Christmas in Angel Harbor - Jeannie Moon Page 0,86

lease was up. She took it, naturally. Jane had never seen a check that big, and it would come in handy since she was going to be unemployed for the first time in her life.

Jane didn’t have a clue about what came after. Elena had continued to scout for new retail space but hadn’t found anything in the vicinity that didn’t need massive amounts of time and money to make it work.

In the short term, she’d store everything. Furniture, stock, and the café fixtures would be tucked away until she could formulate some kind of plan. That plan might include selling everything off, but she needed time to think about her options. If only she’d saved all the money she’d sunk into the physical building. It sure would have helped her now.

Water under the bridge, her dad would say, or he’d make some comment about hindsight being twenty-twenty.

Indeed it was.

Just as she passed the theater, Chloe stopped and gave a little woof. She was fully alert, with her ears erect and the hair on her back standing up. This was unusual since she and Chloe walked this route home at least three times a week. The dog knew every house, every shrub, and every squirrel and chipmunk in the neighborhood.

“What is it, baby?”

Following the dog’s gaze, Jane looked to her right and saw a figure move on the porch of Sail House right at the edge of town. Had it finally been sold? There were lights on inside, and as she moved closer, the front of the house lit up, like someone flipped a switch, startling her with a blaze of colored and white twinkling lights.

The roofline, the trees and shrubs, the porch rails and pillars were decorated for Christmas. Wreaths adorned the windows and doors and there, standing on the top step, was Danny.

His hands were tucked in his coat pockets and he wore a sweet, but nervous smile. “Hiya, Janie.” His voice was low and full of emotion, and as he descended the porch steps, Jane was tongue-tied, completely taken off guard.

“Danny?”

Choe barked in greeting, her tail wagging like she hadn’t seen him in years.

“I was wondering when you were going to come by.” His voice was low, gentle, like he might talk to a nervous animal, or a crazy woman on the verge of snapping.

“Have you been waiting for me?” It was a nice to think he had. It lightened her mood ever so slightly.

“Maybe.”

Jane took a step toward him. Why was he here, at this house? “Maybe?”

He was on the path now, closing the distance between them. “Of course I was waiting for you.”

“I see. Why?” Jane’s heart picked up a steady beat. He looked so handsome and unsure, backlit by the Christmas lights and dusted by snow swirling around them.

“I’m going to screw this up, so please know that everything I do or say comes right from my heart, but the stakes are kind of high, so I’m nervous.”

“Okay.” Her own heart had gone from a steady beat to a series of wild thumps in her chest. Her stomach was currently occupied by a flock of butterflies. Her woo-woo must have kicked in, because Jane felt like something life-changing was about to happen if she let it.

“I love you, Jane. I love you so much I ache from it. I learned the hard way that I can’t be the person I want to be without you. I can’t even think about it.”

Chloe lay down on the walk by his feet and tilted her head back to listen. Jane stepped closer, letting the heady scent of him surround her. “Oh, Danny. Are you sure? I’m crazy in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Very sure. If you know nothing else, know that. I love you. And you’re not crazy.”

He’d told her before, at her house, but she was too stuck in her own head to listen. Thank God he’d said it again. Tears spilled from her eyes, and Jane didn’t even try to stop them. If Danny was going to show his heart, she could show hers.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you when I found out the building was being sold. I should have right away and trusted you to know what was best. I tried to fix things, but keeping you in the dark was wrong.”

“I wish I had known, but your heart was in the right place. I’m not used to having someone look out for me like that. I always feel like I need to be