It didn’t matter that she wanted more. When the magic of Christmas was packed away, she’d put her love for him up on a high shelf, as well. It would stay in the dark gathering dust until she forgot how much it meant in this moment. Until she could ignore the rest.

She swallowed hard and pasted a smile on her face. No point in even responding to his comment, not when trying to make a witty comment might reveal too much. It was easier to ignore the inevitable. “The one bonus is that my mom is so mad at me for telling Andrew about the dog before checking with her that she hasn’t mentioned the Wildflower Inn or the changes I made to the Il Rigatone menu once in the past twenty-four hours.”

“Small favors,” he said gruffly. Something in his tone gave her pause. Had he expected her to respond in a different way? Gabe didn’t seem like the type of guy who’d take pleasure in a woman pining after him for no reason. He was too honorable. Maybe he finally realized she truly was a big heaping holiday mess. But the new year was coming, and Angi was going to make some changes, even if the things she wanted most were out of her control.

“And I put in an application to rent a small house a few blocks from the elementary school. Meredith told me about it. She’s friends with the owner, and it’s pet friendly.”

“Then let’s go meet your new dog.”

She got out of the truck, flexing her fingers which were still cold despite the temperate weather. Normally it hovered in the low fifties during December in Magnolia, but this week had been unseasonably warm. At first, Angi had worried that people wouldn’t continue to come to events downtown. She’d only spent a couple of winters in New York, but bundling up and braving snow and ice had been a December tradition she’d quickly grown to enjoy.

Christmas on the Coast felt different, but instead of shoppers and visitors shying away, the warm weather brought out the crowds in droves. Avery had called yesterday to report that they’d sold out of tickets to the dance. The event would be full capacity, a mix of locals and visitors from neighboring towns.

Angi knew from Emma that the inn was booked through the new year, and Angi had made enough profit on the events she’d catered so far this month to have plenty to give Andrew a magical Christmas morning plus pay the deposit on a new place.

So maybe things weren’t as dire for her future as they seemed.

“Mom, can we get a goat when we move?”

She gawked as Andrew ran up to her, his eyes shining and his cheeks flushed with excitement. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I’d take care of it. Come on, Mom. Please.”

Okay, maybe not dire. Still, she was hanging by a thin thread because all she wanted was to let out a scream, turn and walk to the beach, only a couple of blocks from Meredith’s property, and hurl herself into the pounding winter surf. Was it possible the waves could wash away some of the stress she couldn’t manage to let go of on her own?