“Easy for those of us lacking craft skills,” Shaye said, her tone admiring. “This is my first Christmas in town, and I’m enjoying every second.”

Reggie picked up her sandwich. “Yes, but how much of that is Wishing Tree and how much of it is being in love with Lawson?”

Shaye grinned. “It’s about fifty-fifty.”

“Young love,” Paisley said with a sigh. “I want me some of that.” She raised her glass. “To a rich, handsome man checking into the resort and sweeping me off my feet.”

“Oh, not that,” Dena said quickly. “If he checked into the resort, then he wouldn’t be local, so if he swept you off your feet, you’d be leaving.”

Paisley patted Dena’s hand. “But I would never not be your friend.”

“I like having you here. I’m already dealing with the fact that Reggie doesn’t live here anymore.” Dena looked at her sister. “You could move back, you know. You can do your job from anywhere.”

“I have a life in Seattle,” Reggie said, but her protest was mild. Truth was, she was enjoying her time back home. She’d missed the town and had stayed away too long.

Her own fault, she reminded herself. No one had been keeping her from returning. Jake hadn’t even been here anymore.

“Just think about it,” Dena said.

“So, what’s new with everyone?” Paisley asked. “My life is boring. I’m working impossible hours with holiday events up at the resort.”

Reggie surprised herself by blurting, “Jake asked me out.”

The small room went silent. Three heads turned in her direction. Paisley and Dena looked two parts surprised and one part annoyed, while Shaye was only curious.

“Jake the ex?”

“That’s the one,” Reggie said lightly.

“He asked you out?” Dena demanded. “You said no, right? You had to say no.”

Her fiercely protective tone had Reggie smiling. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I do. The man was a total jerk. There’s no excuse for what he did.”

Reggie ate a couple of chips. “There kind of is.”

She explained about Iona and how she’d unexpectedly appeared in Jake’s life the morning after their engagement party.

“He was an idiot,” she said. “He should have told me, and we should have talked. But he wasn’t deliberately cruel.”

“That’s a subtlety I can’t get behind,” Dena said flatly. “He had you, he claimed to love you and then he dumped you. There are no second chances after that.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Paisley said, picking up another sandwich half. “Jake’s not a bad guy. Until the dumping, I liked him. He was easy to work for. He was smart and very fair with the staff.”

Dena didn’t look convinced.

“Do you still love him?” Shaye asked quietly.

“No. I’m over him.”