Christmas in Angel Harbor - Jeannie Moon Page 0,54

wasn’t there.

He’d never been reckless or inclined to sentimentality. Danny was methodical. Focused. He determined where he wanted to go and figured out how to get there. That single-mindedness had pushed him to rationalize Jane right out of his life when he’d left for law school.

He wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.

He wondered if she would ever consider leaving Angel Harbor. Jane had always dreamed of traveling, and Danny could take her anywhere she wanted to go. He could write any place, and Jane could finally see the world.

Who was he kidding? She’d hate it. That store was almost as important to her as her family. He couldn’t take her away from here. She was the heart of Angel Harbor.

Jane with her calm, steady presence, her insight and intuition, her gentleness, was special in ways Dan couldn’t fully articulate. Her friends and family were so used to her strength he wondered if perhaps they took it for granted. But once again he was learning the power of it, and he didn’t want to lose it.

*

There was something very Zen about doing the dishes. Jane let the feel of the running water and the scent of the soap penetrate her senses as her mind wandered. It was soothing. The steady warmth and pressure of the water allowed her to relax into the monotony of the moment. The task required no thinking, which was definitely a welcome change from her usual frenetic existence.

It had been such a lovely day. Currently her house was filled with people she cared about. Her family and friends, her connection to all that was right in her world, were congregated in the living room engaged in a spirited game of Monopoly. Tara was accusing her grandmother of cheating, which Jane’s mother vigorously denied, but the accusation was probably accurate. Her mother was a ruthless Monopoly player and everyone was always on alert for her real estate shenanigans. The day was everything Jane had hoped for, perfect in so many ways, and it was ending just as it had begun, with a shiver of awareness.

On her back, she felt the weight of Danny’s hand settle, as he stepped up next to her.

“No Monopoly?” she asked, continuing with the dishes.

“Nah. I’m bankrupt already.” He chuckled when he shook his head. “Your mother cheats.”

Jane chuckled. His presence was not just welcome, but comforting. It made her think about the growing attachment between them, and what would happen when he finished his book.

He wasn’t staying, and that was the only thing keeping Jane from fully letting him inside her heart.

They were friends, good friends, but that was all they could be. His life wasn’t in Angel Harbor, and hers was. It wasn’t what she’d planned, but it was her home.

“You look like a woman with something on her mind,” he said, picking up the dish towel that was folded on the countertop. He took the porcelain casserole dish that had held the cornbread dressing from the drain and started drying it.

“I don’t know,” she began. “I was just thinking about how nice today was. I love Thanksgiving.”

“It was a great day. And the food. God. Everything was delicious. I should have packed a pair of sweatpants.” He patted his belly.

“I told you to wear pajamas.” Jane smiled. She’d changed after dinner into a pair of plaid flannel pants and a hideously ugly Christmas sweater to kick off the season.

“Thank you for including me,” he said quietly. Jane could see on his face that he was genuinely touched. “Being here was much better than being on my own.”

“I wouldn’t have let that happen.”

He raised an eyebrow and grabbed the large stainless steel soup pot from her hands. “Glad to hear it.”

There was a hint of skepticism in his voice, and she wondered why. “Maybe because the thought of having him here makes you nervous as a cat in a kennel,” a little voice in her head reminded her, but still, she challenged him. “You don’t believe me?”

He hesitated and looked down, concentrating on the droplets of water sparkling off the metal surface. “I wasn’t sure. When you mentioned it, you looked a little…unnerved by it. You did say it was Tara’s idea.”

She had been, but not for the reasons he thought. Jane was fully aware of everything that was brewing between them. The attraction was off the chart. She was already at risk of losing her heart to him because of all the old feelings that never really went away,