Mistletoe in Paradise by Jill Shalvis

Author:Jill Shalvis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avon
Published: 2020-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

James stood at the water’s edge looking out at . . . nothing. Normally just the soothing sound of the waves lapping at the shore would lower his heart rate and blood pressure, but not this time. His heart was pounding in his ears, the blood rushing through his veins. Because of Jason, yes. But also for Hannah. Here he’d always believed she’d misunderstood him, but he’d been the one to misunderstand her.

She came up at his side, her bare feet sinking into the wet sand, her loose brunette waves blowing around her face.

“I had no idea,” he said quietly. “No idea what you actually did, what your job entailed. It’s . . . incredible.” He reached for her hand, turning her to face him. “You’re incredible.” When her eyes went shiny, he pulled her closer. “I’ve always thought that, Hannah, with or without your job, but even more so now. You’re changing lives, making sure that some people get to live a healthier, longer life than they would’ve otherwise.”

She nodded and gave him a small smile, which he helplessly returned. “So I guess you were hoping to hand-deliver a pretty big Christmas present to the girl’s family this week,” he said. “Instead your boss gets to.”

“Assuming we win. Only, as you know, that’s never a given.” She paused, as if searching for the right words. “It’s always great when I get to see the looks on their faces, but in the end, it doesn’t matter who delivers the news. All that matters is that the patient gets what they need.”

He shook his head, still marveling at her. “How did you end up with a job like that? Your degree was in business. You started out at a bank, right?”

“I did.” She met his gaze. “But after watching what your family suffered and struggled through with Jason’s health, I knew I wanted to do something else. I kept the bank job while I looked around. It took me a couple of years, but when the position for health care advocate at my local hospital opened up, I applied.”

He felt overwhelmed by her revelation. That last Christmas they’d spent together had been only a few months after Jason had died. He’d been messed up and hard on everyone, especially Hannah. He didn’t like to look back on that time because it made him feel like there was an elephant sitting on his chest, but memories were coming in fast and hot now.

He’d been so caught up in his own grief and issues that he’d overlooked that she, too, had loved and lost Jason. Her parents were split up by then, and all of this had hit her hard as well, but none of it had stopped her. While he’d been running from continent to continent and then building his business, not dealing with his grief, Hannah had chosen to make a difference by working with families just like his every day.

So really, who had let whom down? “Hannah—”

“Look.” She pointed out at the water, where they could see The Therapist setting anchor.

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