Starry Night

hugged.
    “I am, too,” Carrie assured her. They drove off, heading to the family home, where her brother, his wife, and his children would be waiting. Soon they’d all be gathered around the table, and there would be laughter and conversation. Finn had never known this, and Carrie hungered to share her family with him.
    “You okay, honey?” her mother asked, as they merged into the heavy freeway traffic. “You don’t look so well. It’s Finn, isn’t it?”
    Carrie nodded.
    “How much weight have you lost?”
    Carrie shrugged. “A few pounds is all.”
    Reaching over, her mother gave Carrie’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Mark my words, it will all work out.”
    Carrie desperately wanted that to be true. Everything seemed so hopeless at the moment.
    “Time is the great healer,” her mother assured her.
    She’d spent an hour on the phone with her mother shortly after her breakup with Finn, pouring out all her hurt and fears. Patty Slayton hadn’t offered empty reassurances or reminded Carrie of her own concerns over this relationship; instead, she’d simply listened. At the end she’d said, “You really do love him, don’t you?”
    “Oh, yes.” There was no doubt in Carrie’s mind. Finn Dalton owned her heart. He carried it with him, and now the question, the real question, was what he intended to do with it.
    “We’re just glad you’re home for the holidays,” her mother said, pulling her back into the present.
    “So am I.” Carrie didn’t mention that she might be returning to Seattle on a more permanent basis. For the first time since she’d spoken to Nash, she actually considered caving in. That was what Finn wanted her to do in an effort to ease his conscience. He could break her heart and then walk away without guilt because he’d done her a goodturn. Writing that blasted article was what everyone hoped she’d do.
    “I need to run an errand in the morning,” Carrie casually mentioned once she was home and had emptied her suitcase. Dinner was over and her brother and family had returned to their home. “Do you mind if I borrow the car?” she asked her parents.
    “You going to run off to Alaska?” her father asked.
    “Nick Slayton,” her mother hissed in a low, warning breath.
    “Well, if Carrie is going to break up with Finn Dalton, why can’t she do it after we have a chance to meet him?”
    Both her mother and Carrie ignored the comment.
    “I doubt very much that I’ll be going to Alaska,” Carrie said.
    “Of course you can take the car.” Her mother cast her a questioning glance. “I don’t have any plans for the morning.”
    “I shouldn’t be gone more than an hour or two,” Carrie assured her.
    First thing the next morning, Carrie contacted Finn’s mother and they set a time to meet. Joan had the front door open before Carrie had reached the end of the short walkway.
    The older woman held open the screen door. They brieflyhugged before Joan brought Carrie into the house. Her tree was up and decorated with festive ornaments, and her fireplace mantel displayed a wooden Nativity scene. Joan indicated that Carrie should take a seat on the sofa. Finn’s mother had a teapot and two cups out, along with a plate of decorated sugar cookies.
    “Finn used to help me decorate the cookies every Christmas,” she said as they sat next to each other on the sofa. “He enjoyed it, although his father feared I was turning him into a sissy. My goodness, the boy was only four years old.”
    Joan handed her a cup of freshly poured tea, which Carrie accepted, holding on to the tiny saucer with one hand and the teacup with the other.
    “Have you heard from my son?” Joan asked.
    “Just briefly.” There’d been nothing since their quick text exchanges late yesterday afternoon.
    “It sounds like Finn is as stubborn as his father.”
    Carrie was afraid that was the case.
    Joan exhaled as though emotionally bracing herself for what was coming. “You brought Paul’s wedding band back to me?”
    “Yes. I’m so sorry. I tried.”
    “I know, dear. I should never have put you in such an awkward position.”
    Carrie disagreed. “I doubt I could have convinced anyoneto fly me to Finn’s cabin without it, so the ring served a purpose.” She dug it out of her purse, and with regret returned it to Finn’s mother, feeling like she’d failed her.
    Joan’s eyes revealed her disappointment. “I so hoped …”
    “I know; I did, too.”
    “I’m confident Paul went to his