The second beer had loosened Thom’s tongue. “She damn near knocked me off my feet when I first saw her.”

“Kristen?” Jonathan asked, sounding worried.

“No, Noelle.”´

“Really?” This appeared to please Noelle’s younger sister. “So you’re still stuck on her, after all these years.”

“Damned if I know,” Thom muttered. He did know but he wasn’t willing to admit it. “We decided it’s not going to work.”

“Why not?” Kristen sounded outraged.

“We met and talked this afternoon,” Thom informed them both.

Jonathan frowned. “I thought you met last night after the dance.”

“We did.”

“So you’ve talked twice in the past twenty-four hours.”

“Yeah, and like I said, we both realized there are too many complications.”

Kristen raised her hand for the bartender. “We need another round.”

“I think we’ve already done enough damage,” Jonathan protested.

“Coffee here,” she said, pointing at her fiancé. “Same as before over here.” She made a sweeping gesture that included Thom.

The bartender did as requested. As soon as the wine and beer arrived, Kristen turned to face Thom. “I thought you loved my sister.”

“I did once.” He was still working on his second beer.

“But not now?”

Thom didn’t want to answer her. Hell, the last time he’d admitted to loving Noelle he was just a kid. But he’d stood up to his parents and been willing to relinquish everything for Noelle. To say he’d loved her was an understatement. He’d been crazy about her.

“Well?” Kristen pressed. “Don’t you have an answer?”

“I do,” Thom said, picking up his beer. “I just don’t happen to like it.”

“What’s that mean?” Jonathan asked Kristen.

“I think it means he still has feelings for Noelle.” Then, as though she’d suddenly remembered, she said, “Hey! Her birthday’s on Christmas Day, you know.”

Like he needed a reminder. Not a Christmas passed that Thom forgot.

“She doesn’t feel the same way about me,” he murmured.

“Yeah, right,” Kristen said, exaggerating the words. It took only two beers for him to bare his soul—and it was all for nothing because Noelle didn’t love him anymore. It took only two beers to make him maudlin, he thought sourly.

“Yeah, right,” Kristen said again.

“It’s true,” Thom argued. “Did you ask her?”

“Did you?” Kristen asked.

NOELLE McDOWELL’S JOURNAL

December 22

Afternoon