“And how has it been living in Arizona?” Tyler asked. “Have you missed living in New York City at all?”
Riley nodded. “Yes, I have. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve really enjoyed living in Arizona and the slower pace, but lately I’ve also felt a little isolated. I’ve missed the energy of the city. There’s always something new and exciting going on to experience. I guess I didn’t realize how much I missed Manhattan until I was back in the city again. I want to keep traveling and learning new things. That’s what’s going to make me a better writer and a better person.”
“Well, I think you’re already pretty spectacular just the way you are,” Tyler said. “But of course, it would be great to have you back in New York where you belong.”
When the waiter returned with their port, Riley realized talking to Tyler was almost like a kind of therapy for her, and for the first time in a while, she realized what she didn’t want. She didn’t want to continue just living to work. She wanted to start working to live and making time to fall in love again.
To find out Tyler was on exactly the same page had her remembering all the amazing qualities that made her fall in love with him in the first place.
Like their date tonight. Tyler knew how to spoil her and make her feel special, to feel deserving of the finer things in life. While she knew she didn’t need all the glitz and glam to be happy, she appreciated being able to experience a kind of luxury she otherwise could have only dreamed of. She always knew Tyler could give her that world, but now it looked like he could also give her his time, and that was the most important thing for Riley—and exactly what had been missing in their relationship before.
When the waiter handed Riley a pretty silver gift back with an extravagant silver bow, she gave Tyler a surprised look. “What is this?”
“Just a little something I hope you like,” Tyler said. “Open it, please.”
For a moment, Riley felt like she was in a Christmas Groundhog Day, with three ex-boyfriends all giving her gifts.
There were two presents inside the bag. The first was a lovely crystal star ornament. When she held it up to admire it, it caught the light from the fireplace and sparkled. “It’s beautiful,” Riley said. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Tyler replied. “It’s to always remind you that you’re a rising star, no matter what you write, because you have a special light and talent inside you.”
Riley was touched by how much Tyler believed in her. She looked into his eyes. “Thank you. This means a lot to me.”
Tyler smiled back at her. “I was hoping we could put the star on a Christmas tree together. Now open the other one. It’s the best one.”
When Riley pulled out her next present, she wasn’t sure what to say. It came in a long, thin, red velvet jewelry box. When she opened it, she gasped. Inside was a dazzling diamond star pedant.
“Oh, Tyler, this is too much,” Riley said. “You shouldn’t have.”
“Of course, I should have,” Tyler said. “It’s like I was saying, what is the point of working so hard if I can’t share it with someone? Here, let me put it on for you.”
Riley handed him the necklace, and she felt her heart skip a beat when his fingers touched the back of her neck.
“I got you this star necklace to always remind you that you’re my bright and shining star,” Tyler said. “Do you like it?” He sat at back so he could see how it looked on her.
As she touched the star gently and nodded, she smiled at him. “It’s beautiful, but I like what it means even more. You’ve always believed in me.”
“Always,” Tyler said. He was leaning in for a kiss when Riley’s cell phone rang.
“I’m sorry,” Riley said. “I thought I turned this off.” When she checked her phone, she frowned. “It’s Margo. She needs me to call her back.”
“This late?” Tyler asked.
“You know Margo. She doesn’t sleep, and I really should be getting back, too. We have another big day planned for tomorrow.”
Tyler stood up and held out his hand for Riley. “Then let’s get you back to the lodge.”
Back at the lodge as they were walking up to the front door, Tyler took her hand and told her how much he’d enjoyed spending time with her again and that he’d missed her in his life.
He was leaning in to try once again to kiss her when all of a sudden, the wood-carved bear out front started singing.
“We wish you a BEARy Christmas . . .
“We wish you a BEARy Christmas . . .”
Startled, they both turned around and stared at the bear.
Riley started laughing the same moment Caylee opened the door to find out why the bear was singing.
But the bear had stopped. There was no more “We Wish You a BEARy Christmas.”
“Everything okay out here?” Caylee asked, giving them a curious look.
Riley and Tyler entered the lodge. “Everything’s great,” Tyler said as smiled at Riley.
Riley yawned. “Except that I’m suddenly exhausted. I’m going to call it a night, you two.”
“Sleep well,” Tyler said, kissing her on the cheek.
“You too,” Riley said. She touched her star necklace. “And thank you again for a really special night.”
“I hope the first of many,” Tyler said, causing Caylee to arch her eyebrow.
After calling Margo and getting an update on how their social media campaign was doing, Riley happily crawled into bed with her laptop. Even though she was craving sleep, she knew she needed to write down some notes from her three different dates first. She didn’t want to forget anything or how the dates had made her feel because she was hoping it would
