It was still early, and I knew we’d spend this whole day in bed. Most of it anyway. We’d have to eat eventually. And the strains of her melody sang through my head. I knew how to finish the piece now, though the ending wouldn’t be an ending at all. It would lead to another piece. I’d want to play it for her. I didn’t need to rush to the piano to get it down, though. It would endure like us. It was forever, too.
“Micha?” she whispered, stirring.
“I’m right here.”
She hummed into my chest. “Are you okay? You seemed lost in your head.”
“Absolutely perfect. New song coming together.” I tapped my temple. “But I’m ready for more of your candy kisses before doing anything else.”
Jessica giggled and looked up at me. “Come and get it then.”
I leaned in. “Always.”
Epilogue One
Jessica
Two Weeks Later…
“You okay, hon?” I asked, tilting my head to catch the eyes of Katie, one of the shop’s parttime employees, a college student at Falls University, about a half mile from here. The girl, who was a few years younger than me, looked miserable.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, her eyes sliding to where a group of a few guys and some other girls sat around one of the small tables in the shop. Judging from the builds of the guys and the jerseys they wore, I had to guess they were hockey players.
“You know them?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she practically growled, spinning away to grab a broom.
Okay, there was something going on there, and she didn’t want to talk about it. Still, she practically seethed as she watched the group from the corner of her eye, and when one of the girls put her hand on the arm of one guy, Katie’s knuckles went so white I thought she’d snap the broom handle.
“Hey,” I said, coming up beside her. “We need to get the strawberries dipped tonight, because we have extra work to do in the morning. How about you head into the back and do a few trays for me?”
She glanced at the group again. “Sure.”
I noticed the guy, who seemed to have brought out my employee’s reaction, watching her retreat, his jaw clenched. Interesting.
“We’re closing in ten minutes,” I called to the group before I started wiping the counters. I was anxious to be done for the night. Micha would be picking me up from the shop soon, and after a quick change at his place—soon to beourplace, he assured me—we were heading over to the town center for the Christmas Market and caroling.
Caleb and Melody would be joining us, and I was excited to spend more time with them. We’d seen them regularly over the past weeks, and Melody was quickly becoming a good friend.
“Tell Katie I’ll be waiting for her outside so I can walk her home,” the guy she’d been watching told me.
“And you are?”
“She’ll know.”
“Well, I don’t,” I said, eyeing him and his jersey that said JAMES.
“I’m Ruger James. Her brother’s friend.”
I nodded, barely stopping myself from laughing at that dynamic. Brother’s best friend, huh? I had to wonder about how that was going for these two. Not well, I’d guess.
Micha pushed through the doors just asI’mRugar Jamesher totally off-limits crushwalked out. Okay, he hadn’t said that, but he might as well have.
“Hey, babe,” Micha said. “Almost ready?”
My gaze ran over his green and red sweater with a giant moose in a Christmas scarf on the front. “Almost. Nice sweater.”
“Don’t be jealous. Yours is at home. Do you need any help?”
