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Chapter 46
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Christmas Cove Chapter 47
When she pulled into the town square, the streets were desolated--probably due to the snow falling heavily now--but the shops were all open. Although she told herself not to, she looked over at the Christmas tree lot. A man was stacking trees, but Jocelyn was relieved to see that Caden's parents weren't there. They would freeze to death out in this weather. No one should be out on a day like this. Thank goodness there was a little one-room white shed with a front porch where the man could to warm up. Secretly, she wondered if he lived there and watched over the tree lot. After all, it was large enough for one person to live in, but not big enough for more than that.The bell rang loudly as she walked into work. Kiki looked up from arranging jewelry inside one of the front cases and smiled."It's about time you got here," Kiki teased. "What took you so long?"Jocelyn looked at the clock, and it wasn't even eight o'clock yet. "Why are you here so early?" She walked around he counter a
Christmas Cove Chapter 48
Since Jocelyn didn't take his calls all day, Caden wondered if he had misread her signals, or maybe the romance had been all in his head. He had texted and called Jocelyn alternately all day, but her phone kept going straight to voice mail. Then his phone rang. For a moment, he hoped it was Jocelyn, but frowned when he saw that it was Mallory.He sighed as he clicked on the phone. "Hello, Mallory. What do you want?""Well, that's a fine way to greet an old friend," she replied on the other end. "Friendship has to be earned." Caden shook his head, not in the mood for more of Mallory's shenanigans. "As I asked, what do you want?"There was a pause and, for a moment, Caden almost regretted being so abrupt with her- almost. "Well, I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner with me." When he didn't answer right away, she added, "You know, for old time's sake."Convinced that everything with Jocelyn was all in his head, he relented. "Sure. Why not? What time shall I pick you up?
Christmas Cove Chapter 49
"Sure," he replied. "And some sodas, too."She smiled. "Of course.""So, what have you been up to over the years?" She shook out her napkin and looked into his eyes. "Were you in Afghanistan?"He let out a deep breath. Although he had served his country and had gone off to war, it wasn't something he wanted to talk about. "Yes, but I don't want to talk about it.""Good evening," the waitress said when she approached the table. "My name is Lisa and I'll be your waitress this evening. May I start you both off with something to drink?""Just Coke for me," Caden replied."Chardonnay for me," Mallory said without looking up from her menu. It was obvious that she only paid attention to people she thought she could easily manipulate.The waitress looked over at Caden and gave him a wink. "I'll be right back with that.""Thank you, but I think we're ready to order now, too," he replied, ignoring the wink. Turning to Mallory, he asked, "So what kind of pizza would you like?""Anythin
Christmas Cove Chapter 50
Jocelyn's heart dropped as she watched Caden walk away with Mallory. What had she done? But she would never hurt Mallory like that. Now, she knew what kind of person Caden really was. Since she hadn't returned his calls, he went out right away with Mallory. But that was who he had come back to Christmas Cove for, wasn't it? Jocelyn was so confused that she didn't even want to think about it anymore. "Want to go get something to eat?" Kiki followed her gaze and saw Caden walking away with Mallory following behind."No, I'm going home." Jocelyn walked away, but Kiki was hot on her hells."Joss, go out to eat with me." Kiki almost ran into her when Jocelyn stopped abruptly."Please, don't call me that," Jocelyn instructed, remembering when Caden had called her that. It reminded her too much of him.Kiki held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay! I won't call you that anymore.""I'll see you tomorrow." Jocelyn walked away, her eyes filling up with tears. She wanted- no needed- to
Christmas Cove Chapter 51
The next morning, Caden rose early, dressed, and was out the door, determined to make things right. Outside, it was bitter cold, and the ground was covered with a white blanket of new fallen white snow. But at least it had stopped snowing.As quickly as he could, he slid into his car and was headed toward town, knowing what he had to do. He couldn't waste another minute. Soon, he pulled up in front of the Christmas Cove Jewelry Store, turned off the engine, and headed toward the front door. He tried it, but it was still locked. He looked over at Santa's Café, thinking that he could get something to eat while he waited for Jocelyn, but he wasn't hungry.Caden looked across the town square, and his parents' Christmas tree lot wasn't even open yet. Although there was a light on inside of the small shed, Dan hadn't come out yet.Caden sighed as he walked toward the gazebo and sat down to wait. He took in the town as he walked across the square, taking in the Danish architecture, reminis
Christmas Cove Chapter 52
A few minutes later, he turned left down the long road headed toward the resort. The same snow-covered evergreens sprang from the white blanket of snow, along with bare maple and oak trees, among other species. If he was with Jocelyn, he would have appreciated it much more. But now, he was in a hurry to get his life back on track. He just hoped that he succeeded.When he pulled in, Mallory was already there, sitting in her car, waiting."I'm surprised you got here so quickly," Caden said to her as he closed his car door and she did the same.Mallory smiled as she tucked her arm into his. "It's not every day that I get to go to The North Pole Resort. Besides, I was eager to see you again." She was dressed in a short skirt, even though it was freezing outside. "Are you warm enough in that?" He helped her up the stairs and opened the door for her. She shrugged. "Warm enough." She released his arm and walked inside as every man within the vicinity stared and he followed.In the pas
Christmas Cove Chapter 53
On her way to work the next day, Jocelyn couldn't get Caden out of her mind. He and Mallory would be together during Christmas. Although Jocelyn was happy for them, she couldn't watch them, either. Not now. So, she resolved herself to spend Christmas at the Children's Home. She made a mental note to go shopping for some toys to take over when she went. It would be better than spending Christmas listening to Mallory gloat and watching the two of them together.But then again, Mallory and Caden might leave for California before Christmas, leaving her alone. Jocelyn didn't know which was worse. But she had better get used to being alone. After Mallory left, she would be completely alone.How did her life get so screwed up? Love is hard and can be cruel sometimes. Maybe she was just infatuated with Caden this whole time. But Jocelyn knew better than that. As strongly as she felt about Caden, she knew there would never be another man to make her feel that way. It was as if her body had cl
Christmas Cove Chapter 54
As she walked out to the car, she already missed him and their friendship. She had really screwed up this time. By letting her emotions get away from her, she had lost him completely.When she pulled up in the driveway at her house, Mallory's car was there. But Jocelyn went straight up to her room, not in the mood to hear her sister gloat. In her room, she took off her shoes and laid down on the bed, wishing that the world could just fade away and leave her in peace.At moments like this, she missed her mother more than ever. That, and around the holidays. Her mother had always made the holidays special. This Christmas, the only thing that Jocelyn had to look forward to was going to the Children's Home. But now, she would take one night to cry and get it out of her system. Then she would force herself to make the most of the holidays. After all, Christmas was just a few days away.Knock, knock, knock.Jocelyn sighed, but didn't say anything."Jocelyn, may I come in?" Mallory's voi
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