Christmas On Anchor Island: An Anchor Island Novel by Terri Osburn

Author:Terri Osburn [Osburn, Terri]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Macie Rae Publishing
Published: 2021-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

“She said all of that, and you didn’t say anything back?” Lauren asked as she continued to break down a chicken. “Are you kidding me?”

Mia leaned on the stainless steel counter, attempting to stay out of the way as the Pilar kitchen staff prepped for evening service. “What was I supposed to say? I walked into Hava Java thinking I was going to get a coffee and consult on some book covers. I was completely unprepared.”

She tossed a drumstick into a steel bowl. “You knew that meetup wasn’t about covers, and you were supposed to say you want all of those things, too.”

If only those words had come. A voice in her head had screamed tell her! while her heart had done a happy dance in her chest. But wanting all the same things didn’t mean she could have them. Or that she’d even know what to do if she could. Locking that part of herself away came with more consequences than living in fear of being found out. Mia had virtually no relationship experience. She’d buried her sexuality so deep for so long that she sometimes felt as if she had no feelings at all.

Until Henri entered a room, and then a fire ignited in her gut that scared Mia half to death. Like putting her hand into a flame, her reaction was to pull away.

“I can’t do that. It isn’t fair to her.”

Lauren rolled her eyes hard enough to pull a muscle. “You think what you’ve been doing is fair? It isn’t. Not to you or to her. This isn’t the first time Henri has told you how she feels. The fact that she’s willing to settle for friendship just to spend time with you proves how much she cares. Tell her you feel the same way already.”

It wasn’t that easy. “And then what?” Mia asked. “She’s leaving after New Year’s, and I’m stuck here.”

The knife froze as blue eyes met hers. “Is that how you feel? Like you’re stuck here?”

Guilt washed over her. “No, of course not. I love this island and being here with Grandma.”

Lauren set the knife down and tugged off her latex gloves before stepping around the prep station. “Tell me the truth. Do you feel stuck?”

“Only sometimes,” she admitted. “I always wanted to travel and see other places, but I have plenty of time to do that after…” Her words trailed off.

“After Nota dies?”

An awful thought. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

Taking her hands, Lauren said, “Listen to me, Mia. You’re young and you deserve to have a life. Other than a little arthritis and terrible driving skills, there’s nothing wrong with Nota that requires a constant caretaker. She has Nick and me and Olaf, and countless other people on this island to take care of her. If there’s something out there you want do, then you need to go do it.”

Vigorously shaking her head, Mia rejected any notion of leaving Anchor Island. “I won’t leave her. She lost Grandpa, and then she lost Daddy.

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