Six

"Mom?"

Emmy felt a tap on her shoulder, and Carina's face came into view.

"You're a million miles away." She shook her head and cut into her pancakes. "I've been talking nonstop for five minutes.

You probably didn't hear a word I said."

"I'm sorry." She sat back in her chair, her pancakes untouched. It was Sunday, and she and Carina usually had breakfast together

at her apartment before they went to church. "What were you telling me?"

"That two of my friends saw you looking cozy with Kieran yesterday at Jingle Fest." Carina popped a bite of syrupy pancake

into her mouth.

Emmy froze. "They what?"

Carina swallowed. "They saw you and Kieran taking a carriage ride." She sighed. "How romantic."

"It wasn't..." She couldn't even protest properly, because it would have been the biggest lie she would ever tell. Cuddling

with Kieran during a winter carriage ride was the most romantic thing she'd ever experienced. Or at least it would have been, except for what happened later...

"So when's the wedding?" Carina teased, finishing off her pancakes.

Emmy grabbed her uneaten breakfast and got up from the table. "All we did was take a ride." And kiss during the fireworks . She put her plate on the counter and stared at the potted succulent plant on her small window above the sink.

Ever since last evening she'd been in a delightful daze, reliving her afternoon with Kieran.

After the driver dropped them off, they'd wandered around the festival some more, sharing warm chestnuts and apple cider as

they waited for the fireworks. He told her about some of the Christmas customs in Ireland, and she was particularly fond of

the one where folks put a candle in the window as a guiding light to greet loved ones coming home for the holidays.

Then it was time for fireworks, but it was so crowded they couldn't find a place to stand, much less sit. Finally, they ended

up in a short alleyway between two buildings. Even the alleys had been cleaned up and decorated for the festival.

"We won't be able to see the fireworks," Kieran had said as they stood by one of the brick walls draped with tiny twinkling,

colored lights. "But we can hear them."

She didn't give a fiddle about fireworks right then. When they were in the carriage, she had tried so hard to keep her attraction

to him at bay. And how was she supposed to do that when they were sitting so close and he was holding her hand? Then when

the carriage had swayed, he'd put his arm around her, so she gave up and cuddled with him. Even then she thought he was just

being polite, like when he'd taken off her mitten and held her cold hand.

But there was nothing polite about the intense way Kieran was looking at her then. She was growing warm from the inside, and

as soon as the first firework went off, he leaned in close. "Remember prom night?" he said, his voice husky and low.

All she could do was nod. Her back was pressed against the wall, and he'd put one hand next to her on the brick.

"I have only one regret from that night." He angled his head toward hers.

"Wh-what's that?"

He caressed her cheek with his thumb. "That I didn't do this." He lowered his mouth to touch hers.

She'd practically launched into his arms. The Jingle Fest fireworks were almost over, but hers and Kieran's had just begun.

Carina appeared by her side with her dish. "You've got it bad."

Emmy stared at her. "Got what bad?"

"The hots for Kieran." Carina put the dish in the sink, then picked up Emmy's and started wrapping it in foil.

"The hots?" Emmy said, taking the covered plate from her and putting it in the fridge. She'd warm it up later for lunch. Or

dinner. What's Kieran doing for dinner? She yanked back the thought. A carriage ride and a kiss—all right, several kisses—didn't mean anything. Right? "What is it with you and these old-fashioned words?"

"They seemed appropriate." She winked, then crossed her arms over her maroon ribbed turtleneck. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"You're... you're wr..."

She grinned. "I knew it. And I approve."

"There's nothing to approve of." Emmy leaned her hip against the counter. "Just because we kissed—"

"You kissed ?" Carina's jaw dropped. "Chelsea and Robyn never said anything about kissing!"

Oh boy. "Carina, I know you want me to start dating. But I'm not ready. And even if I was, Kieran isn't a viable option."

Her brow furrowed. "Why not?"

"He's going back to Ireland." She brushed by her daughter, fighting to ignore the stab of pain in her heart.

"Are you sure about that?" Carina followed her to the coatrack, and they both put on their winter garb. "He doesn't seem like the type to kiss and jet away."

"How do you know?" Emmy selected a white scarf from the three different ones hanging on hooks.

"He's Sheryl's brother. She'd kill him if he did."

Emmy couldn't deny that was a possibility. And for some reason the thought that he would stay gave her a glimmer of hope that

he hadn't just been toying with her emotions. When they'd parted ways after the festival, he'd told her he would see her later,

then kissed her cheek. But she had noticed his awkward hesitation.

Her stomach sank. She never should have kissed him. Or ridden with him in the carriage. And while Kieran's kisses had taken

her breath away, not to mention being the best ones she'd ever had, she shouldn't have given in. "We're going to be late for

church," she said, opening the door.

Carina glanced up at the mistletoe over the doorway. "Maybe later you and Kieran can give it a whirl—"

"Carina!" She shoved her daughter out the door.

The O'Neills attended a different church than she and Carina did, so Emmy didn't expect to see Kieran there. After the service

Carina had gone off to spend the rest of the day with Jeremy, and Emmy hoped Kieran would stop by her apartment, despite her

continual mental litany that she shouldn't have given in to her impulses. By three o'clock she hadn't heard from him, not

even a text.

Her shop was closed on Sundays, and normally she tried to stay away from work on her day off. But she couldn't focus on TV,

and she was too agitated to relax. She went downstairs, unlocked the door, then grabbed a dust cloth and some polish and started

dusting and straightening shelves. When she finished, she swept the floors and cleaned out the coffeepot and hot water carafe

in the café area, even though they didn't need it. By then it was five.

She glanced at her phone, even though the sound was turned on so she could hear it. No call or text.

Her spirits sank deeper. Carina was wrong. Kieran was exactly the kind of guy to kiss and... what did she say? Jet away?

Emmy scowled and went behind the counter, her foot hitting a box on the floor near the cash register. It was half full of

old Christmas decorations that she'd meant to take to the thrift shop and donate. The flaps were open, and she knelt to close

them when she saw a single candle taper with a vintage-looking white light at the top. The candle wasn't that old, since the

original ones were plug-ins and this one had a battery-operated timer on it. She'd never seen it before and figured either

Carina or Sheryl had added it to the pile.

She was about to put it back in the box when she remembered what Kieran said about the Irish putting candles in the window

for family and loved ones. Even though she was irked at him, she liked the tradition. Emmy turned on the candle to see if

it still worked and smiled when it glowed.

She stood and went to set it in the center of the picture window. Once she had the light in position, she looked up...

and saw Kieran standing in front of her.

***

The snow had stopped overnight, and by morning it was gone. Kieran had spent the entire day, including during Mass, thinking about Emmy. Yesterday had been magical in more ways than one, and he wasn't sorry that he'd kissed her. In fact, he wanted to kiss her again, right now. He'd arrived at her shop just as she was putting the candle in the window, the soft light casting her beautiful face in a lovely glow, and he recalled telling her about the Irish tradition. The timing was perfect. He started to tap on the glass, but she had looked at him first, and her expression wasn't a happy one.

He couldn't blame her. He'd battled with himself over contacting her or just pretending nothing had happened between them.

He was annoyed at his indecisiveness. Kissing her hadn't been part of his plan, but he couldn't help himself. He wasn't sure

what to do next either. All he knew was that he couldn't ignore her. He didn't want to. But would it be fair to start something

with her, knowing he was leaving next week?

There was only one way to find out.

Kieran moved to the front door and waited for her to unlock it. His palms suddenly grew damp, and his nerves fired up.

She opened the door, her expression blank. "Hi, Kieran."

"Uh... hey, Emmy." He thrust his hand through his hair. "Can I come in?"

After a second's hesitation, she nodded and opened the door wider. He followed her inside, but she didn't offer him a drink,

only went behind the counter as if she needed a barrier between them.

There was nothing for him to do but get to the point. "About last night... Emmy, I..."

"How long are you staying in Mistletoe?" she asked.

Her question caught him off guard. "I'll be leavin' the day after Mum's party."

She took a step back. "Then why..." She drew in a breath and leveled her gaze at him. "Why did you kiss me?"

"Because I wanted to," he said without pause. "Why did you kiss me?"

Her cheeks reddened, and he would have thought it was cute if the tension between them wasn't as thick as a castle wall. "Because

I wanted to," she whispered, glancing away.

Kieran moved toward the counter until he was almost leaning against it. "We can make it work, Emmy. Ireland's not that far

away."

She scoffed. "It's an ocean away."

"But there's plane rides, phone calls, FaceTime." He could hear the desperate tone in his voice. "You can visit me—"

"And then what?" She held up her hands. "I have a business to run. Mistletoe is my home. I can't be flying back and forth

to Ireland because you don't want to be here. That's not fair."

"I'll be visitin' too."

But she was shaking her head before he finished speaking. "Maybe once. Twice." Tears sprang in her eyes. "You don't know how

easy it would be for me to give in, Kieran. You were my first..."

His heart squeezed. "Your first what, lass?"

"My first love." She took in a shaky breath.

He reeled at the news. "I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't. I was Sheryl's friend. And for one amazing night, I was yours. Problem was, I didn't want friendship.

I wanted more, like I do now. And just like back then, I can't have it. We were caught up in the festival, and nostalgia.

Now it's back to reality."

"Emmy, I—"

"I've made bad decisions before because I tried to force something that wasn't there. I can't... I won't do it again." The tears began to roll down her cheeks. "Just go, Kieran. Don't make it any harder on me than it already is."

He wanted to dispute everything she said, but he couldn't. His place was in Ireland, and hers was here. Neither of them would

budge on that. And it was selfish of him to start something with her that would eventually end.

Kieran opened the door and walked out into the cold night. He glanced at the candle in the window, and his heart sank in his

chest.