A Christmas to Remember Read Online Free PDF Page B

life to see them like that, and then they’d be too old?
    “I’m sure you’re ready to have some supper. Shall we get your bags?” he asked.
    “Okay,” she said, inwardly wincing at supplying her same one-word response. Perhaps in time, she’d get over the fact that he was successful, handsome, kind, and single … She could only hope.

Chapter Four
    S peak confidently . Confidence is key in making favorable first impressions.
    “Let me just grab a few beers on the way in.” Adam closed the garage door, shutting out the drifting snow, and set her suitcases down. “Do you like beer, by chance?” he asked. He led her to a stainless steel refrigerator-like contraption on the far wall of the garage. With a tug on the handle, the door opened, revealing rows upon rows of brown, long-necked bottles. They had trendy yellow and red labels that read Salty Shockoe . Carrie followed the curly S’s with her eyes, noting the detail in the lettering.
    The truth was she actually did like beer. Back in college, she’d been the only one of her friends who really, truly preferred it to other drinks. She would come home on the weekends and watch football with her dad. He always let her pick the beer, and their visits to the supermarket to get snacks before games were fond memories. As they sat on the sofa together, her mother would plop down beside them, wrinkle her nose at their bottles, watch a few minutes of the game and then busy herself with something else, but Carrie could stay there all day. She hadn’t recalled a memory like that in quite a while. It made her feel nostalgic and lonely at the same time.
    She’d never seen this particular brand of beer before, but Carrie had heard how Richmond was known for its craft beers and microbrews. It had been featured on a travel show on TV once. It seemed fitting now that she’d seen Richmond with all its historical buildings and casual feel. The whole city had a rustic quality to it. Brick buildings, cobblestone streets still in place, front porches. Just like a good beer, Richmond was hearty, its culture evident and strong, rich with flavor and history.
    “I do like beer,” she said, wondering why Adam had so many bottles. He was very wealthy, and he could afford to stockpile his favorite beer if he wanted to. But when did he have time to drink it? Perhaps that’s why there were still so many in the fridge. Did he drink it alone in that airy office of his? The idea made her look at him a little differently. Was he as lonely as she was? Did he work too much just like her?
    “You do like beer?” He looked surprised. Then she thought about what he probably saw when he looked at her: her light brown hair tucked behind her ears, her colorless lip gloss, her frumpy sweater. She probably didn’t look like she ever went out a day in her life. It had been so long since she’d had any opportunity to go out, she’d sort of forgotten about herself and what she must look like to other people. The feelings of inadequacy stirred inside her.
    With children, she didn’t have to worry about how she looked or what she said. With adults, she had to be more careful, think more about how they may view her, and it made her uneasy. Compounding her uneasiness was the fact that she knew once she found a different career and actually had the time to go out, she didn’t feel comfortable having drinks with strangers or going to bars to meet people. She just wanted that one person who would love her in her frumpy sweater and bunchy socks with spit up on her shoulder. Finding that one person, though, seemed exhausting. It had been different when she was in college—she could go out to bars with all her friends and meet people with no problem, but now, in her thirties, when everyone else she knew was settled down in careers and families, there wasn’t anyone to go out with, and certainly far fewer people to meet in her age range. She worried that working professionals who frequented bars in the city