Bree Powers

I am standing in the middle of Winter Haven's New Year's party and I have come to a discovery. I look at the three friends that mean the most to me. I look at my boss Nick Peralta, my old high school boyfriend Wyatt Hart, and my best friend Holly Wright and I realize that I don't love any of them. Wait a minute. That is not entirely true. I do love them since they are all my friends. I am just not in love with them in that special way that causes you to want to be in a relationship with someone. There is someone that I think about in that way. There is someone that I have missed for the entire holiday season. Her name is Bree Powers and she is my best friend at Piquant Press. I think that missing her motivated me into playing a successful matchmaker for my adopted Mom and brother. I wanted them to be happy because I couldn't be. Now that is almost time to go back to work, I can't help but think how I will approach her. I am so distracted that I don't hear my boss when he talks to me.

"Are you listening to me, Cynthia?" Nick sternly asks me.

"Sorry, Nick," I apologize.

"We will be leaving for the airport at 6:00 in the morning on Sunday," Nick tells me.

"6:00 on Sunday," I repeated.

Nick leaves me without another word. I don't have any more time to think about my current problem because Holly quickly hugs me.

"Thanks again for helping me get my book published," Holly acknowledges me.

"You bet!" I reply with a smile.

"I'm going to miss you," Holly speaks as her smile quickly turns upside down.

"Not as much as I'll miss you," I debate.

"This is in case I don't see you before you leave," Holly drones while kissing my left cheek.

"I get to kiss the other cheek," Wyatt orders while doing just that.

"Good luck on your new adventure," I speak while patting his shoulder.

"Thanks," Wyatt replies with a small frown.

"Scared?" I ask.

"A little," my friend sighs.

"Will this help?" I offer while hugging Wyatt.

"A lot, thanks," Wyatt answers.

"I'll be going home now," I state.

"Bye!" Wyatt and Holly speak together.

I put on my blue coat over my fancy party dress and head out in to the cold. I see that it is snowing when I get outside which picks up my mood a little. My brother Scout, er I mean Dylan, is walking with his new girlfriend Avery hand in hand. Mom is also holding hands with Charles who is Nick's pilot. I glance back at the two sets of lovebirds and I get a little sad. Don't get be wrong. I am very happy for all of them especially since I helped get both couples together. It is just that I am the only one in our group walking alone and it is starting to make me lonely. I wish Bree could have been here. I see Dylan kissing Avery on the cheek just before heading down a side street to walk her home. I see Charles letting go of my mother's hand and going off to find his own route to my house where he and Nick had been staying during the holiday season. I find out why Charles did that when Mom gently stops me by putting her hand on my shoulder. I guess a mother always knows when her child needs cheering up. I look at Mom and a tear falls out of my right eye. My adopted mother has me sit with her on a town bench and rests my head on her shoulder while patting it. As periodic tears fall out of my eyes, I remember that this has been our ritual every time I was upset throughout my childhood.

"Are you okay?" Mom asks.

"I'm not jealous!" I blurt out.