Christmas Sugar (Insta-Spark)

The door opened behind me, and I turned to see Alex slip inside, holding a thick envelope.

“How is Noelle?” I asked, anxious.

“Fine. She left for day care a couple of minutes ago.”

“I saw the van. I wasn’t sure if she left or you kept her home.”

Alex nodded. “There’s only a few days of school left before the Christmas break. I don’t want her to miss them.” She grimaced. “It’s best if she goes and gets back to her busy little schedule.”

I swallowed the thick feeling in my throat. “She’ll be all right?”

“She’ll be fine. We all will be.”

I was surprised at how those simple words stung.

“I didn’t mean to upset her . . . to upset any of you.”

“She gets attached. I had hoped to ease her into your leaving.” She wrung her hands. “I’ll be having a long talk with Seth tonight—this is odd behavior for him, but I suppose he got attached too.”

I wasn’t sure what to say.

“I’m sorry, Alex.”

“It’s not your problem. I should have known better.”

I frowned, unsure what she meant. Before I could ask, though, she spoke again.

“Your car will be here at ten.” She glanced over to the bed, a smile tugging at her lips. “I’m impressed, Dylan. You packed yourself.”

I knew she was trying to lighten the atmosphere. I glared at her. “I am a grown man and quite capable of packing myself, Alex.”

With a wry grin, she bent down and picked up the boots and my sleep pants from the floor. “Not very well. It all needs to go in the case.”

We both chuckled.

I stepped forward. “Alex . . .”

She held up her hand. “Don’t say anything, Dylan. We said it all. These past days have been wonderful, for both of us, but it’s time to get back to reality.”

She laid the envelope on the bed. “George asked me to give this to you. He signed your offer.” Her voice dropped. “Congratulations—you got what you came for. You now own the Sleepy Moose Inn and the Ocean Bluff Resort.”

I had no idea how to respond.

She changed her voice, forcing a lighter tone. “I bet you never thought you’d see those words in your portfolio.”

I had to admit she was correct. But this inn had unexpectedly become my most prized piece of property. I had to ask her. “Do you hate me for that?”

She looked startled. “No. It had to be sold—I’m glad you bought it. You’ll make it into a lovely place. I’m sure of it.”

“I will. I’ll protect the land. I promise.”

“Then it’s all good.” She indicated the door. “I have to go and help Susan. We’re going to shut down most of the rooms for the season.” A sad smile flitted across her face. “For good, I suppose.”

“Can I see you if I come back to town?”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Dylan. I expect we’ll bump into each other, but we need to let personal things go.”

Pain lanced through my body, and I steadied my suddenly shaky limbs by leaning on the table. I was being insane. It was every man’s dream—snowed in with a sexy woman, amazing sex, and being able to walk away with no strings and return to his life with nothing but great memories.