Christmas at Evergreen Inn by Donna Alward Page A

The decorations on the mantel were lifeless without a fire crackling at the grate. Todd’s coat was gone; there was no indication that he’d ever actually been there except for the poinsettia sitting in the middle of the table.
    Another Christmas and another romantic disaster. She should have known better than to put up a tree. To get her hopes up. Maybe it was just time to give up. On Christmas and on love.
    She couldn’t stand the sight of the Christmas decorations.
    Lainey fought back tears as she dug out the boxes again and started putting everything away. Damn him. And damn her, too, for allowing herself to have hope. To get sucked into the holiday, buying into the idea of Christmas spirit or miracles or whatever. She’d been right in the beginning, leaving that stuff packed away. Instead of getting her hopes up, she should have left well enough alone, not gone out to dinner with him, not slept with him for God’s sake.
    Tablecloth, centerpiece, boughs of holly and pinecones from the mantel—all back in the box. The angel on the top of the tree packed away, ornaments pulled off and dropped into their box, garland rolled up and stuffed in a corner, mangled and twisted. She didn’t care. She just wanted it gone. She shoved it all back in the storage closet, a sheen of sweat on her forehead from both lugging the boxes and the speed with which she’d completed the task. Then she threw the duvet on the floor, stripped her bed, and put the sheets in the washer. The last thing she wanted was to smell him in her sheets tonight. Instead, the scent of his cologne plus the unique scent of him rose up from the cotton and hot water, making her eyes burn.
    He’d had feelings for her. He’d made no secret of that. So why the disappearing act? Because if he’d wanted to get in touch this morning, he could have sent her a text. Or phoned. Instead there was just … silence. The silence said everything.
    She closed the lid on the washing machine and escaped to the living room where she sat on the sofa, put her elbows on her knees, and rested her head in her hands. Nothing had hurt her the way Jason’s betrayal had. She’d loved him. She’d believed in him. She’d believed in them. He’d destroyed all of that, but more than that he’d ruined her confidence and he’d made her afraid. Only a fool would put herself in a position to be hurt like that again. Fool me once, she thought ruefully.
    Except the alternative was that she would be alone forever. She just couldn’t quite see herself as a crazy cat lady living alone for the rest of her life. She wanted to find that special someone. She wanted children. For the first time in several months she stopped feeling bad about it and felt mad.
    Angry at Jason for doing this to her. And angry at herself for letting him. She was a hot mess of anger and sadness and yearning. Through her tears she gave a short laugh. What sort of man would be crazy enough to take that on? Maybe Todd had been the smart one after all.
    The phone rang. Lainey jumped, then looked at the display. It was her mom, and Lainey knew that if she didn’t answer Mom would come over to see what was going on. She worried about Lainey, particularly now since Lainey hadn’t made a secret of her anti-holiday sentiments. There’d already been several calls about Christmas plans and her mom’s not-so-subtle attempts to get Lainey involved in local festivities.
    Lainey gave a mighty sniff, cleared her throat, and pressed the TALK button.
    â€œHello?”
    â€œGood morning, sweetheart.”
    â€œHi, Mom.”
    â€œJust checking to see if you’re coming for dinner before church tonight.”
    Oh God, that’s right. Christmas Eve was always her mom’s oyster stew and fresh rolls and Yule log for dessert. Just the thought of it right now was enough to turn Lainey’s stomach. “Sorry, Mom, I’ve got some stuff to