The Perfect Christmas - Debbie Macomber [39]
“It just kind of happened.”
“We dated for a while a year ago after we met at your birthday party, and it didn’t work out,” Shawn said.
“For him, maybe, but it worked for me. I fell in love with Shawn.” Angie looked down at her hands, which were neatly folded in her lap.
“Oh, my goodness!” Cassie brought one hand to her mouth. “Simon wouldn’t take you on as a client because you were in love with someone else. That someone was my brother, wasn’t it?”
Angie’s ears turned red as she nodded. “Shawn and I went out last year, like he said, and just when everything seemed to be going well…I didn’t hear from him.”
“I was traveling a lot,” he said. “A relationship’s hard when I’m on the road so much. Besides, I was falling for Angie and it scared me. I’d dated plenty of women but I didn’t feel about them the way I did about Angie—and I panicked.”
“I was distraught when we broke up,” Angie whispered. “I wanted to tell you, but Shawn—”
“You never said a word.” Cassie was embarrassed that she’d been so oblivious. “Before or after you called it quits.”
Angie shrugged apologetically.
“I like my privacy,” Shawn said. “You know that.”
Cassie couldn’t help being a little hurt. “For crying out loud, I’m your sister.”
“I’m sorry.” Shawn did appear regretful. “Neither of us meant to offend you or anything.”
“After we broke it off, I tried to move on,” Angie said. “Which is why I agreed when my mother wanted me to meet the matchmaker.”
“I made an effort to get over Angie, too,” Shawn confessed, smiling at her, “but I couldn’t get her out of my mind.”
“Then we met again just before Thanksgiving.”
“Here,” Angie clarified. They both nodded.
“And I realized how much I’d missed Angie,” he went on, “and how foolish I’d been to let our relationship end.”
“And I realized that Simon was right and despite everything, I was still in love with Shawn.”
They slid closer on the couch and Shawn took Angie’s hand. They stared into each other’s eyes.
Cassie wanted to kick them both for being so foolish, for not understanding what they had the first time around. They deserved a second kick for keeping it a secret from her.
“We’ve been so happy,” Angie told her, “and I was afraid that if we said anything, you’d feel left out.”
“Left out? If I feel left out it’s because you guys—two of the most important people in my life—didn’t let me in on something as big as this!”
“We did plan to tell you,” Angie said.
“And when would that have been?”
“After the big dinner party.”
Cassie laughed. “So that’s why it was so easy to convince you to make an appearance.”
Shawn nodded. “Now that you know, we don’t have to show up, do we? Angie and I have better things to do than attend this crazy dinner party of yours.”
“Shawn,” Angie chastised.
The hopeful expression on his face was enough to make Cassie laugh. “No, you two are excused. Angie, you don’t need to help with the shopping.”
“I’ll come if you want,” Angie said.
She would, too, but Cassie could see that she’d rather be alone with Shawn than spend the day in a crowded grocery store.
“I’ll be fine. Do something productive with your time, though—like shopping for an engagement ring.”
Angie blushed again and Shawn cleared his throat. “As it happens, I have a ring picked out.”
“You do?” Angie asked with tears in her voice.
“I’m not letting you get away from me again,” Shawn said. “There’s still plenty to discuss, but I can’t see—”
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?” he asked.
“Yes, I’ll marry you and, yes, there’s a lot still to be decided. But there’s no obstacle the two of us can’t overcome.”
They left a few minutes later, so in love they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
Cassie had difficulty wiping the grin off her face. Shawn and Angie were perfect together. She wondered why she hadn’t thought of it before—or noticed what was going on. Angie would probably move away from Seattle once they were married, which was the only disadvantage to an otherwise ideal situation.
All of a sudden it became crucial to talk to Simon. She had his office number and as