Heart of Christmas (Curiosity Bay #4)

13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Audrey

We’d made it to the heart of town, and the sidewalks and streets bustled with families from all over the island. Curiosity Bay was a winter wonderland. Snow had fallen steadily since yesterday and blanketed every square inch of the town.

A thick white quilt of snow layered the sidewalks, benches, and awnings, providing a muffled lull in the usual touristy town I called home. Children and their parents bundled in bright, festive scarves, caps, and coats could be seen playing in the park at the end of town, rolling snowballs and making snowmen.

MacGregor draped his arm over my shoulders as we walked toward the waterfront. The docks, usually bustling with boaters and fishermen, had been completely covered in snow. The bobbing sailboats tied up in the marina looked serene and cozy as the snowflakes lightly fell onto the water's surface, each flake disappearing as it touched the frigid water.

“It’s a beautiful town,” MacGregor said as we stood and watched the snowflakes drift slowly in the breeze. He dropped his arm from my shoulders as I nodded and turned to look at him.

“Marigold Island is a special place, and Curiosity Bay is pure magic.” I grinned, feeling the warmth spread through me as I thought about the place I called home.

I glanced down the road at our antique store and smiled. “And doing something I enjoy with my family is even better.”

A twinkle in MacGregor’s gaze surfaced. “Baubles and Curiosities is a great shop. I can see why it’s so popular.”

I shoved my gloved hands in my pockets. “I feel a bit guilty about not opening the store today.”

“You’ve always been a hard worker,” he stated as more of a fact than a question, but I nodded.

“I’m proud of what my family has built over the years, and the fact that my parents finally decided to retire made me want to do good by them.”

“Your Dad is so extremely proud of you,” he said softly.

“How can you tell?”

“I could see it when he looked at you, even though some strange guy was hanging around.” He shrugged. “He trusts you and your judgment.”

“At least someone does,” I said, chuckling. “I’m not so sure I trust myself.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what I wanted from this trip since I accepted Tyler’s RSVP.” MacGregor ran his tongue along his lip as he stared at the water. If he only knew what that did to me. “And I think your forgiveness is my most important thing.” He turned to look at me. His green eyes were striking with the backdrop of the snowstorm.

It was as if the world around us blurred, leaving only us in each other’s orbit. MacGregor’s relaxed confidence made my heart skip a beat as his eyes lingered on mine, and I suddenly wished he didn’t have to leave.

“It’s funny how you said we had very different versions of the truth,” I said, unable to lift my eyes from his. “I didn’t want to believe you, and I didn’t think there was anything you could tell me that would change my mind about you.” I rocked on the back of my boots and let out a deep breath, pushing the flakes in different directions.

“I’m grateful you gave me a chance to clear the air,” he said, nodding.

My heart skipped a thousand beats as a flutter of excitement darted through me, quickly trading with a mysterious sense of nervousness. This all felt so… genuine.

I knew it was only a matter of hours before he’d be getting back on the ferry to go to the airport to fly to Wyoming, and it would probably be the last time I ever saw him.

The thought made my stomach knot unexpectedly, and I looked away.

In the distance, I could hear children’s laughter ringing and parents happily calling after them. I’d come to accept that maybe that wouldn’t be in the cards for me. After all, I lived on a small island, and my dating life in Seattle was a string of disasters.

MacGregor took a step forward, and a surge of heat rushed over me, my skin tingling as our eyes caught each other’s again.

“I’m grateful there was a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm that made you get stuck on the island,” I teased.

“Me too.” He nodded, closing the gap between us.

My stomach did a little flip before it plunged to my toes, mixing anticipation and worry over the little time we had left on Marigold together.

“Audrey, is that you?” I heard my mom’s voice echo down the street. My gaze ripped away from MacGregor’s and landed on my mom, clutching my dad’s gloved hand in hers as they trudged through the snow. “It’s hard to tell with you all bundled up like that.”

I tugged my cap away from my brows so she could see me better, but when my parents stepped in front of me, I saw the problem immediately. My mom’s glasses had fogged up on the bridge of her nose. She probably forgot she put them on before she left the house. She rarely used them unless she was reading a good book, which had been my plan for the storm until MacGregor showed up.

“You forgot to take your glasses off,” I said, smiling at my parents.

They looked so cute together, so natural. My mom wore a purple snow jacket with faux fur around the hood paired with some jeans. She slid down her hood and removed her glasses as she eyed MacGregor.

“Oh, is this the man you told me about?” she asked my dad with a huge grin.

I frowned and chuckled. “Dad, what did you say?”

My dad smiled and nodded innocently. “I just told your mom it was good that I brought enough brittle for two.”

I cocked my head, knowing full well that he’d said a lot more than that.

“This is MacGregor. He’s friends with Tyler and attended their wedding.” I pointed next to me as MacGregor took a step forward and reached for my mom’s hand to shake.

“Nonsense. A friend of Tyler’s is a friend of ours.” My mom pulled him into a hug, and somehow, MacGregor managed to make it look effortless rather than awkward.

My mom let out a wistful sigh as she let go, and MacGregor stepped back. “So, are you staying long on the island?”

“As long as the ferry system tells me I have to,” he informed my mom. “If it weren’t for Audrey, I would have wound up sleeping in my rental car last night. I was really grateful for her guest bed.”

My mom’s brows rose. “Her guest bed?”

“Yes, Mom. My guest bed. You don’t need to try to raffle me off to any man who steps foot on the island.”

MacGregor chuckled, along with my dad. I kicked some snow in their direction but missed.

My mom gave me a reassuring smile and squeezed my gloves with hers.

“Ah, my darling Audrey. I’m just a hopeless romantic,” she said, smiling and releasing my hand from hers. “After all, you are my last daughter to find love, and…”

“Mom, not now.” I shook my head. “This isn’t normal. He’s just a guest on the island and a friend of Tyler’s.”

MacGregor cleared his throat. “Actually, Audrey and I knew each other from years ago.”

My mom’s eyes snapped to mine. “Is that so?”

“Mom, let’s just make this a normal conversation.”

“Normal conversations can be so dull, Audrey. I want details. This could be the universe trying to tell us something.”

I scowled at MacGregor for bringing my mom's wrath on us both.

“The stars have been whispering to me for a long time about you, Audrey.” She smiled, and I froze, knowing that look in her eyes. “I thought you’d be the first of your sisters to marry.”

Whenever she thought one of her children might have found someone of interest, her gaze became glassy, and she no longer based her thoughts on reality.

We’d all learned to ignore it, but it hadn’t ever happened in front of someone I’d been interested in. Not that I had a shot with MacGregor. We were from different worlds, and life had continued since that night.

But leave it to my mom to sniff out even an ounce of attraction.

“You know, years ago, I woke up one night out of the blue, certain you’d found someone.” She grinned, nodded, and turned to my dad. “Remember that? I’d popped right out of bed in the middle of the night. Had to have been over ten years ago.”

My dad chuckled, shaking his head. “Yes, dear.”

I studied my dad, trying to figure out whether he remembered.

“Anyway, do you believe in fate, MacGregor?” my mom asked, and I froze.

MacGregor smiled and nodded. “Very much so.”

“Ah, that’s good.” My mom nodded and glanced at me like he’d just passed some imaginary test. “We must always embrace the magic of the universe. Isn’t that right, Audrey?”

“Right now, I just want to embrace the snowstorm.” I grinned at my mom, who gave me a knowing look.

“We’re off to the coffee shop. I’m craving a gingerbread latte.” My mom looked at me and then at MacGregor. “Do you two need any caffeine?”

“I went out this morning and got a latte for Audrey,” MacGregor said, straightening his shoulders.

If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he wanted to butter up my parents.

“Is that so? What a gentleman,” my mom gushed. “Braving a winter storm to ensure my daughter has her caffeine fix.”

“It’s not that big of a deal,” I assured her.

“Audrey, it’s the little things in friendships and relationships.” She winked at me. “But you know that.”

I caught a glimpse of the ferry chugging toward us in the distance, and my stomach clenched. I’d secretly hoped they’d cancel or delay the ferry again, but I knew that was unlikely.

“It was no trouble. I’m used to Wyoming winters, so getting her coffee here was easy.”

Surprise surfaced on my mom’s face. “Wyoming? And what do you do in Wyoming?”

“Right now, I’m helping my brothers on my parents’ ranch while my mom and dad decide what they want to do. They keep talking about retiring.” I smiled and shrugged. “Before that, I worked in finance and development. I love horses, though. If I could find a way to work with them, life would be pretty great.”

A loud horn blared through the air, and MacGregor turned to see the large vessel painted white and green chugging toward the ferry terminal.

His eyes caught mine, and I felt my breath hitch with uncertainty. I didn’t want him to leave. I wasn’t done. We weren’t done.

“I guess that means the ferry is on schedule.” He didn’t take his gaze away from mine.

“It was nice meeting you, MacGregor,” my mom said, tapping my arm as my parents made their way across the street.

Nausea swirled as I took in everything about MacGregor, but I wasn’t angry this time. I wasn’t filled with revenge and spite.

I saw the man I’d fallen for so many years ago and the complications that followed all these years later.

Suddenly, I wished I’d listened to him sooner at the wedding so I could have had much longer with him. It was like a hurricane of emotions right now, and I felt silly for even letting my heart and mind go there.

But that was the problem with MacGregor. He made me believe in crazy things, ideas that weren’t grounded in reality. People couldn’t fall in love after one night. I knew better than to fall into the rabbit hole of love at first sight. Yet, here was the guy who’d taken up so much space in my head that I couldn’t even dream without him appearing by my side.

As MacGregor’s gaze lingered on mine, he stepped forward and gently kissed my lips, cupping my cheeks with his palms as my eyes closed while I tried to memorize everything about this man.

He stepped back, leaving my lips tingling and my heart racing.

“I should probably head back to your house and grab my things. I don’t want to miss the ferry.”

I nodded, tracing my mouth with my fingers, trying to remind myself that this was real. “Yeah. Totally. I—”

MacGregor shook his head. “Go enjoy the snow. Your parents would love it if you joined them for coffee. I could tell.”

I laughed and shook my head. “We’re too close, aren’t we?”

His smile only widened. “It’s like my family. You’d think we’d get enough of each other, and then we’re eating lasagna on a Sunday in my parents’ kitchen.”

“Not many people get it.”

He nodded. “True. I think I’ve heard the word ‘suffocating’ mentioned a time or two.”

I laughed, not wanting him to leave, but I knew it was for the best. It had to be done.

“Thanks for letting me crash at your place and for allowing me to tell you how sorry I am about everything.”

I nodded, feeling a lump in the back of my throat. “I’m sorry for blocking you all those years ago.”

He smiled and drew me into an embrace, squeezing me tightly. I wanted another kiss so badly my body physically ached, but I knew it wasn’t coming.

MacGregor let go and smiled. “Jasper’s waiting for me. I can’t let him down.”

“Of course not.” I smiled and clutched his hand one last time, giving it a little squeeze.

“It was good seeing you,” he said softly.

“You too.” I drew a deep breath and watched as he slowly turned and made his way down the snow-covered sidewalk, and I knew it was for the best.