The sun peeks above the horizon early on Christmas Eve, birds tweeting in the distance. I’m not sure if they have their seasons confused since it’s the end of December and still, they perch on bare branches here in Cringle Cove. I want to shout to them, to tell them they missed the memo that all of their pals headed south instead of sticking around for the deep freeze.

Or maybe, like me, they have unfinished business here in town. I may not have accepted Tessa’s job offer, but when she asked me to start prepping for the expected crowd tonight at Feedn Time, I jumped at the chance. Anything to keep my mind occupied and off of Jack Hartley. I trudge through the sleet-covered sidewalk until I reach the front door of the storefront. I stick my key in the lock and twist the knob, the familiar jingle of the overhead bell welcoming me to a day filled with anticipation for the holiday rush.

I shrug off my coat and stick it on a hook in the office, along with my handbag. The produce has already been stocked and the refrigerators are full. Time to start preparing for the evening festivities. Actually, the prep could have waited a couple of hours when the other volunteers are scheduled to arrive, but since I wasn’t able to catch so much as a wink of sleep last night, I figured I’d get a head start. Anything to keep my mind off Jack.

I connect my phone to the Bluetooth speaker and scroll through my Christmas playlist to find Mariah Carey’s Christmas album. It’s one of my favorites, and I listen to it every year on repeat. Jack bought me the CD a million years ago, but I can’t bear to let go of Mariah the way I had to let go of everything else that was ever associated with him.

“Argh!” I groan, clutching the sides of my head. I need to focus on something other than my failed relationship, but the irony is just too much for me. I finally come back here after I can’t even remember how long, and Jack, of all people, shows up? To invest in my parents’ company, no less?

What a freaking holly jolly Christmas this is going to be. Dad couldn’t talk about anything else last night, and despite Mom and Tessa’s efforts, he won’t budge an inch. Stubborn as a mule. Always has been. He’ll never sign on the dotted line, even though it would be in the company’s best interests. I hate to say it, but it’s the truth. I did some research last night and found Jack’s name tied to a ton of small companies that became household names practically overnight after he worked his marketing magic.

But Dad…he’s loyal to a fault. He’d do anything to protect me, even if it means sacrificing the future of his beloved company.

As pissed off as I am at Jack and Tessa, I can’t let him make that mistake. I know what’s best for Feedn Time even if he refuses to acknowledge it. That’s part of the reason why I tossed and turned all night long.

I finally figured out how to get the closure that’s evaded me for so long. It’s why I’m here. And it’s why Jack ended up here with me.

Dad has to accept Jack as a partner. And it’s my job to make that happen. He won’t be easy to convince, but that’s what it’s going to take to put this chapter of my life behind me for good. I need to bring them together to do the good I know Feedn Time can do on a grand scale.

And what better time to start than at Christmas?

Of course, I need to figure out how to pave the way for this partnership, but I know my dad. He’s a reasonable man. When he wants to be. I just hope he didn’t run Jack and his partner Ian out of town yesterday.

I find an apron and tie it around the back, grabbing some vegetables from one of the refrigerators. I pull a large knife from the butcher block and start dicing onions.

I sway to the holiday tune, sniffling and wiping my eyes with my sleeve. God, I hate onions. I should have left this chopping to the volunteers.

There’s a brief second of silence between songs and a loud jingle pierces the still air, making me jump. I gasp and clutch the knife in my hand. It’s only six o’clock in the morning, so who the hell would be here at this ungodly hour? And why didn’t I lock the damn door behind me?

I dart my head around the kitchen prep area, but there really aren’t any places to hide, not unless I make a run for it and lock myself in the office.

Footsteps. And they’re getting louder. Panic grips me tightly as I grasp the knife, not that I know what I’m going to do with it. Chopping onions is a little different than slicing into a living, breathing human.

“Hello?”

The knife clatters on the chopping block, and I let out a yelp.

Jack’s lips curl into a smile as he saunters into the kitchen. “I thought I’d find you here.”

“What the hell are you doing, sneaking up on me like that?” I lean down and grab the knife. “I was about to fillet you!”

He cocks an eyebrow and holds out a cup of coffee. “Wow, how’s that for holiday spirit? I thought listening to Mariah made you all happy and chill.”

“Yeah, well, that was a long time ago,” I mumble, sliding the stray pieces of onion into a large pile. “You still didn’t tell me why you’re here. We don’t open for hours, and the place isn’t exactly in any shape to be inspected by potential investors.” I take the cup and blow on it before sipping it. Mmm. Coconut Crème Coffee-mate. He remembered. My heart does a little gallop as the warm liquid heats my insides. Okay, maybe it’s not just the coffee doing that…

“I didn’t come here to inspect. I came here to volunteer.”

I furrow my brow. “Why?”

“Because it’s important to you. And to the company,” he quickly adds, looking around at the mess of produce waiting to be sliced, chopped, and diced. “So what can I do?”

This is so surreal. I never in a million years would have believed that I’d be standing in the back of Feedn Time with Jack Hartley preparing Christmas dinner, or that he’d be looking to invest in my parents’ company. Or that he’d ever return to my life at all.

But he’s here. And for some reason, he wants to be part of what they’ve created. And judging from the size of the crowd we’re expecting, I need all the willing and able hands I can get.

I nod at the knife block. “Just pick one and start cutting. There are big bowls for each vegetable on the counter behind you. I’ll get the turkeys into the ovens.”

“For Christmas Eve?”

“Well, turkeys feed a lot of people and then I can use leftovers for soup and sandwiches.” I smile. “These people are just grateful for the promise of a full belly. They don’t care about traditional holiday fare, you know?”

Chop, chop, chop.

Dice, dice, dice.

I smile to myself, watching Jack out of the corner of my eye. He’s so focused on perfecting every slice, and my heart jumps at the careful way he’s working the knife. Unfortunately, if he keeps up that pace, we’ll never have the prep done in time.

“It doesn’t have to be pretty. Just edible.” I giggle, unwrapping the twenty-pound turkeys from their plastic wrappings.

He grins at me. “This really isn’t my thing. I’m more of an order-in kind of guy.”

I rub butter over the turkeys and place them into roasting pans while the ovens preheat. “I don’t really have much time to cook for myself these days, but I always loved doing it at the holidays. This kind of brings me back.”

“I remember,” he muses, chopping a little bit faster. “Check this out. I’m really moving now.”

I slide the pans into the ovens lining the back wall. “Yes, you pick up fast, Hartley. I think you’ll make a fabulous addition to the kitchen crew.” I clear my throat. “Um, you know, if that fits into your schedule. I’m sure you guys have a lot of work to do, so don’t feel obligated to stay. I’m just glad you got to see the place at all.”

The chopping stops. “I’m here for the long haul, Cam. This is what’s on my schedule.”

“Oh,” I whisper, biting my lower lip. God, the things I want to do to this man right now, right here in the kitchen. I must be really sleep deprived for even considering them after everything I told him yesterday. A little show of philanthropy and I forget everything? Or maybe it’s just the familiar comfort of being around him, Mariah’s soulful voice, and the excitement over the upcoming festivities that makes my knees wobble.

I twist my ponytail, my eyes widening in horror. Jeez, I don’t even think I put on any makeup this morning. I could barely open my eyes after such a horrendous night, and I figured I’d make myself look slightly more human after all of the prep was complete.

Jack looks up at me, that long-forgotten glint in his eyes now making my heart race like a thoroughbred. “Why isn’t your name on the founder list for Feedn Time? This place was inspired by your work and passion. It should be your baby. But I can’t find anything that shows you have involvement with the company at all.”

I swallow hard. “The truth?”

He sets down the knife and nods. “Yeah.”

“I came back a couple of times after I started at Stanford. But it was too hard to be here, doing the same things without you. For years, I thought I knew where my life was going, and you were supposed to be in it. Then, you weren’t, and I was left here alone.” I shrug. “It hurt. A lot. And yeah, I know my parents set this up for me, but it was just too hard when this entire town reminds me of you. Of us. There were too many memories here. And no place to escape from them.”

“I’m so sorry, Cam,” he says softly, lowering his eyes to the chopping block. “I wish I could go back and change things…so many things. It makes me feel like complete shit, Cam, knowing what I did, walking away from you and from your family without so much as a goodbye. Your parents welcomed me, treated me like their own son, and when I hurt you, it must have killed them. I betrayed their trust and yours. I should have done a lot of things differently, and believe me, I regret my mistakes.” He grabs a bunch of carrots and drops them onto the block. “I know I hurt you, but I couldn’t hold you back, either. Whether or not you were with Prentice, you needed to live your own life.” He slams the knife down on the bright green carrot tops, severing them from the vegetable. “You deserved better,” he mutters, chopping intently.

“I already had the best,” I whisper, forcing my lips into a small smile.

He places the knife down and leans against the counter. “I didn’t realize how much damage my past had done to me, Cam. It really screwed with my head, more than I could have ever imagined. You know, when Tessa told me about you and Prentice, I was so jealous. He was exactly the type of guy you needed. His family was just like yours. He was a good guy and didn’t have any skeletons to hide. He’d have known exactly how to treat you and he’d have never let you go. He wasn’t as fucked in the head as I was.”

I walk around the counter, inching closer to Jack. “Drew is a good guy, but he’s not the one I needed. Or wanted, for that matter.”

“I really messed up, Cam,” he murmurs. “I don’t expect anything from you, but I want you to know I miss you every day.”

“Even when you thought I cheated on you?”

“Even then.” He snickers. “Yeah, I was pissed off for a long time, but I still missed you. It was hard to stay mad when I knew I hadn’t been completely honest with you in the first place.” He dips his head, his bitable lips so very close to mine. Every nerve in my body is on high alert, almost as if no time has passed. No words are spoken, only soft breaths exchanged in the space between us. “You were the best thing in my life.”

“You were the best thing in mine, too.” I gaze up at him, the familiar feeling of drowning in the depths of his green eyes consumes me. I could let myself drift away in him so easily. But then what? We’ve both started new lives, complete with careers, homes, and future plans. How do you go backward? Is it even possible?

The front door opens, and I yelp, jumping away from him. “That must be the first volunteer crew. I have to coach them through some things.”

His expression clouds over and he nods. “Sure. I’ll just get back to my chopping.”

I jog out of the kitchen to greet my volunteers for Christmas Eve dinner. In the weeks leading up to my visit, Tessa had recruited a number of people from nearby towns to come to Cringle Cove and help prepare a massive holiday feast for anyone who needed a warm meal and some holiday cheer during a difficult time in their life. I’d always dreamed of a time when I could really give back to my community, when I was established enough to provide for those who couldn’t do for themselves. And thankfully, there were plenty of people who felt the same way and were looking for an opportunity to do just that.

It looks like this Christmas we’ll have a celebration to rival the one in the Town Square.

As I walk the volunteers through the kitchen and show them around, my breath catches. Jack is still chopping, but his eyes stray from the vegetables, meeting mine. Words evade me for the briefest of seconds, but I can still feel his heated gaze on me as I move the volunteers through each prep station.

He can still render me speechless, even after all this time. There hasn’t been a single man who’s had that kind of power over me, one whose seductive smile can make me melt into a puddle of goo, one whose voice washes over me like the most soothing of waves, one whose touch could ignite every cell in my body with a passion that’s been buried for far too long.

Nope, I hadn’t found anyone who could stir up feelings even remotely resembling what Jack had been able to do to me in the past…and what he’s demonstrated he can easily do now.

It’s like no time has passed, but everything has changed.

I busy myself with buttering the rest of the turkeys and safely tucking them into the ovens. All around me, people are chatting and singing along with the Christmas tunes blaring from my speaker. I keep sneaking glimpses of Jack and the three young female volunteers who keep cozying up to him. High schoolers probably looking for school service credit. Damn green-eyed monster is battling me hard right now. I make a mental note to pull down all mistletoe from the doorways.

Within two hours, we have pots filled with stuffing, soups, side dishes, and the scent of roasting turkey fills the air. Pies are being filled, breads are being baked. I pull off my plastic gloves and walk into the office, grabbing my cold cup of coffee. Still delicious. Or maybe I’m just too delirious to notice. I watch the volunteers bustle around the kitchen and sip my now-cold brew. My parents made this happen. They gave me this incredible gift, hoping that I’d accept it and finally come home.

I didn’t have the heart to tell them I couldn’t leave California.

But that was before.

Things are different now.

You can’t turn back time, but you can move forward.

I close my eyes and lean my head back, a smile on my face. I still don’t know exactly what my future holds, but I refuse to sacrifice my happiness for another second.

I was meant to come home. I found my closure. And I uncovered my purpose.

Whatever the future holds, I know I’ll be ready for it.