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along with your decision and kept your secret. But if you’ve
got feelings for Reese, if they’re serious feelings, then you’ve
got to make him understand.You have to show him how you
felt back then. You can’t give up and just quit trying.”
CYNTHIA THOMASON
183
Loretta smiled at Phil before speaking softly to her
daughter. “How strong are your feelings for Reese, honey?”
Abby sighed deeply, used her thumb to wipe moisture
from under her eyes, and admitted the truth. “They’re
pretty damn mind-blowing.”
Loretta smoothed her hand down Abby’s hair. “Then
Phil’s right. Go to Reese. Make that man open his eyes and
see you for the wonderful woman you are. When are you
going to meet up with him again?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe Saturday night, at the Christmas
boat parade. We’d talked about going together, but that
won’t happen now.”
Loretta smiled. “But you’ll see him there. He’s going
to be a judge this year. And if you need any of us to go
along with you to convince him…”
Abby gave her a small smile. “Heaven forbid.”
Huey cleared his throat. “Have we got this settled now?
Abby’s going to quit sitting around the house and take
action? Because I’ve got things to do.”
Phil looked at Loretta. She shrugged. “You want a beer,
Hugo?” Phil asked. “It’s early, but you’ve earned it.”
Huey’s eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth and shut
it again. When he answered, his voice was calm. “Sure.
Why not? You’re paying.”
In that moment, witnessing a small miracle, Abby
realized what she had to do. A risk was involved, but the
possible outcome was worth it. She was going to make
what would probably turn out to be one of the most impor-
tant phone calls of her life and Reese’s.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ABBY STAYED WITH HUEY at the dock until darkness had
fully settled over the island. Then, after congratulating him
on the sale of three paintings, she followed the trail of
Christmas lights on every building from Mallory Square
to the island’s Historic Seaport Harbor Walk.
She passed unique decorations that made her smile.
The statue beside a seashell store, a six-foot man com-
posed entirely of sponges, blinked with red and green
lights. Blue bulbs wound around a marlin above a local
seafood restaurant. Someone had set a Santa hat on the
metal sculpture of a seaman in the center of the harbor
entrance. A large anchor by his feet glowed with red tube
lights.
Weeks, maybe months, might pass before Abby man-
aged to shake off the melancholy she felt, but for now, it
was Christmas in Key West, and no place on earth quite
equaled it.
She found a few inches of space among the crowd
gathered along the rear patio of the Schooner Wharf Bar,
the official viewing site of the boat parade. The judges and
media people would be on the second-story deck alongside
the bar, where they could get the best look at the boats
floating by. Had plans gone as she’d anticipated, Abby
CYNTHIA THOMASON
185
would have been up there with the parade dignitaries. Now
she would have to be content with watching the pageantry
from sea level.
A master of ceremonies spoke through a PA system to
those gathered below. He announced the arrival of a beau-
tiful nineteenth-century, tall-masted sailing ship, one that
regularly took tourists on sunset cruises around the island.
Passengers and brightly lit animated figures waved to the
onlookers. Christmas carols played from onboard speakers.
Every mast was entwined with white lights. The MC read
a short history of the proud ship and acknowledged the
skilled captain at the wheel.
Abby stepped away from the throng long enough to
glance up at the deck over her head. She spotted Reese im-
mediately. Sitting next to a cameraman from a local news
show, he appeared deceptively relaxed in a ball cap and
island shirt. As the clipper ship pulled away, he wrote
something down—his evaluation, Abby assumed. Then he
peered over the water, waiting for the next entry to arrive.
Abby slipped into the crowd again, resuming her ano-
nymity. She ordered a glass of wine, spoke to a few people
she recognized, and watched the rest of the parade. She
stayed to the end and cheered along with everyone else
when the top three winners were announced.
Once the judges were thanked and details of next year’s [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]

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