Christmas Ever After (Puffin Island 3)

She’d been silly to think it. Whatever life threw in their direction, they weathered it together and they’d weather this.

The flight was short and uneventful and Zach drove the short distance from the airfield to Harbor House.

The island roads were empty, the snow banked high on either side. They passed a few houses, lights sparkling in the windows, their gardens plunged under mounds of snow and ice.

As Zach pulled up outside Harbor House Sky felt so nervous she was sure her hands were shaking.

She told herself it would be fine once the first awkward meeting was over.

And it wasn’t awkward for him, of course. Just her.

The door opened before they’d made it up the steps and Emily hugged her and pulled her inside. “Merry Christmas. I’m so glad you made it. All of us together!”

Cocoa hurled herself across the room and licked her while Jaws glared at her from his post at the foot of the stairs.

Sky made a fuss of Cocoa and summoned up the smile she’d been practicing. The one that said nothing was wrong.

“I brought gifts!” She waved the bags she was carrying. “Real ones, not empty ones.”

“Come and put them under the tree. We’re doing gifts later.”

Sky walked through to the living room. Candles flickered on the high surfaces and the lights on the Christmas tree glowed like tiny fireflies. Lizzy crawled under it, rearranging gifts and adding the ones from Sky’s bags.

A large bay window overlooked the sloping garden, now hidden under a thick blanket of winter white. On a clear day there was a perfect view across the bay to the mainland.

Children, dogs and good friends, she thought. The perfect Christmas.

If you ignored the fact that she felt as if she’d been crushed by a heavy object.

She couldn’t breathe. She ached all over. Maybe she was coming down with the flu.

There was no sign of Alec.

She hoped he wasn’t staying away because of her.

“Don’t eat the chocolate on the Christmas tree,” Lizzy said solemnly. “It’s for Zach.”

Grateful for the distraction, Sky raised her eyebrows. “All of it?”

“He never had chocolate on the tree growing up. This is all his. Brittany and I fixed it for him.”

Sky saw livid color highlight Zach’s cheekbones and then he dropped into a crouch in front of Lizzy.

“You did that for me?”

Lizzy nodded. “Brittany and I chose the chocolate together. You can eat all of it if you like. It’s yours.”

Zach looked at the tree and then at Brittany and something passed between them.

A wordless, intimate exchange that excluded everyone else in the room.

Then he rose to his feet. “That is a lot of chocolate. I think I’m going to need some help.”

“That’s cool.” Lizzy slipped her hand into his. “If you’re sure.”

“Champagne time.” Ryan disappeared into the kitchen and emerged moments later with two bottles. Emily followed with glasses just as Alec walked into the room.

Sky felt her heart accelerate like a racehorse out of the starting gate.