standing on the porch, shivering in his expensive wool coat.
“Phil.” She stared at him, not sure what to say, or why he was here. More details of the eviction to work out? He didn’t seem to honor holidays when it came to business, after all. “I thought…I heard you left town,” she managed.
He gave her a little grin. Really, what was there to smile about? The man had thrown her to the curb, at Christmastime!
“I did leave, and I have you to thank for that.”
She folded her arms across her chest, but not because she was cold. No, she was downright steaming mad. Showing up at her family home, on Christmas. He had better have something good to say.
She sucked in a breath. She didn’t dare hope. Not even on Christmas. But Christmas was the time to hope, and oh, she wanted to believe that this wasn’t going to just be a good Christmas, but the best one yet.
“How did you know where my family home was?” she asked him.
He grinned wider. “Like you said, everyone knows everyone in Blue Harbor. And my grandparents pointed it out.”
“Your—” She blinked, then looked past him to the luxury SUV that was sitting out front, the engine still running. Through the tinted windows she saw a shadow of Mrs. Keaton’s face, and a hand waving at her. “Your grandparents are here?”
“That’s why I left,” Phil explained. “I was thinking about what you said, about how much my grandmother loved Christmas. And then I thought of her alone with just her husband.”
He frowned and looked down at his shoes. Cora resisted the urge to set a hand on his arm. However touching this gesture might be, the man had still evicted her from not only her apartment but also her place of business.
“When I saw how much Georgie loved the town’s traditions, I knew just how much my grandparents must miss them.”
Cora nodded, forcing herself to not to get too soft here. “Well, I’m sure they’re thrilled to spend one last holiday in Blue Harbor.”
“Oh, it won’t be the last,” Phil said, flashing a grin.
Her heart skipped a beat, and for a moment she almost didn’t trust herself to speak. To hope.
“It wasn’t just Georgie who loved being here for Christmas. It was me, too. Then, and now. I had one perfect Christmas in this town a long, long time ago. And again, more recently.”
His gaze was steady. “You made me a believer, Cora. You made me realize what Christmas is all about, and what it really means, and I’m not so willing to walk away from it again.” He looked her in the eye. “Or you.”
Her voice was locked in her throat. “Phil…”
He held up a hand. “Please. There’s something I need to say, Cora. I came to town with clear intentions. I buy out businesses. I close them down. I look at the numbers and I do what makes sense, practically, not emotionally. What I always thought was the right step. I never bother to get to the heart of the matter, to know the faces behind the door. But I got to know you. And the more I got to know you, the harder it became to go through with things.”
She raised an eyebrow. “But you did. You told me in the end.”
“I did. And once it was out, it confirmed everything that I’ve known since I came here.” He took a step toward her, his smile replaced with a look far more serious. And maybe, more sincere. “You reminded me of all the good things I used to feel when I was in Blue Harbor. All the simple things that brought my child so much joy. That brought me joy. All this time, I’ve been chasing something that wasn’t real. All I know is that I was empty before.”
“So you’re not going overseas?”
He shook his head. “No. No, I can’t leave Georgie like that. Not now. Not when I see what I can have with her. What I found with her. And I can’t leave my grandparents either. I’m all they’ve got. Well, me and this town.”
“You mean they’re moving back?” She thought of what he’d said about Mr. Keaton’s health. “But—”
He nodded. “But nothing. This is where they belong. And it’s where I belong too.”
Tears prickled the back of her eyes, and even though she told herself it was due to the wind, she knew it wasn’t true.
“You showed me the meaning of Christmas,” he said to her. He