Lydia's Pine Harbor Christmas, стр. 23
Lydia marveled at how easily her mother had granted her approval for the trip. She had to have been as shocked by the invitation as Lydia was. While Lydia was old enough to make her own decisions, she and her mother were close. She respected Eve too much to go against her advice on such a trip. But her mother approved. That alone had to be some sort of sign that her relationship with Bryce was meant to be.
Lydia hadn’t noticed Kim standing nearby until she pointed over Lydia’s head. “Ahem! Mistletoe alert!”
Lydia looked up and tried not to wince. She still tasted Marco’s kiss on her lips, but all eyes were on them.
Bryce looked delighted as he slid his arm down to her waist and dipped her for a dramatic kiss. It must have looked tremendously romantic, but she felt nothing. It was pleasant enough, but one kiss with Marco had convinced her she could have more. Nevertheless, the applause said everyone else had enjoyed it—all but one.
As Bryce returned her to a standing position, Lydia caught a glimpse of Marco’s clouded expression as he leaned, arms folded, against the opposite wall. It would have been so much easier if he’d done what anyone else would have done, which was look away and pretend their eyes had never met. But he looked straight at her, almost glaring, and she felt that old weightlessness in her chest. Her confusion came back.
Lydia looked away, but she couldn’t pretend that their eyes hadn’t met—or their lips.
Thirteen
Lydia filled her work schedule for the week to make up for the time she would be away at Bryce’s party. Allie assured her she didn’t have to, but it was better than having too much time to think. Customers flocked to the shop during the holidays, so she managed to keep her thoughts from straying to Marco.
She and her father had gotten together a couple of times. Lydia was still getting used to discovering him at that point in her life, but Jack was making an effort, and they were building a relationship. She’d feared that he might want nothing to do with her, but that didn’t happen. Lydia’s mother didn’t fully trust him yet, but he’d been good to Lydia, so that was a start. Jack and Lydia had made plans to get together before Christmas. He’d even invited her to his house on Christmas day, for which she was thankful but had graciously declined. Her mother had Dylan, but Lydia couldn’t imagine Christmas without her, so home was where she would be.
With only a few days left before Christmas, Lydia left work early and met Jack halfway between their homes for a pre-Christmas lunch. Lydia gave him a classic car ornament, and Jack gave her a pearl necklace.
It was a generous gift, but Jack dismissed the expense. “Every woman needs a pearl necklace.”
“This must be my Christmas for pearls. A friend of mine gave me a pair of pearl earrings. They’ll look perfect together.”
Jack studied her with a twinkle in his eye. “Pearl earrings? Nice friend.”
“He is.”
Jack grinned. “Judging by the look in your eyes, I think he must be pretty special.”
He had caught her off guard, and she couldn’t cover what she suspected was written all over her face. Lydia had never been a good liar, and she didn’t want to start with her father. “He’s special to me.”
“But?”
“But… I’m not sure I’m so special to him.”
Jack leaned back. “Those earrings look pretty special. Hey, wait a minute. Is this the guy you told me about? The one who owns the restaurant?”
She nodded reluctantly.
“And the one who came to my car dealership with you.”
“Yes, that was Marco.” She hadn’t meant to talk so much about him, but his name just came up in conversation. Though she tried to fight it, she’d always had an uncontrollable tendency to say what was on her mind. Most of the time, that was Marco. It didn’t matter what she said. The truth came out as clearly as if she were holding a placard. She muttered, “I guess I’ve mentioned him one or two too many times.”
Jack had the most wistful look on his face, almost as though he were saddened by something she hadn’t told him. Maybe her tendency for punishing herself was a genetic predisposition that he saw in her and instinctively understood. Or perhaps he had something in his eye. Lydia still couldn’t get a complete read on him. Her mother and Dylan had given her the impression that Jack was an insensitive jerk, and her mother had good cause to hold that opinion. But Lydia saw a different Jack and wondered if life hadn’t changed him for the better in the years since high school. She often saw sad wisdom in his eyes.
Jack said, “A man who gives a woman pearl earrings has some pretty definite feelings for her.”
Lydia couldn’t believe she was talking about it, but he was the one who had brought Marco’s name up. Maybe her father could understand it from a man’s point of view. What harm could it do to discuss it with him? “I think he does have definite feelings. Unfortunately, they’re different from mine.”
That seemed to make Jack angry. “Is he taking advantage of you?”
“No! Not the way that you’re thinking. It’s more like he wants my friendship. I don’t think he realizes how hard it is for me to be with him. I’ve tried to put distance between us, but he just won’t let go.”
“And you haven’t told him how you feel.”
“No, and I won’t.”
Jack scratched his head then smoothed back his hair. “God knows I’ve screwed up my own life pretty royally over the years, but one thing I’ve learned is to be honest with people. If you can’t be honest with Marco, maybe he needs to be honest with you.”
“Or maybe it’s not meant