“And it isn’t lost on me, Lucy, that both their relationships imploded not long after. Will took the divorce hardest, I think, and when he turned to Tiffany, she wasn’t the support he needed. And Jules, well, you know what happened with her and Peter. Jules and Will became closer than ever after that. I’m just grateful that they had each other. The bond between them … it’s special.”

Lucy felt her empathy for Will shining onto Jules, her anger dampening. She knew that Jules was close to her brother, and that she’d steered clear of love and relationships ever since the breakup with Peter. But this additional insight into how devastated Jules had been about their parents’ divorce—how devasted she and Will had been—made it a lot clearer why Jules would react so viscerally today. Not only was Jules incredibly protective of Will, on some level, she must have been worried about Lucy coming between them.

“Jules never really talked to us about any of this,” said Lucy. “I mean, she may have confided in Chloe, but she kept a fairly close hand. Even when we were travelling together, she never brought it up.”

“That sounds familiar. I tend to keep things inside too.” Steph gave a little snort of self-derision and her mouth flattened into a tight smile.

“And then here you are, Lucy. Beautiful, kind, an open book … Well, no wonder Will has feelings for you. You are such a breath of fresh air. And let’s just say that I haven’t seen my son so lit up inside for a very long time.” At that, Lucy’s tears threatened to reappear.

“So, how about you set all this aside for now? I’m sure that you and Jules will be fine, and it would be terrible if this ruined Christmas for you.” She paused, then added, “What do you think?”

What did she think? “Honestly, I have no idea what’s happening with Will, except that, until this morning, it made me happy.”

“Then just go with that. Live this day.”

So, according to Steph, Lucy, who loved all things straightforward, predictable, and fair, was going to have to take a leap of faith.

But Jules could be pretty stubborn, and if she really was worried that Lucy would come between her and her brother, then what would that mean for their friendship? Lucy would never be able to live with herself if she and Jules fell out over Will.

Steph was watching her expectantly. “I’ll try,” Lucy said. Steph’s mouth pulled into a taut smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Perhaps she was as dubious as Lucy was.

*

“This is brilliant!” Lucy exclaimed. It was hard to know where to look. The entire town of Breckenridge was like one giant ball of Christmassy wonder and being there amongst it all, Lucy’s worries about Jules receded into the background.

Will laughed beside her. “I knew you’d love it,” he said into her ear. The warmth of his breath sent a wave of shivers over her—the good kind.