Chapter 21

Josie took a deep breath, shoving her gloved hands deeper inside the pockets of her coat. She walked briskly down the sidewalk, enjoying the crisp winter air and the sight of snow dusting the charming streets of Blueberry Bay. It was dusk, and the Christmas lights that had been hung up all over the town were glowing gold and red and green. It was beautiful, and she felt her spirits lift with the magic of the season.

She was on her way to her second date with Wesley—well, her official second date. Their day of baking and eating dinner at her place had felt like a date too.

Her heart did a somersault as she thought about spending time with Wesley. She felt butterflies, but she was much less nervous and on-edge for this date than she'd been for their first one. Her nerves were much closer to excitement than anxiety.

I feel settled,she thought, smiling to herself as she picked up her pace, walking briskly against a rush of cold wind. Like I've got some kind of foundation to stand on now. Her smile turned to a grin as she remembered the kiss. I know how he feels about me. And he's already learned all of my secrets—all the things that I'm ashamed of. I've told him all of the parts of my past that I'd been trying to keep hidden, and now I know that even after hearing all that, he isn't going to run. I can feel free to really get to know him, and to really let him get to know me, without worrying that I'm going to scare him off. She exhaled on a happy sigh.

She turned around a corner and paused for a moment, lingering in front of a Christmas display in the window of a candy store. There were miniature houses and people nestled under a pretend snowy mountain sprinkled in pine trees. She gazed in delight at the small painted figures "ice skating" across a mirror, and at the tufts of cotton that made up the snow of the little village. It's so peaceful, she thought. So much care went into the making of it. As she kept gazing at it, she frowned a little. It looks perfect. I used to want that—a perfect life. But that's not possible. I'm not perfect, and there's no way to pretend that I am.

The wind picked up again, rousing her from her distraction. She glanced at her watch, realizing that she needed to hurry if she wasn't going to be late. Her mind continued to whir with thoughts as she kept walking. Wesley knows I'm not perfect. But he wants to spend more time with me anyway. I think that's so much more wonderful than him thinking that I'm without flaws. This way I don't have to hide my true self from him. I'm so glad I'm starting to break that old self-protective habit! Keeping myself hidden behind a mask wasn't really serving me. Wesley sees me clearly, and that feels amazing. Her smile grew as she walked. It's so much better being my real self and letting the people in my life see that. Then, when they stay, I know that they're accepting me for who I really am.

In another few minutes, she reached Blueberry Bay's small movie theater. It was charmingly decorated for Christmas with wreaths and red ribbons, and lights from the windows were spilling out onto the sidewalk.

Wesley was standing outside the front doors, and she smiled shyly when she saw him.

"Hey," he said, giving her a gentle hug. "How are you?"

"Great," she told him, noticing happily that his eyes were shining at her. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Even better now that you're here." He winked, and she felt herself blushing a little. "You want to go inside?"

"Yes, please! It's cold out here."

He held the door open for her as they stepped inside the warm movie theater. They stood in line for the concessions stand to get bowls of buttery popcorn and a packet of candy to split.

"Oh, I love the smell of popcorn." She inhaled the rich aroma and sighed. "I only went to see a movie once when I was a kid, and that smell—I associate it with having an adventure, I guess. I thought the movie theater was the most exciting thing."

He smiled at her warmly. "I'll take you to see a movie anytime you want. And this feels like an adventure to me too."

She grinned. "Maybe instead of this romantic comedy we should see the monster movie they're showing."

He shook his head. "Nope, too scary for me."

She chuckled, and they chatted about various things for a while until they reached the end of the line and ordered their snacks, along with a pair of root beers.

"How was the wedding shower?" he asked as they stepped away from the concessions stand, laden with treats.

"Great!" She smiled fondly over the memory. "It went really well. Everyone had a great time, and they loved Paige's cookies! We couldn't have done it without your help with the baking."

Their walking slowed down and they stood and faced each other.

"You're so welcome." His smile was warm, and his eyes were twinkling. "It was a bonding time for us all, wasn't it?"

She thought of their kiss and felt herself flushing. "Yes, it definitely was."

They made their way into the auditorium and found their seats. The chairs were comfortable and covered in a soft red velvet. Gold trimmings adorned the walls. I like this place, she thought. It feels old-fashioned. And grand but still cozy, somehow.

"We're so early we beat the previews." He laughed, his eyes on her face.

"Amazing," she said, grinning. "Now I just get to drink in the movie theater atmosphere." She took a deep breath and sighed happily.

"This isn't your second movie theater experience ever, is it?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Oh no. I went to a whole bunch of movies when I went to college. It was my favorite thing to do on the weekends."

He nodded. "Your way of tasting freedom."

Her eyebrows lifted and her heart started to beat faster when she heard his words. His perception was immensely attractive to her.

"I feel like no one has ever understood my messy past before," she said, looking into his eyes. "How hard it was to have a home life like that."

"I do understand," he said, touching her arm for a moment reassuringly. "My home life growing up was also troubled. My mom is great, but my dad abandoned us when I was a kid. That was hard."

"Oh, Wesley, I'm so sorry." Her heart was beating faster with sympathy for him.

He nodded. "We talk sometimes now. We reconciled after I became an adult—he'd found out how to contact me and reached out. For a while, I resisted the idea of forgiving him, but I'm glad that I did. Reconciliation was a long road but a rewarding one."

She listened intently, keeping her eyes on him. When he paused and turned to her with a brave smile, she reached out and took his hand.

"We have more in common than I knew," she said softly. "I'm so glad our paths crossed."

"I am too." He squeezed her hand and gazed into her eyes, his next words quiet. "I feel like us meeting could be one of those moments that you look back on and realize that it's changed your life."

Her heart began to race. "I feel the same way."

For a moment, neither of them said anything. They looked into each other's eyes, and she treasured the feeling of his hand holding tightly onto hers.

The previews began, and they settled back in their seats to watch and make sassy comments. As the movie started, he wrapped an arm around her and she leaned against him, smiling and feeling a kind of happiness that she'd never felt before.