A Down-Home Savannah Christmas

“Um...lunch?” Kate blew out a breath that made her lips buzz for a second. “I’m confused. I think you need to start from the beginning.”

And so Elle did. She told her sister how she’d lost her job and come home. She told her about seeing Daniel jogging in the park and how he’d appeared in the Forsyth lobby a little while later.

“Did you know Mom and Gigi are renovating the inn?” Elle asked.

“Mom and Gigi are renovating the inn? What? I go away for a week and everything turns upside down.”

“Apparently the reno plans have been perking longer than a week. By the time I found out, Daniel was already on board as the general contractor.”

Kate did a double take. “Are you kidding me? I see them at least two or three, sometimes four times a week—depending on who needs her hair done—and they failed to mention any of this to me? Nice.”

“So, it’s not just me,” Elle said. “It feels like they’ve been a little sneaky about the way they’ve handled this?”

“Who’s being sneaky about what?” Zelda breezed into the kitchen carrying a manila file folder.

The sisters looked at each other. Then Elle looked away. She wished she’d had enough time to tell Kate the rest of the story about Daniel. Now she wasn’t sure if she wanted to open the can of worms in front of everyone.

She hated herself for thinking of them as a can of worms. Maybe it proved that she needed more time to process everything.

Kate put her hands on her hips. “To start with, you and Gigi. What’s this about you hiring Daniel Quindlin to remodel the inn?”

Kate spat out his name as if it might leave a bad taste in her mouth. Regret tugged at Elle’s heart. She should have told her sister.

Zelda set her folder on the table and then checked her posture. “And why is that a problem?”

Kate glared at their mother. “Are you kidding?” She turned to Elle. “She’s kidding, right? Because any mother who would hire the guy who wrecked her own daughter’s wedding would be—”

“Elle knows that we hired Daniel. In fact, Elle seems to not only be fine with it, but she seems to have made her peace with Daniel. Kate, you can’t live in the past. If you do, you’ll end up being old and bitter.”

“Who’s old and bitter?” Gigi entered the kitchen holding several brown paper bags, which she set on the table. “I hope you’re not talking about me.”

“No, we’re talking about Kate,” Zelda said.

Gigi fisted her hands on her hips. “Why do you think Kate is old and bitter? She’s young and fabulous.”

“Because she’s still holding a grudge against Daniel Quindlin.” Zelda said.

“Kate, honey, why are you bitter about Daniel Quindlin? I thought you dated his brother. Oh, and say, did you hear that Aidan’s in the hospital? He was in quite a nasty crash. You should go see him.”

“Yes, Gigi, I heard about Aidan. I’m very sorry that happened. But that aside, how could you do this to Elle? Hiring Daniel Quindlin, of all people. Elle is brokenhearted over this.”

Enough was enough.

“I’m not brokenhearted. I think I’m falling in love with Daniel Quindlin,” Elle announced, surprising herself for flying right past friendship and dating and landing on the L-word.

Three pairs of eyes gaped at her and three mouths fell wide open.

“What the hell?” Kate was the first to respond. She looked seriously affronted.

“Oh, my.” Zelda drawled, confusion clouding her pretty green eyes.

“I knew it,” Gigi celebrated, clapping her hands as if her team had won the World Series.

But Daniel didn’t know it, and neither had Elle, until she’d blurted it like the words had been caged inside her and had clawed their way out.

“Well, I mean we’re seeing each other,” Elle amended.

“Since when?” Kate demanded.

“Since last week.”

One week. Elle realized how ridiculous it must seem. She’d spent years detesting this man and after spending a week with him, she thought she was falling in love?

“I don’t understand,” Kate said and busied herself putting together the sangria.