holiday movie.
“Too bad I’m fresh out of miracles,” he murmured.
Her gaze sharpened. “That’s where you’re mistaken, Dylan. Miracles are always waiting for you. You just have to recognize them.”
He thought about the unspeakable tragedy that had changed everything in his life and all the tiny miracles that had led him to this point. Out of so much sorrow, he’d found a happiness he hadn’t expected. One that had scared him so badly that he’d sabotaged it instead of risking his heart to claim a future he hadn’t even realized he wanted.
He cleared his throat. “Will you help me?” The words felt strange on his tongue, but he forced himself to meet Mary Ellen’s too-knowing gaze. If he was going to produce a post-Christmas miracle, he understood he couldn’t do it alone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“YOU DIDN’T NEED to pick me up.” Carrie settled against the soft leather of Avery’s Lexus sedan. “I could have hired Jack and his shuttle service again. I think he liked making the money.” Capitalizing on the influx of visitors to town, one of the local mechanics, Jack Grage, had started a car service between Magnolia and the Raleigh airport as well as around the town to popular tourist spots. Nothing as formal as Uber, but it worked for Magnolia.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Avery reached across the console and patted Carrie’s jeans-clad knee. “We want to hear all about New York.”
“And spending time with your mom,” Meredith said with a small laugh from the backseat. “She’s all kinds of intimidating.”
Carrie shook her head. She and her mom had flown back from the city together after three amazing days touring Manhattan. “What you saw in the airport was her trying to be extra friendly,” she reported.
Avery threw her a look. “That’s terrifying.”
“We actually had a lovely time.” Carrie felt a smile curve her lips. “She led the way because she knows the city, and it was good to be with her in a neutral location. Magnolia has too many memories and I feel weird when I’m at her hotel, like everyone knows I don’t belong there. Don’t get me wrong. There were plenty of awkward moments. I’m not sure either of us knows how our mother-daughter dynamic is supposed to go when we’ve had so little interaction since the divorce. But we’re figuring it out. I’m figuring out a lot of things lately.”
“What did you think of the gallery owner?” Avery asked.
“He was intimidating, larger-than-life and asked questions about my paintings and the process I use to create them that made me think he really understood me.” She bit down on her lip then added, “He respected my talent.”
“As well he should,” Meredith said with a sniff. “Did the subject of Niall come up?”
“Yes,” Carrie answered. “I expected it. The art world might have eviscerated him critically, but no one could deny that he was a force. Max, the gallery owner, is around the same age and had actually met him years ago. Said he was a pompous ass.”
Both her sisters laughed. “I like Max already,” Meredith said.
“He took my mom and me to a reception for one of his long-time clients. Even I could tell it was a who’s who of important people in the New York art community. Niall certainly didn’t have the market cornered on being pompous.”
“Or an ass, I’d imagine,” Avery added.
“True, but I met people who were quite lovely, as well. It’s a vibrant community and an amazing city. I can understand why so many artists are drawn there.”
Carrie pressed her fingers against the car’s cool window, watching condensation spread around her fingertips from the warmth of her touch. The day was gray and blustery, as if a storm might blow in at any moment. The turbulent weather was a direct contrast to her mood. Her trip to New York City had grounded her in some way, given her a glimpse into the life she thought she’d wanted and could still claim if she chose.
Only being there made her realize that dream belonged to the girl who’d felt trapped by her overbearing father and the expectations he placed on her.
The woman she’d become understood that Magnolia was her home and no matter what direction the town took for the future, she wanted to be part of it. Her life here with her sisters and the friends she was finally allowing herself to let in made her feel complete, despite her broken heart.
Silence stretched out in the sedan’s interior, as if her sisters were waiting for her