Mary Vaughn wished she could believe that. She reached for more of the muffin, then realized that only crumbs were left on the plate. “I’m telling you he’s moved on,” she said despondently. “He’s the one who wanted the divorce. I know everyone in town thought I dumped him, but it wasn’t that way. He left me.”
“Has he remarried?”
“Of course not,” she said indignantly. “I would never go after a married man.” She frowned at Jeanette’s doubtful expression. “Ronnie Sullivan was not married to Dana Sue when I went after him. Why does everyone keep forgetting that? They were divorced.”
“Okay, but that’s beside the point, anyway,” Jeanette said. “Let’s stick to you and Sonny. So, you think he’s seeing someone seriously...”
“I’m not a hundred percent sure about the woman from work. Maybe.”
“Yet he’s going to spend all this time with you during the holidays,” Jeanette said. “So what if they’ve been on a few dates? I thought you were determined to fight for him. He can’t be that serious about her if he’s spending the holidays with you. She wouldn’t stand for it. That tells me he hasn’t moved on, at least not beyond the point of no return. If you really want him back, if you really think the divorce was a mistake, then you’re going to have to take a risk and put your feelings on the line. Not long ago, you were ready to do that.”
For a woman who could be totally direct in business, Mary Vaughn had little experience with taking that kind of risk in her personal life. Well, except for Ronnie, and look how that had turned out. The whole town had laughed at her behind her back.
“Have you ever done that?” she asked Jeanette.
Jeanette grinned, her expression sheepish. “Fairly recently, as a matter of fact.”
“How did it go?”
“Not so well, to be perfectly honest.”
Mary Vaughn regarded her with dismay. “Not exactly the encouragement I was hoping for.”
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t a big thrill for me, either, but it did open the lines of communication. And it reminded me of something my mother used to tell me all the time—that anything worth having is worth fighting for.”
The familiar words struck a chord with Mary Vaughn. How many times had she said those exact words to herself years ago when she was struggling to make a life for herself after the hell of her childhood? She’d continued to scramble and fight for the things she wanted over the years, but somehow, when the goal mattered the most, she’d lost sight of that message. She’d talked herself out of fighting for what she wanted because she was afraid of losing.
She finished the last of her tea, then stood up and gave Jeanette a fierce hug. “Thank you so much.”
“All I did was listen.”
“No, you were a friend when I really needed one,” Mary Vaughn said. “I can’t begin to tell you what that means to me. Look, we’re having an open house at my place after the tree-lighting ceremony. I hope you’ll come. Bring Tom.”
“I’d like that,” Jeanette told her. “I’ll discuss it with him and get back to you.”
“No need. Just show up if you can.”
“Will Sonny be there?”
“That’s the plan,” Mary Vaughn said. And she knew she could count on it, because he was the most reliable man she’d ever known.
Of course, if she told him all the things she’d been feeling lately, it was entirely possible he’d take off and spend the holidays as far away from Serenity—and her—as he could get.
* * *
The thick invitation arrived with the afternoon mail. Tom stared at the formal calligraphy and knew without even glancing at the return address that it was from his parents. They always launched the holiday season on the second Saturday in December with a lavish party that he was expected to attend. Since that was the opening night of the Christmas festival, he was going to have to decline this year and the resulting scene was likely to be unpleasant. He might as well get it over with now.
He picked up the phone and dialed his mother’s private line. During this busy social season, she had a secretary answering their home phone and keeping track of her schedule.
“Hello, Mother,” he said when she picked up at once.
“Darling, how are you?” she said, sounding pleased. “I was expecting to hear from you today. Did you get your invitation?”
“It just came.”
“And you’ll be here, of course. Will you be bringing someone?” she asked. “Or shall I arrange for a dinner partner for you?” There was an unmistakably hopeful note in her voice with that last query.
“I’m really sorry, Mother, but I can’t make it this year.”
Stunned silence met his announcement. Then she said, “What on earth do you mean you can’t make it? We hold this party on the same Saturday every year. It’s not as if I pulled the date out of a hat. Of course you’ll be here. Whatever it is you’re planning on doing instead can’t possibly be as important as this. Just cancel it.”
“I can’t cancel, Mother. This is a business obligation. The town’s Christmas festival begins that night. I have to be here.”
“To do what? Make sure the tree lights come on?” she scoffed.
“Actually, yes, and to see that the vendors are happy and that everything runs smoothly.”
“That’s absurd. They don’t need someone like you to deal with that. Delegate it. Let that little friend of yours handle it.”
“If you’re referring to Jeanette, she has her own responsibilities for that night. She can’t take on mine.”
“Thomas McDonald, I can’t believe you would place more importance on some ridiculous ceremony in that nothing little town than you do on your own mother.”
He’d been expecting the guilt card, but he still had to take a deep breath before responding. He might not care about these kind of social obligations, but his mother
