A Match Made at Christmas - Courtney Walsh Page 0,42

sent her back into the main area, she couldn’t help but notice her knees had gone weak and the only thing she could think about was getting through this speech so they could finish their conversation.

Chapter 16

Faded Photographs

Hayes watched Pru take the stage. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment, and he felt mildly bad for his part in that, but mostly he just wanted her to hurry up so they could ditch the party and be alone.

“Thank you so much,” Pru said. “And thank you to my friends and adopted family who came to the island to be here for this event tonight. I’m so honored to have had the chance to take my love of making custom surfboards and tie it in with my love of Christmas. The talking tree has been one of my favorite Stroll events since I first came to the island right after high school, so this is truly a full circle moment for me.”

Hayes wasn’t even going to pretend he was unaffected by her beauty, her kindness, the way she knew him so well. He’d been living in complete denial, but now that he realized it, he was sure of only one thing—he didn’t want to spend another moment without Pru.

And not just as a friend.

Behind him, the door to the stairway that led to the roof opened, and Peggy rushed out.

“Peggy,” he called out after her, but the woman kept on walking, straight out the front door.

Howie appeared in the doorway, a sheepish look on his face. He glanced at Hayes, then walked off toward the bar.

“That was some entrance you two made.” Hollis stood at Hayes’s side.

Hayes tossed a glance at his brother, and smirked.

“’Bout time,” Harper said, coming up on his other side.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hayes returned his gaze to the small stage where the head of the Nantucket Chamber was questioning Pru about her artwork.

“Please,” Harper said. “We’ve all been waiting for this for like, ten years.”

“It’s good to see you finally figured it out,” Hollis said.

The crowd applauded and Pru exited the stage, smiling as she zig-zagged her way through the room. She stopped to chat with Hayes’s parents, then made her way over to him.

“Did you see that Peggy left?” she asked, meeting Hayes’s eyes.

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“I think I’m going to go make sure she’s okay,” she said.

“No,” he said. “I’ll go. “You need to stay here—it’s your party.”

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll catch up with you later?”

He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to lead her back to the stairwell and finish what they’d almost started. Instead, he nodded and walked off. It wasn’t lost on him him that Pru hadn’t given him any indication of how she felt about him.

She was hesitant, that was clear. How could he convince her to take a chance on him? How could he show her they were perfect for each other?

Before he grabbed his coat to leave and check on Peggy, Hayes wandered over to the bar, where Howie sat, a nearly empty glass in front of him.

Hayes sat down next to him. “What happened up there?”

Howie shrugged. “It was going so well. Kind of like old times. We have a lot of catching up to do, and for the first time, I thought maybe we had a shot. Maybe she still had feelings for me.”

“And?”

“And it was great until I told her I’m not staying for the Christmas Stroll. I came to town for Pru, and I leave Saturday.”

Hayes frowned. “Can’t you change your plans?”

“That’s what Peggy asked.” Howie frowned. “Then the conversation turned. Said something about setting herself up for disappointment and not getting hurt again. Then she raced off. I guess she got spooked.”

Hayes thought back to the moment she emerged from the stairwell. She certainly did look spooked.

The bartender pushed a glass toward Howie, who picked it up and drained it with a sigh.

“I never thought I’d get another chance with Peggy. It wasn’t even on my radar. She’s been pretty cold to me over the years, so I just assumed it wasn’t in the cards.”

“And now?”

“Now, I’d do just about anything to win her over,” Howie said. “Even move back here in the middle of December, although I think we’d have a much better time if she retired and we traveled while we’re still young enough to enjoy it.”

Howie pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. He opened it and pulled out a small photograph, folded in half. He handed it to Hayes.