Page 72 of A Newport Christmess

“Okay. So besides those things, tell me about him.”

“Umm ... He’s got a JD and is general counsel for Carrigan Enterprises, a multi-billion-dollar firm.”

“And is he good?”

“At being a lawyer?”

“No. Is he a good person?”

“Oh. Yes, he’s wonderful.”

Mom gave a thoughtful hum. “Just be careful, Quinn. You need to make sure you’re in a better place before you get into anything too serious.” Before I had time to ask her what exactly she meant by a better place, she continued, “You never responded to my text about the plane ticket. I emailed you the confirmation. Did you get it?”

I opened up my mail app to see it near the top. “Yep. I got it.”

“And does that work?”

My throat grew tight. Considering I’d already maxed out my selfish quota for the day, now didn’t seem like the best time to mention I wanted to stay in Newport. “I think so. Thanks.”

Within a few minutes of getting off the phone, I’d responded to Ashlee and explained to both my sisters via text who “the guy in the picture” was. Despite my need to get going, I was now scrolling through the well wishes of my followers, feeling less repentant with all the hilarious comments about how attractive Landon was. My phone chimed, and a text notification dropped from the top. My heart nearly fumbled to a stop at the name on it.

Cody.

With shaking hands, I pressed on the message.

Cody: Thinking about you today. I really miss you. I miss us.

I’m not sure how long I stared at his message. A thousand responses flew through my mind, ranging from hostile to ecstatic to passive. In the end, I simply wrote:

Quinn: It’s been a long time.

* * *

I’d been so lost in thought while decorating the gingerbread house that it took me a few seconds to register that the sound reverberating in my mind was actually a knock.

“Coming.” I placed my piping bag on the plate and hurried to the door to glimpse Landon through the peep hole. Drawing in a quick, calming breath, I opened it.

The smile Landon gave that usually set my heart fluttering constricted my chest with guilt instead. Not that I had a reason to feel guilty. Not really. Yes, I’d posted the picture of us together, but he’d suggested taking them for that very reason. And Cody and I had texted a few times off and on today, but it wasn’t like I’d gone crawling back to him. He’d mentioned he’d missed me and would love to find a time to talk. I’d kept my cool and reluctantly agreed a conversation was in order. So why did I feel like I’d done something wrong?

“Hey!” The false cheer in my voice sent his brows raising.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” I pointed behind me. “Just working.”

He nodded, his eyes settling on the partially decorated gingerbread house behind me. “How’s it going?”

“Ummm ...” I cleared my throat. “I got kind of a late start.”

His gaze returned to mine. “Should we postpone our tour? We could do it after Nikki’s wedding, since you’ll be here through Christmas.”

“No. Let’s do it tonight,” I said, not sure I would be here for Christmas anymore. “Let me just grab my stuff.”

He waited silently as I hurried to put on my boots and coat and grabbed my phone off the table. “Ready?”

His head tilted to the side. “Really, Quinn, if you have stuff to do—”

“I can stay up late to finish it.” I forced a smile. “I want to go.” And I really did. Not only because the idea of touring one of the gilded mansions in candlelight was alluring, but as confused as I was, I wanted to spend time with Landon. I’d missed him all day.