Page 58 of Holiday Crush

“I’m still going to see you for our Christmas gift exchange tomorrow night, aren’t I?”

“Yes, of course, but…”

I frowned. My bestie had been spending far too much time alone lately. Dave was probably out, and she was probably lonely. Christmas Eve in the shop was usually our thing. We’d blast holiday music, give free samples of peppermint hot chocolate and host impromptu singalongs, much to Mazie’s chagrin.

“Now is perfect, actually,” I intercepted. “I need to take a break. Can I bring you something? Tea, latte, peppermint hot chocolate?”

“Plain hot chocolate with marshmallows, please.”

“You got it.”

I made two hot chocolates, shrugged on my jacket, and promised Mazie and Josh I’d be less than an hour. I dodged holiday revelers toting shopping bags and chatting with friends and neighbors on Main Street. The mood in town was festive and slightly manic with a zing of anticipation and excitement. Snow had been cleared from the sidewalks, but it clung to rooftops and awnings, and the lampposts were decorated with holiday greenery.

It was absolutely, positively gorgeous, I mused, shouting out hellos and happy holiday greetings like a prom queen on homecoming day. Gah, I freaking loved Christmastime!

My cheery mood brightened with every step as I made my way to Eucalyptus Street and let myself into Stacy’s house. Dave had hired someone to professionally decorate their home and it looked beautiful…a ginormous flocked tree stood in the entry like a giant nutcracker, hung with elegant glass bulbs and white satin ribbon. And garland draped every doorway and looped the banister of the swooping stairway.

Nothing like the tiny tree we’d dragged up West Broadway through near blizzard conditions in college. Or the two in my living room a few blocks away.

I found Stacy in the great room, surrounded by pillows like a princess on a cloud. She thanked me profusely for the hot chocolate and launched into a nonstop monologue of every movie she’d binged over the past few days, the decorator’s heavy hand with the garland, and her regrets about missing Dave’s company’s holiday party.

She sighed. “It was at the diner, and I’ve heard that Nolan and JC went all out this year.”

“They did. It’salmostas festive as Rise and Grind.”

“That good?” she teased, but her face fell. And just when I thought that had to be my imagination, a single tear slid down her cheek.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I set my cup on the coffee table and kneeled beside her.

“I want to sell my share, Ivan.”

“Oh.”Fuck.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to wait till after the holidays to talk to you, but I can’t stop thinking about it and that’s probably because I have too much time on my hands. I just…I can’t give it my all, and I don’t feel as invested as I should to do the things we talked about. I want to focus on being a mom. It’s something I never thought I wanted, but this kid is coming soon, and I’ve been reevaluating my priorities. He has to come first.”

I stared, unsure how to reply. Which was silly because there was only one acceptable response.

Even so, it took everything in me to utter those two words with a straight face. “I understand.”

Stacy melted into the pillows with a sigh of relief. “You do? I’m sorry. I’ve been losing sleep about this for weeks. Dave insisted that I needed to talk to you, but I didn’t want to. In my ideal world, I’d have it all, but I’m not that person. You know me…I have to focus.”

“Yeah, totally.” I patted her hand and stood. “I get it.”

“We can discuss details in January. I know the Hendersons would buy us in a heartbeat or—”

“No,” I barked. Softening my tone, I added, “I’ll buy you out. I’ll get a loan or something, but…first, Christmas.”

“Yes. Christmas.” She gave me a tentative smile. “Love you, Ive.”

“Love you too.”

And I did.

And yes, I understood that after thirty-one years, we’d reached an impasse that required us to travel at different speeds in new directions. Our partnership might not survive, but our friendship would. No doubt about it.

I just had to figure out how I was going to do this alone.

I headed into town again with my nose buried in my scarf, feeling restless and a little scared, but there was nothing I could do at the moment. I just had to keep moving and think positive thoughts.Christmas carols, ribbons, bows, hot chocolate with extra whipped cream—