heart racing. His eyes darted around the room as he silently pleaded for help.
Tom bellowed with a sudden cry of pain, holding his ankle. “Oh, it really hurts!”
Charley whipped around, regarding Tom carefully.
He groaned again. “Charley, do you have any ibuprofen on you?”
“Sure.” She dropped her bags and opened her handbag.
Jack caught Mary’s eye, panic gripping him.
She gave him a quick nod. “I’ll get you some water,” Mary said to Tom, then hurried out.
“I’m actually a walking pharmacy.” Charley pulled out a tiny travel-size pillbox. “Did you know traveling is a big migraine trigger?” She opened her pillbox so Tom could help himself.
“Do you get migraines?” he asked.
“Luckily no, but I like to be prepared.”
“Here you go.” Mary hurried back in, handing Tom a
large glass of water before she disappeared again.
He downed the pills. “If I had to get hurt, I’m glad it was here.”
“This place is very special,” Rebecca said. “That’s why we come year after year.”
Charley checked the time on her phone and peered out the window.
“Was your first visit to St. Nicholas related to the Scrooge Legend?” Jack hoped to pique Charley’s interest enough for her to stay awhile longer.
“No. However, it did involve Santa’s mailbox.” Rebecca caught her husband’s eye, and they shared an amused look.
“Oh?” Charley sat on the couch, and Jack released the breath he’d been holding. “How?”
“Well,” Tom began, “my friend, Dave, and I had been skiing in Breckenridge all day, and we decided to stop in St. Nicholas for dinner before driving back home. While we were enjoying some ribs at that barbecue place in town, we were complaining about all of our failed first dates. We were saying things like ‘I wish I could meet a woman who was into football’ and ‘I wish she was an amazing cook.’”
Jack chuckled, pretending to be focused on the story but was actually keeping his eye on Charley, afraid she would abruptly dash to the door.
“Anyway, some kid in the booth behind my buddy and me overheard us using the phrase ‘I wish’ a lot. The kid turned around and told us that if we wanted a wish granted, we needed to put it in Santa’s mailbox.”
“A kid?” Charley asked.
“Yeah. He must have been eight or nine. He said that’s how he got his parents back together.” Tom took a swallow of water. “After a few beers, we found the famous mailbox. Dave was actually too afraid to do it, if you can believe that. He thought there would be a catch or a consequence to it later. I told him the whole thing was a kid’s imagination, and to prove it, I’d throw a wish in there.”
“What was your wish?” she asked.
Tom looked at his wife. “I wished for a beautiful woman who’d be willing to put up with me. One who was a great companion, who loved to cook since I didn’t know how, a great listener, a great everything—and I got her.”
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