I had only been gone a few weeks, but it was just as stunning as I remembered. The flowers around the city were in bloom and the sun shone brightly as I had lugged my duffel up to my apartment. My roommates had were gone for the weekend, but I enjoyed the solitary. We had an extra-large balcony that had a monumental view of the harbor, and I planted myself in one of the chairs for the entire day. I didn’t unpack, I didn’t eat or drink—I just soakedin the city. Yet as much as I loved Boston, it wasn’t home. It wasn’t Casper. I missed the small-town life, the two-lane roads, and Luke. I missed Luke most of all, even though it was over between us. When Rainey called me the following Tuesday, I agreed to meet her at Faneuil Hall for lunch. I was early, but she was already waiting for me by the Christmas shoppe. It was her favorite store, no matter what town she was in. Casper has a tiny little shop that boasted Christmas year-round, but Rainey was clearly taken with the store. “Let’s go inside,”
