Chapter 20

20

FELICITY

F elicity's breath formed misty puffs of white in the crisp Christmas Valley night, each exhale a visible reminder of the time slipping through her fingers like the melting snowflakes on her knitted gloves. She stood in the town square, her gaze fixed on the towering clock that had become both her sentinel and tormentor. Its ticking, once lost amidst the festive laughter of carolers, now resonated within her, louder with each passing day.

"Tick, tock," she whispered, the words escaping her lips as though they could slow the relentless march of the minute hand. "Just like in those suspense novels where the bomb's about to go off."

The clock tower loomed, a silent, brooding observer of her internal struggle. It was a grand old thing, ornate hands inching forward against a backdrop of stars, commanding the nighttime sky. But to Felicity, it felt more like a countdown—a measure of the dwindling moments left in a world she'd grown to cherish, a presage to the inevitable farewell she wasn't sure she could bear.

"Time is heartless, isn't it?" she muttered, her fingers tracing the outline of a snowflake against the lamppost, watching as it disappeared—transient and beautiful. Her breath hitched, a quiet sob of realization that everything she loved here was as fragile as ice under the midday sun.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere warmer, Felicity?" The concern in the voice matched the warmth of the hand that suddenly covered hers, stilling its motion.

She turned, her eyes locking onto the grinning face of her friend Ivy. Felicity watched her, her gaze tinged with understanding that only came from years of reading people between the lines of their favorite stories.

"Perhaps," she admitted, reluctant to confess the gravity of her pensive vigil. "But I'm afraid... not just of leaving, but of what I'll leave behind."

"Ah, the classic dilemma of the protagonist at the crossroads," Ivy said, offering a concerned smile. She rippled her fingertips one against the other. "The plot thickens, and the reader wonders which path she will choose."

"Except I'm no character in a novel, Ivy. My choices are real, and they have consequences," she replied, her voice laced with a melancholy that mirrored the dwindling light in the streetlamps above.

"Of course, they do. But remember, every good story requires a leap of faith. And sometimes, the most extraordinary tales are born from the most ordinary moments." Ivy gave her a quick hug. “I was just giving you a hard time,” she said, leaving her with a parting nod that seemed to offer empathy and encouragement.

As the clock chimed, marking the late hour, Felicity felt the urgency of her decision press against her chest, a physical ache that mirrored the emotional tumult churning inside her. The shops around her were closed, their windows dark and their joyous decorations seeming to mock her with their cheer.

"Tick, tock," the clock called out again, and Felicity shivered—not from the cold, but from the foreboding sense that every tick was a step away from this magical place, every tock a step back toward a reality she no longer wanted.

"Choices," she breathed into the night, a plea for clarity to the stars above. "Why must they be so hard?"

With a last glance at the clock—an anchor in a sea of uncertainty—she wrapped her arms around herself, seeking solace in the thought that perhaps the right choice would reveal itself before the final chime echoed across Christmas Valley.

Felicity wandered through the whispering pines that bordered Christmas Valley, her breath visible in the crisp night air. The scent of pine needles mingled with the earthy aroma of frostbitten soil, grounding her as she grappled with the decision that loomed over her like a specter. The mysterious clock in the town square had become not just a keeper of time but a herald of her dwindling moments in this enchanting place.

The deadline for her choice was intertwined with Jace’s own reckoning—the note that could strip him of the Northwind Lodge unless paid in full. Her mind danced with possibilities, with the power that lay dormant in her hands. If she left now, returned to her reality, she could rewrite their fates, save the lodge, Jace, and perhaps even the town from financial ruin. She could be the architect of their salvation.

A soft sigh escaped her lips, each exhalation forming a cloud that mingled with the night's essence. The thought of rewriting the book was seductive, but it came at a cost that she wasn’t sure she could pay—a life devoid of Jace's presence.

Images of him flooded her senses; the way his eyes sparkled like emerald flames when he laughed, the warmth that radiated from his flannel-clad chest, the rugged charm that made her heart race. His voice, rich and confident, seemed to echo through the trees, whispering promises of adventure and solace in an embrace she feared might soon slip away.

Her footsteps slowed, and she wrapped her arms tighter around herself, seeking comfort in the imagined hold Jace might offer. The idea of leaving him behind, of severing the invisible thread that had woven itself between them, was daunting. It felt like contemplating a plunge into frigid waters, knowing the cold would seep into her bones, leaving a chill that would rob her of her breath and the life she had come to want more than anything.

"Jace," she whispered, the name a talisman against the encroaching despair. The man who had sought escape in Christmas Valley now personified everything she yearned to cling to—passion, connection, a shared vulnerability that had brought them closer than she'd ever anticipated.

Could she truly leave behind the bond that had grown between them, as natural as the pines reaching skyward? But if staying meant watching his dreams, and that of the others in the village, crumble, could she live with the guilt?

Felicity stood still amid the trees, the looming decision pressing close, as though the forest itself held its breath. In the distance, the first flakes of an oncoming snowstorm began their silent descent, painting the world in shades of white and gray—a blank canvas upon which their story might yet be rewritten.

The following day, Felicity's fingers traced the delicate spines of books as she wandered the aisles of Ivy's quaint bookstore, her gaze distant. Each title seemed to whisper promises of escapism, but none could ease the restless turmoil that churned within her. The enchanting allure of the snow-dusted streets outside had dimmed, and now, the once-charming jingle of sleigh bells sounded more like a dirge for her departing days in this wintry haven.

She paused by a window, watching the townsfolk go about their day, laughter and light chatter floating up to her perch. But the merriment failed to pierce the veil of melancholy that shrouded her heart. She was sleepwalking through these moments, detached from the joy that once sparked at every corner of this magical place.

"Lost in thought again, Felicity?" Ivy's gentle voice pulled her back to the present, the bookstore owner’s knowing eyes reflecting concern.

"Is it that obvious?" Felicity attempted a smile, but it faltered, betraying the enormity of the decision that hung over her head.

"Your heart seems miles away," Ivy said, pulling a book from the shelf and offering it to Felicity. "This one always brings me comfort."

‘Love's Eternal Embrace,’ Felicity read aloud, her fingers brushing the embossed cover. The story of two lovers separated by time and circumstance, only to find each other again against all odds.

"Sometimes," Ivy began, her voice tinged with the wisdom that should have belonged to someone much older, "we must part with what we love most, trusting that if it's meant to be, it will return to us."

Felicity's eyes lifted from the pages to meet Ivy's gaze. The words resonated deep within her, echoing the very choice that clawed at her soul. Would leaving Jace now—and the Northwind Lodge—be an act of faith or abandonment?

"Jace has his own chapter to write here," Felicity murmured, the name evoking a surge of warmth and a pang of longing. "But perhaps I'm meant to be the author of our salvation, not a character within it."

"Or maybe," Ivy suggested softly, "you're both. I’m not sure what’s going on with you, but I think you should talk to Jace. After all, love is a story written by two, isn't it?"

Tears threatened to spill from Felicity's eyes; she blinked them back fiercely. Her friend had unwittingly peeled back the layers of fear and doubt, revealing a sliver of hope. Could it be that true love, like the tales nestled in these shelves, would endure beyond separation, beyond the stark reality of ticking clocks and looming deadlines?

With a resolve that surprised even herself, Felicity clutched the book to her chest. She would pen the ending they deserved, even if it meant walking away to secure a future where Jace's dreams, and those of Christmas Valley, could flourish without the shadow of impending loss.

"Thank you, Ivy," Felicity whispered, the gratitude in her voice soft and sincere. “Let me pay you.”

“How about you just take it off my running tab at the bakery.”

Felicity smiled before stepping away from the counter, the bookstore, and the comfortable familiarity that surrounded her, armed with a newfound perspective.

Closing the door behind her, Felicity faced the town square, its beauty no longer suffused with sorrow but with the bittersweet promise of sacrifice and rebirth. She had a story to finish, one that might just save them all.

Snowflakes drifted down from the steel-gray sky, each one a silent witness to the storm brewing within Felicity's heart. She stood in the center of Christmas Valley's town square, her gaze lost to the flurry that kissed her cheeks with cold tenderness. The gentle touch of winter's breath was a stark contrast to the heat coursing through her veins, the inner fire fueled by the decision that lay heavy upon her.

As the world around her turned white, blanketing the cobblestone paths and frosted evergreens in pristine innocence, Felicity wrapped her arms tighter around herself, as if she could shield her soul from the monumental choice that loomed over her future—and that of the town and Jace.

Her mind spun with possibilities, each as intricate and fragile as the snowflakes that gathered at her feet. Could she truly be the savior of Christmas Valley and its beloved Northwind Lodge? The very thought made her heart tighten, a mix of fear and longing intertwining like the delicate lace of ice on the windowpanes.

With each step she took, the snow crunched beneath her boots, a crisp reminder that time marched forward, indifferent to human hesitation. Her breath misted in the air, visible proof of the life she held within her—a life that could alter the course of many.

Felicity's heart thrummed against her ribcage, a drumbeat urging her towards destiny. It was a rhythm intertwined with Jace's own heartbeat, the man who had unknowingly captured her affection and tethered it to this magical place. To leave him now, after all they had shared, felt like an unraveling of the most intimate tapestry.

Yet a voice whispered inside her, soft as falling snow, suggesting that departure might be the key to their salvation. Maybe the threads of their story were meant to stretch beyond the confines of Christmas Valley, weaving into a narrative that only she could complete.

Determination settled over Felicity like the winter's cloak. She needed to tell Jace everything. Every secret hope, every whispered dream, and the belief that surged within her—that her return to her own reality could be the catalyst to save the lodge, the town, and the hearts of those she had grown to cherish.

"Jace," she murmured to the empty square, practicing the confession that would bare her soul. "There's so much I need to tell you."

The snowfall thickened, a curtain drawing closed on one act while setting the stage for another. With her vision made hazy by the wintry veil, Felicity's senses sharpened, attuned to the weight of her revelation. She could almost feel Jace's presence, the warmth of his green-eyed gaze, the strength of his embrace offering solace amidst uncertainty.

She moved forward, propelled by a surge of courage that flowed through her like a river breaking free from ice. Tonight, she would lay bare her truth before Jace, entrusting him with the power to unlock the final chapter of their entwined fates. And as the snow continued to fall, blanketing Christmas Valley in stillness and peace, Felicity Hart steeled herself to face the storm of emotion that awaited her.