Page 69 of Postmarked December

“I don’t want to get too excited, but I’ve never seen him this pensive about anything else.”

“Toby and I wanted kids one day. We put it off so he could get a foothold in the industry, and before we could even blink, it was too late.” She sank into the water until the petals were floating around her chin. “The book comes out tomorrow. Nick was pretty convincing—he had me fooled. Will he fool everyone else too? What if he sensationalizes everything?”

“Well, you have two choices: One, you can ignore it and let people think whatever is in that book is true. Or two, you can do a couple of interviews to set the record straight. At the end of the day, the truth is with you, and deep down, everyone will know that.”

Marion’s words sank in. She was right again. When everything was said and done, that book didn’t matter to all the readers as deeply as it did to her, and while many copies would be purchased and read, the information in it would eventually become old news, and no one would care anymore.

“I still don’t understand why Nick sent the letters as if he were Toby if he wasn’t trying to get information from me. What if he’s doing some kind of follow-up project, and he wants more material?” She sat up. “He did say he’d tell me everything tomorrow. I’m going to force him to explain that.”

“Maybe you should unblock him,” Marion suggested.

Heather thought back to the way his laugh had made her feel when they’d first met, the anguish on his face as she’d driven away, and the roses he’d sent yesterday. Her time with him flashed in front of her like a slideshow.

“Everything inside me wants the guy I first met on that plane. I fell for him right away, when I never thought I could love anyone again after Toby. Nick was able to derail me with his charm, and I can’t forgive him for that. I also don’t trust that he won’t break my heart over and over again if I let him.”

Marion frowned. “Yeah.”

“I will need to unblock him, though, if I want to find out the whole story tomorrow.”

When Heather got home, still channeling her inner calm, she turned on her Christmas tree, lit a few candles, got her fluffiest blanket, and curled up on the sofa. The roses taunted her from the table across the room.

She picked up her phone and brought up her settings, then scrolled down to Blocked Contacts. Staring at the screen, a mixture of fear and longing overtook her. She was scared to let Nick call her. And if she were being truthful to herself, as she’d told Marion, she could probably still fall for his charm. His dishonesty had rocked her. Maybe that was why Toby had avoided the press. Had he known something she’d only just learned?

Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve, and then she’d click over into next year. What would the New Year bring for her? She couldn’t shake the fact that even with the situation with Nick, the notes had been good for her. She’d enjoyed getting the wine, spending time with Marion on the hunt, shopping in bookshops, and spending time at the cabin.

If Nick had been behind everything, he had cleaned the cabin, decorated it for Christmas, and stocked it with all the food. Why? What was he planning next? Her mind went reluctantly to the worry that he’d installed cameras or recorders. What information had he gotten while she was there? She wanted answers. Would she ever get them?

She got up and paced. Her gaze landed on her journal sitting on the desk. Nick had taken everything from her, but she decided that, starting now, he couldn’t take away her conversation with Toby. She wanted to talk to Toby, and this journal—whether based in truth or not—had been her lifeline to him. On a clean page, she wrote:

Dear Toby,

Tomorrow’s going to bring some pretty big changes. I have no idea how it will go, but I’m going to do my best to manage it. Just know that while I may or may not handle things well, I’m always trying to honor you with my choices.

I love you.

She closed the journal and set it back on the desk. Could he see everything that was going on? Had he been shouting into the void, trying to warn her? She’d never know. But maybe she could at least get a little closer to Nick’s motives tomorrow. And maybe—just maybe—get some real answers.

She unblocked his number.

Chapter Thirty

Heather’s phone was ringing off the hook in the living room before she’d even opened her eyes. She got up and yawned, walking into the room to see who was calling.

Nick.

“Hello?” she answered.

“You unblocked me!” Nick’s euphoric voice came through.

How many times had he tried to call her? Did he have some kind of unblocking radar? It hadn’t even been one night.

“It’s conditional,” she said, rubbing her eyes. “Tell me everything. You promised.”

“I can’t yet.”

“What? Why? It’s December 31st. I thought that’s why you were calling.”

“Did you get the flowers?” His voice was soft, thoughtful.