Chapter 4

Caden threw a duffle bag into the backseat of his new dark gray Corvette Stingray, the paint glistening in the early morning sun. He wanted to get an early start while the sun was out. A far cry from his hometown, Christmas Cove, where it snowed in abundance every year.

"Drive carefully, man." Brock Conner, his best friend, gave him a manly slap on the arm. "Stop when you get tired. Don't try to drive straight through."

Caden pulled him in for a one-armed man hug. "Have a good Christmas." He pulled back and his lips curled into a mischievous grin. "And don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Brock was too far away from his hometown to visit for the holidays, so he decided to party in California with a bunch of other guys who couldn't go home, either. He had been Caden's best friend as soon as he arrived in NAB (Naval Amphibious Base) Coronado. When he finished BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL), he was assigned to SEAL Team 5, the same team as Brock Conner.

Brock had teased him about being a newbie at first, but soon, Caden had proven his worth when he saved Brock from sniper fire one day when they were out on a mission. After that, they became friends, having each other's backs.

"Are you sure you don't want to come home with me?" Caden asked, standing with the car door open.

Brock's family lived in the East and he didn't have as much time off as Caden. "No, not everyone gets to take a whole month off."

Caden sighed. "Yeah, well, I have a big decision to make."

Caden's enlistment was up and he was going to take the month to decide if he wanted to reenlist or not. Including basic training and BUD/S, he had been in the Navy for eight long years. And although he loved serving his country, he found that he was missing home--something he never thought would be possible.

When he left Christmas Cove, he had been so sick of Christmas that he swore he'd never go back. His parents had come to Coronado once to visit him and stayed in town. But when they begged him to come home for Christmas, he had always found an excuse not to go. Over time, he found that he was missing his hometown, but most of all, he missed his ex-girlfriend, Mallory. Yes; he had a big decision to make.

"Just take your time and enjoy yourself." Brock leaned against his car, ready to go, too. "You'll know the right decision to make once you see her."

Caden laughed. Of course, he knew Brock was talking about Mallory. Lately, he hadn't talked of anything or anyone else but Mallory. "Well, we'll see. She's probably seeing someone--"

"Or married," Brock finished.

Caden laughed. "Mallory? You wouldn't say that if you knew her."

"Why's that?"

"When I left, she was hellbent on doing the modeling thing." Caden shrugged. "She wanted to get out of Christmas Cove just as much as I did. She's probably living in L.A. or somewhere else by now."

One corner of Brock's lips curled into a devilish smile. "Model, huh? Well, who knows? Maybe I'll run into her this weekend."

Caden burst out laughing. "Yeah, right. Well, I gotta go." He pulled him in for another manly hug. "Take care, man."

"Tell your folks I said hello." Brock walked around to the driver's side of his car. Believe it or not, Brock went out with them when his parents came to town and he had been on his best behavior. Yes, it was still hard for Caden to believe, too.

"Will do." Caden slid into his car and rolled down the window. "Hey! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Brock laughed. "Well, that leaves me wide open now, doesn't it?"

Caden waved goodbye and then turned the key of his Corvette, listening as the engine roared to life. He took a moment to appreciate the power rumbling through the steering wheel and under his seat. As he watched Brock pull away, he pulled his Corvette out right behind him, enjoying how it handled on the road. He would never tire of it.

When he bought the car, he wanted to get something with power, but hadn't planned on getting anything so flashy- until he thought of Mallory. Then when he saw the Corvette, he just couldn't resist. He figured that it probably wouldn't help him to win her back, but it couldn't hurt either.

But now on the open road, he had to watch himself to keep from going too far over the speed limit. More than once, he found he had to let off the accelerator. He was tempted to open it up, but knew it was too dangerous and didn't want to chance fate. The car had more power than just about any other car he'd driven. It reminded him of his Mustang, years ago when he was dating Mallory. But although his Mustang had power, it didn't come close to the Corvette.

The last time he drove the Mustang was when he drove over to Mallory's house to tell her that he was leaving. At first, she had begged him to take her with him, tugging at his heart. But he had to go to boot camp first. When he had asked her to wait for him, she told him to forget it. She told him that once he left, he wouldn't give her a second thought. Mallory had told him that she would become just a girl that he once knew.

Guilt filled his broken heart, but he had already enlisted, and his path was set in motion. And would it have killed her to wait for him a few months, maybe even a year, until he could come home and sweep her off her feet? But she had told him not to bother and walked away.

When her younger sister, Jocelyn, had asked him to be her pen pal while he was away, he had agreed, hoping that one day, Mallory would write to him, too. But that day never came. No, the night Mallory broke up with him, she had told him that she didn't love him and that she never had, saying cruel things that she knew would hurt him. But he thought that it was only the anger talking, that she was hurt and was striking back- even if some of the things she had said hit below the belt. The one that hurt the most was when she told him that she had never loved him.

But he hoped that this was his second chance. Not only with Mallory, but at having a life. If everything went well, he wanted to ask Mallory to marry him. Then if she still wanted to move, he could take her with him, even if he decided to leave the Navy. But knowing his luck, she had probably already moved to California and achieved her dreams. Not that he purposefully looked through magazines for her picture, but he couldn't help but wonder if maybe one day he might open a magazine and see her there.

Caden drove for a while and then stopped overnight at a hotel before he got on I-97. He was tired, there was snow on the ground, it was dark out, and he was getting hungry. After he checked into a hotel, he went down to the restaurant downstairs and had dinner and a beer.

The next day, he got up and drove the rest of the way to Christmas Cove. He arrived at four o'clock. Good. The jewelry store would still be open. When he used to live there before, Mr. and Mrs. Spencer used to own it. Now, he wondered if they still did.

Caden's heart pounded when he drove into town, more excited than he thought he would be. Immediately, he regretted not having come home before now. Everything looked new again. Christmas lights and ribbons hung from the Bavarian and Dutch style architecture throughout the town, reminiscent of the North Pole- or what he had always dreamed it would be. Even the gazebo in the center of town was decorated. The living Christmas tree had grown taller over the years and was decorated for the holiday. And as if ordered especially for the town, snow covered the park lawn. But the festive decorations were nothing new. In Christmas Cove, the holiday was celebrated each year in style. Even between the holidays, the holiday was still celebrated. Santa's Workshop, located in a store front to the left of the jewelry store, was packed with children of all ages the whole year long.

He pulled the car past his parents' tree lot, then stopped in front of the jewelry store and locked it up, vowing to go see his parents later. Then he walked into the jewelry store and a beautiful blonde woman stood behind the counter. When she looked up, her eyes filled with surprise and her mouth opened slightly as if to speak, but nothing came out. For a moment, he wondered why.