Christmas in Angel Harbor - Jeannie Moon Page 0,65

this insanity—she had that.

“Every light is a reason for you to believe. To keep going. I know you’re sad, but look at what you’ve done here.” He waved his hand around at the park and the marina, and smiled down at her. “She’s ready and so are you. This is your chance to have adventures of your own. I have faith in you. And I don’t have faith in anything, so that should tell you something.”

Jane wished she could share his belief, his willingness to see options and possibilities. Right now she felt lost, adrift in a storm over which she had no control. Tara’s news pushed her brain into overdrive. There wasn’t just one thing racing around now; every problem, every worry was confusing her. Jane still didn’t know what was happening with her store, and she had to admit, that had her more anxious than anything. But more than a few people, smart people, had told her there was nothing to be concerned about.

Unfortunately, her gut wasn’t listening.

Danny had been trying to ease her mind by mentioning all the good things she had in her life. He wasn’t wrong; however, the shadow following her around was a lot harder to shake. God, she would miss her girl if she went to school across the pond, but Jane couldn’t help thinking there was something else coming. Something life-changing. It forced her to remember that day in Scotland when she was called to the phone in her makeshift office to find out her father had died. Her dad was her cheerleader, her support system. Her world shattered into a million pieces that day, and it had taken a long time to put it back together. She didn’t know how she would handle something like that again.

“I hope you’re right. I really hope you’re right.”

Chapter Thirteen

Every word dripped with sadness, and all he wanted to do was make it better. Dan knew Jane was a smart, capable businesswoman, but she was going to be crushed under the weight of the news that the building housing her store was in the process of being sold.

He honestly didn’t know if he should tell her, especially after hearing Tara’s news about Dublin.

Jane’s family was changing. Her house was going from a home that had the energy of three people to a house for one. He guessed Jane didn’t know where she fit in the world. When she spoke about Tara going to college, her pain was so visceral, he could almost feel it himself. Of course she was proud of her daughter, and excited, but it left Jane without the role she’d had for the past seventeen years.

She was looking at the lights in the park with a wistfulness that revealed just how much she cared for her town and the people. Responding the only way that felt right, he dropped his hands from her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her. Rather than stiffen or pull away from the sudden intimacy, she let him comfort her, leaning back against him, allowing him to absorb her weight and her troubles.

The flash of protectiveness was overpowering. Acknowledging that she triggered every protective instinct was the first step into new and frightening territory. At the same time, her wisdom and her calm, her goodness brought him peace. She was why he was writing again.

Dan wasn’t ready to share it yet, but the story he was working on was Janie’s book. It was the story he wanted the two of them to write together. It was about finding love and belonging after a life of loss and detachment. Resting his chin on her head, he faced glaring reality. He was in love with her, and if he was truthful, he always had been. She was never far from his thoughts. His feelings for her were likely why he’d never married, never really settled down. It was why he kept relationships at arm’s length. All these years, his heart, his soul, belonged to Jane.

The realization over the last few weeks was more epiphany than anything else. He had no heart-fluttering awareness other than the deep, abiding peace he felt when he touched her, held her, kissed her.

His heart was hers. All he wanted was to make her happy. To make it so she had nothing to worry about ever again.

Which was why this wasn’t the right moment to tell her what he’d learned about the sale of her store.

He would break the news to her, but considering how