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you making your own admission.”
    They stared at each other a few moments. Then she nodded and said, “That’s fair enough. I suppose neither one of us are good at sharing our feelings.”
    She had him on that one, didn’t she? Not just when it came to his family, but Nick had never once taken a chance and told Vixen he had a thing for her—a serious thing. From as far back as he could remember.
    “So,” he said, trying to sound casual, “I’ll concede that I do wish my parents would come back, and I don’t have the slightest idea how to convince them to.”
    “And I’ll say that losing my mom was devastating, and then for my granddad to pass... It really feels like too much sometimes, you know?” She swallowed hard, as though pushing down a lump of emotion. “Like we had this perfect place in which to live where no one had major worries, but...that’s ridiculous, right? We all have worries. No matter where we live.” She sighed. “Still... In so many ways, it was our own utopia.”
    He reached for the towel on the seat of the sleigh and wiped his greasy hands on it, giving Vixen’s words some thought. Then he asked, “What are your big worries these days?”
    Vixen diverted her attention, examining the sleigh a bit more closely. Nick tensed. He didn’t need her digging too deep when it came to this particular project. But the fact that they were finally talking... That was worth keeping his mouth shut and letting her decide what it was she had to say.
    Endless moments ticked by. Then she lifted her gaze from the shiny ride and told him, “My finances are pretty screwed right now. Mom and I always lived with my grandfather and I inherited the house—it’s paid for. But I put all my eggs in the writing basket, thinking that the success I had as a kid would continue. Unfortunately, you have to keep publishing books to generate new income and I just haven’t had the... heart ...to do that. I’ve been living off of savings and miniscule royalties for years.”
    “What about the work you do for your aunt in Bangor?”
    “Oh, that...” She shook her head. “Totally pro bono. Sales are down with so many people ordering online from bigger companies, so they’re pretty tapped, too. I fill in for free.”
    “Vix.” He let out a heavy breath.
    “I know. Not financially smart, but...she’s family. And they have a mortgage, a kid and a car payment. My stuff is all paid off. Well, except for—”
    Her mouth snapped shut.
    Nick tossed aside his rag. “Except for, what?”
    “Nothing,” she said. “Let’s just drop it, okay?”
    She turned to go.
    “Vix,” he said again. He raked his hand through his hair in agitation. “Don’t just walk away. Not this time.”
    She remained rooted where she was, not facing him.
    “Come on,” he coaxed. “Throw me a bone here. You can’t keep all this shit bottled up.”
    Planting her hands on her hips—though she didn’t turn around—she said, “I took on all of my mom’s hospital and cancer treatment bills. My grandfather’s only income came from the department store. It was nowhere near enough to make a dent in the debt. And I had some pretty decent advances at that point to help out. Though...I’m still covering the rest of the payments.”
    “Shit.” He groaned. “I had no idea. Hell, Vix. That’s a lot to take on as a teenager. And to still have it all hovering over your head.”
    “I didn’t really have a choice, now did I? And I’ve never mentioned it to anyone, so please don’t say anything.”
    “It’s not like I would,” he told her in a quiet voice.
    Finally, she turned back to him. “I know. You don’t exactly share your secrets around town. Mostly, everything said about you has nothing more to do with than your—your—” She raised her hands in the air, as though searching for the right words. Then made an exasperated sound and dropped them to her sides.
    She whirled around on her heels, as though suddenly deeply