CHAPTER ONE

      HER SISTER JUST didn’t get it. But then again, Celeste had never really been able to get through to her when it came to the holidays. Or through to her mother, for that matter. Her family would never understand. Not that she really understood them in return.

      “I can’t believe you haven’t moved on yet,” Tara declared, throwing her hands up in the air. “Your wedding was three years ago. Get over it already.”

      Tara wasn’t often accused of being overly sensitive. For the wedding her sister had so callously just referred to had never actually happened. Celeste bit down on a frustrated groan. She really was in no mood to talk about this. She didn’t even want to think about the day she’d been so humiliatingly left at the altar, waiting for a groom who had never bothered to show up.

      The humiliation still haunted her nightmares—dozens of pitying eyes staring at her as the minutes ticked by.

      She was supposed to have been a Christmas bride. Instead she’d been a jilted one.

      How did Tara not understand that she wanted nothing to do with the holiday now? How did she not see that the best thing to do for her mental health was just to get away from the city until the whole season was over?

      Her sister’s next question only proved that she didn’t understand Celeste at all.

      “How can you leave your family and just take off to the islands every year? Christmas just isn’t the same without you here.”

      Celeste couldn’t help the pang of guilt that landed in her gut. Perhaps one day she’d be able to put all of it behind her. Maybe she’d even enjoy the holidays again at some future point in time. She just wasn’t there yet. Nowhere near, in fact. Every street decoration, every holiday jingle, every sidewalk corner Santa only reminded her of Jack and the days leading up to her abject humiliation.

      Not to mention, her sister’s seeming disappointment held a secondary layer. On the surface, Tara sounded like a caring, loving sibling who just wanted to spend the holidays with her older sister. But there was more to it than that. At the age of twenty-six, Tara was much too dependent on her older sister financially. And so was their mother, for that matter.

      Celeste knew she should have curbed that dependence long before. Especially given all that it had cost her three years ago. But her sense of duty and responsibility as the only financially stable member of her family often overrode her good sense. Something had broken in her mother when their father had abandoned them over a decade ago, leaving nothing behind but his debts. Wendy had never fully recovered. And Tara had taken it just as hard. It had been left to Celeste as the older sibling to try to pick up the pieces.

      She was still doing so. By now it was second nature. Which wasn’t exactly a sound reason to keep doing it, but she couldn’t exactly turn her back on either of them. Especially considering Tara was a mother herself now. Besides, wasn’t one of the reasons Celeste had worked so hard to be able to help out her always cash-strapped family members?

      “I thought for sure you’d stay around this year, sis.” Tara’s voice was petulant and whiny.

      “Why would you think that?”

      “Because your usual resort is nothing but a pile of damaged debris.”

      She spoke the truth. The last hurricane season had nearly destroyed the island that housed Celeste’s yearly destination spot. After her devastating non-wedding, Celeste had chosen to continue on and attend her already-paid-for Caribbean honeymoon on a luxe tropical resort. She’d been going back to the same location every December since. This year, that island was sadly not an option.

      Celeste had been heartbroken thinking of the usual staff and how they’d lost their livelihoods. She’d been regularly donating to various charities in charge of rebuilding, wished she could do more. In the meantime, she’d had to choose an unfamiliar resort on a different island. Apparently, her family had been counting on her canceling the trip altogether.

      Never mind that she’d called weeks ago to tell both her sister and her mother of her exact plans.

      Honestly, it was as if they didn’t know her at all.

      It would take more than a natural disaster to keep her in Manhattan over the holidays. She wanted nothing to do with Christmas, would skip the entire month of December if she possibly could. The non-stop carols, the sparkling decorations all over the city, the hustling and bustling crowds within a mile of any shopping center. It all overwhelmed and irritated her to no end. Even the usually quiet and cozy café they sat in was now a crowded mess of harried shoppers carrying all manner of bags and parcels.

      And none of that even had anything to do with the bad memories of her broken engagement. That only added a whole other layer of distaste.

      Bah humbug and all that.

      Across the square wooden table, Tara’s lower lip actually did a little quiver. For the briefest moment, Celeste couldn’t help but feel touched. Tara had her faults, but Celeste knew deep down that her little sister really did miss her over the holidays. Tara just wasn’t one to show much emotion. No wonder, given the way they’d had to grow up. Though that quality had seemed to be slowly softening since she’d become a mother.

      “I was hoping we could go in on Mom’s gift together,” Tara continued. “You know, split the cost.” She glanced downward toward the floor. “Money’s a little tight for me right now, and you just got that promotion…”

      The usual hint of guilt tugged within her chest.

      Celeste wasn’t going to bother to point out that “going in together” most often meant she would be footing the whole cost of their mother’s gift and the holiday dinner. But what was there to do? The truth was, Celeste really was much better off than her sister. As was usually the case. Still, it was a fact that couldn’t exactly be ignored.

      Besides, Celeste didn’t have it in her to discuss it much further. She had to get home and start packing. She reached for her purse and pulled out her checkbook, started scribbling after deciding on an amount, then handed it to her only sibling.

      “Here, this should cover the cost of Mom’s gift and a nice dinner out for the two of you. As well as a little extra so that you can pick up something for yourself,” she added, despite the fact that she’d already handed Tara the holiday gift she’d purchased for her as soon as they’d sat down—a pair of fourteen-karat gold