my empty house and feel sorry for myself. It was what I did almost every year.
My phone rang and I sighed when I saw Eric’s name on the screen. “Are you calling about a job? Because it’s New Year’s Eve.”
“I’m calling to drag you out of the house. I know you’re sitting there in your pajamas.”
I looked down at my flannel pajamas and frowned. “I am not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“So what if I am. It’s my day off.”
“I need you to come ride the float with me for the parade.”
“Ugh, are you serious? Get RJ to do it.”
“RJ is only interested in picking up women. I need you there.”
“You do not. You just don’t want me sitting at home.”
He sighed heavily. “Fine, you got me. Now get off your couch and come help me.”
“You know, I can still throw a donut at you.”
“And I’ll let you, first thing on January second. I’ll even write it in my calendar.”
“Yeah, like you know how to add anything to your calendar.”
“Just be ready in fifteen minutes.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”
“What? Do you have food stuck in your hair?”
I glanced at some hair that had fallen out of my bun and grimaced. No food, but definitely greasy enough to be a cheeseburger.
“Just give me an hour.”
“Fine, one hour.”
I pushed off my couch and marched upstairs to take a shower and get ready. I would go into town and do my part for the parade, and maybe even enjoy myself a little. Just because Robert was gone didn’t mean that I had to stop living my life. If anything, I should take our relationship for what it was, a wakeup call.
I realized something about myself in the month that I had been with Robert. I was a lot stronger than I thought I was, but I also knew myself and what I could tolerate. It just turned out that I lost the one thing I knew I couldn’t tolerate losing. If that made any sense. I had even done it to myself. Note to self, next time you fall for the man of your dreams, don’t wait until you break things off to realize how much you really need him.
When Eric arrived, I was in a better mood than expected. I even smiled at him when I got in his car.
“You’re chipper this morning,” he said suspiciously.
“Not chipper. Just determined not to have a completely shit day.”
“Well, I’m going to need a coffee if I’m going to make it through this parade. Let’s stop by the bakery and grab something.”
“Fine, but you’re buying.”
“I usually do,” he muttered.
“Only when you’ve screwed up. You haven’t done that in a while.”
I smiled at Mary Anne when I walked into the bakery, determined not to freak her out like the last time I had been in here. “Hey, Mary Anne, is the coffee machine working properly?”
“Yep! I got it fixed by the end of the day yesterday. Do you want babka too?”
I thought about it, but maybe I needed a little less babka in my life. “Just the coffee today.”
“You know, since your meltdown yesterday, the whole town has been in to try my babka. I should hire you and the Cortell brothers for advertising. Every time one of you step in here, I get a ton of sales.”
“Well, I’m proud that I could support a local business.”
“Here’s your latte,” she smiled, sliding it across the counter for me.
I grinned and turned, almost dropping my coffee when I saw Robert walking past the coffee shop. I ran for the door, shoving it open and racing down the sidewalk. “Robert!”
He turned, but I was disappointed. He looked an awful lot like Robert, but it wasn’t him. “Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”
“No problem,” he grinned.
I shook my head, kicking myself for being so stupid. Of course he wasn’t here. He was moving on, probably to someplace like New York. He had been a senior partner after all. He would want to move up in the world.
“Is everything okay?” Eric asked as he walked up beside me.
“Yeah, I just…”
Eric sighed, draping his arm across my shoulder. “I’ve been there. I know how it feels.”
“Yeah, but you got Kat back. Robert’s gone.”
He nodded, then jerked his head. “Let’s get to the float and make sure everything is ready.”
I walked beside him down to the fire station where all the floats were sitting, ready to head out around town. With the chill in the air, I wrapped my scarf tighter around my