Chapter Twenty-eight
D elilah sat at her computer Wednesday afternoon and stared at the certified letter in her hands. She’d opened it hours ago, but the contents of the very formal correspondence hadn’t sunk in yet.
Dear Ms. Gill,
Due to the rising costs of maintaining rental properties in Idaho while the owner is living out of state, they have decided to put the property you currently rent on the market for sale. Therefore, you have thirty days from the postmark of this letter to find another residence and vacate the premises. We appreciate your attention to this matter and apologize for any inconvenience.
Regards,
H.G. Yearly
Snow Cap Property Management
How could this be happening now? Things were starting to look up. She’d sent her manuscript to her friend Erica, who worked at Holly’s shop and was an English major. She’d bought a program for her computer that would format the book for publication. She’d even paid for a gorgeous premade cover she’d discovered on Etsy, which fit the story to a T.
And then there was Anthony.
But after the accident and the altercation on Saturday, she’d been sitting in urgent care waiting to be seen when she’d gotten a text from her friend at the middle school and discovered substitute teachers were losing two dollars in pay starting January 1. The school district had some surplus incentive pay to get more subs, but the money would run out in the new year. It was one more sign the universe was against her staying in Mistletoe, and Delilah had been prepared to accept the truth, no matter how much it hurt.
When Anthony told Delilah how he felt, it was like a light had gone on inside. All her doubts and frustrations over the last few weeks disappeared. Delilah stopped looking at the problems as signs and decided that if she wanted a future with Anthony, if she wanted to help him build that house and fill those kids’ rooms, she needed to stop being such a defeatist and fight for what she wanted.
The first thing she’d done Saturday after Anthony dropped her off, after a much needed nap, was to finish the snowboarding article and send it to Outside Magazine . She attached an email thanking them for their job offer but informing them that she couldn’t accept it.
Maybe Delilah was crazy to turn down an opportunity that would keep her afloat, but being without Holly, her town, and the man he loved? It just didn’t make any sense.
Anthony had stopped by every night after work to hold her and kiss her while they both healed, telling her about all the things they could do to make his house theirs. They’d argued over plates and couches until she’d slipped her hand into his pants and caressed him, making him close his eyes as he arched into her hand.
“This is unfair.”
“When you want something, I’ll let you torture me with your tongue.”
“Mmm, fine. We can get the floral plates.”
Delilah hadn’t left him hanging, bringing him to paradise slow and gentle with her mouth. They’d already been anticipating their first official time together happening after the bachelor auction on Friday night and Delilah had ordered a special surprise to wear under her dress.
She stared down at the letter and crumpled it into a ball, tossing it against the wall with a feral yell. Leia hopped off the couch with her ears back, staring from the ball of paper to her mama in terrified confusion.
“I’m sorry, baby. Mom’s having a bad day.”
Leia turned around and trotted outside, obviously afraid Delilah might lose her shit again.
Delilah had been utilizing the power of positivity in order to make herself believe that she could stay here, but this? She had nowhere to go. She’d been checking for months, looking for a cheaper place to rent but the prices kept going up, not down. The only way she could afford to stay in Mistletoe was to ask Holly if she could move in with her and Declan for a bit, and she couldn’t imagine her bestie’s boyfriend loving that idea.
And while Anthony had looped Delilah into his dream home, it was so early in their relationship, she couldn’t ask that of him. She shouldn’t want to. Moving in with a man after three weeks was something that she would have never considered. His home was at least six months away from being built, so that would mean staying in his tiny trailer with him and her dog. He’d boot them out in a week.
Maybe you should at least ask his opinion. He could be excited about it.
Or he’d think she was a desperate mooch trying to sponge off him.
Delilah got off the couch and slipped on her Hey Dudes. She put Leia into her kennel before she left. Delilah couldn’t stay in the house and stew for another minute, or she would lose her mind.
Once she climbed into her car, Delilah dialed her mom, who picked up on the first ring. “Hello, Delilah?”
“Hi, Mom.” She couldn’t stop her voice from catching on a sob and prayed that her mom hadn’t heard it.
“What’s wrong?” her mom questioned, knowing something was off just like all moms do.
“Why does something have to be wrong?” Delilah sniffed, starting her car and waiting for the call to switch over to her Bluetooth. When it finally did, Delilah put her phone in the cup holder and added, “Can’t I just call you to say hi?”
“I know when there is something wrong; I’ve been your mother for many years.”
“And not just my whole life? Weird.” Delilah wasn’t sure where she was headed, but a drive might help her clear her head. That, and a little vent session with her mom.
“Spill it, child. You called me for a reason.”
Delilah sighed, struggling with how to start. “I don’t know, Mom. I just—” Delilah paused, realizing she should set some ground rules before her mother went off on a tangent that would put her in a worse mood than she was in before. “Can I preface this conversation by asking that you not use this as an opportunity to tell me I should move to Boise or that I should get a more reliable job?”
“Delilah, I won’t do that. I hope you know that I only want you closer to me because I miss you.”
The sadness in her mother’s voice twisted the knot of guilt tighter. “I know that, and I miss you, too, but I am really heartbroken right now and I just need to vent.”
“Vent away, my love. I’ll just listen,” her mother said, her voice warm and understanding.
Delilah took a deep breath at the stoplight to center herself before beginning. “So, I got rejected by all of the publishers for the fantasy book series my agent took out, but I’ve been trying to see the silver lining, like Holly always tells me to do. As a result, I researched self-publishing and got the ball rolling on getting my book edited and formatted, but in the meantime, I got this job offer from a magazine in Colorado—”
“Colorado!” her mother cried, already gearing up to naysay it, but Delilah cut her off.
“You promised.”
Delilah’s mother cleared her throat. “You’re right, please continue.”
“They offered me a really great opportunity, in a well-compensated position, but it was for an outdoor magazine and I am not outdoorsy at all. That should have been the end of it, because even though I considered taking it, Anthony told me on Sunday that he loves me.”
“He did?” her mother squealed. “Oh my goodness! What did you say?”
Delilah smiled, relishing this bright spot in the sad news. “That I love him, too, of course. Mom, he is so great. I mean, he got into a fight Sunday”—her mom gasped, but Delilah plowed through without allowing her to ask questions—“which was really stupid, but it was in defense of me. How can I get mad at that?”
“How was it in defense of you?” she asked. “What happened? Did someone hurt you? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, I mean, I got a concussion, but I’m better now!”
“Someone gave you a concussion?” she shrieked. “I’ll kill them.”
Delilah realized that she’d forgotten to tell her mom about her snowboarding accident a moment too late. “Oh, no, I got the concussion while snowboarding. The guy Anthony fought with was just calling me nasty names and Anthony lost it.”
“Does he lose it with you?” her mom asked quietly, her voice laced with concern.
“No, never. He is so sweet.” Delilah drove past Adventures in Mistletoe but didn’t see Anthony’s truck. “He’s been saving for ten years to build his dream house and he finally has all his ducks in a row and he wants me to be a part of it. He’s got his business, the land, all the utilities in place … ”
“Delilah, I don’t mean to rush you, but with the exception of the fight and concussion, I haven’t heard an end-of-the-world problem yet.”
“I’m getting to it.” Delilah took a deep breath as she took a side street back onto the highway. “All of this really good stuff with Anthony has been overriding all the badness, but then I got a letter today that they’re selling my duplex. I have thirty days to move out and find a new place, but I can’t afford anywhere else in this area. I can’t live with Holly because it’s not fair for her and her boyfriend to have me third-wheeling them for who knows how long. Anthony keeps talking about how he wants my opinion on his house, but I can’t ask him if I can stay with him. It’s too soon, right?”
“I don’t know. I knew I loved your father pretty soon after meeting him.”
“But you didn’t just say, ‘Hey, I know we just started dating and we’re in the honeymoon stage, but do you want to move in together?’”
There was a heavy beat of silence before my mother agreed, “You’re right, I did not say that. However, he did ask me to marry him a few months after we started dating.”
“That’s my point.” Delilah stopped at the three-way stop sign, looking to the left at the curvy road that led to the Winters’ farm and Anthony’s place, but he wasn’t home or out with tourists so …
Wednesday. It was set-up day for the Mistletoe Winter Games.
“Delilah? Did I lose you?”
“No, sorry, I lost my train of thought,” Delilah said, making the right toward the town center. “What was I saying?”
“You were talking about it being too soon to move in with Anthony.”
“Right. I have no idea if he is serious or not about this house stuff or if he is going to freak when he realizes I’m a stray puppy looking at him like he’s got a doggy door I want to crawl into.”
“That is a unique analogy,” her mother said dryly.
“I just … I feel like the universe is trying to tell me that this is it and I should just bite the bullet and leave Mistletoe. Take the job in Colorado”—her mom make a loud clearing throat noise and Delilah rolled her eyes—“or some other equally well-paying position and settle in somewhere else.”
“What about Anthony?” her mom asked.
“I don’t know. This is where I need your sound, motherly advice.”
“Oh, you want my advice now, huh?”
Delilah rolled her eyes. “Alright, any more of that and I’m going to lose service.”
Her mother laughed. “I would be honest with him, honey. If he isn’t ready, then you two know you are in different places. That way you know if you have to leave Mistletoe, you either need to make it work long distance or let it go and see if you get a second chance with him down the road. Sometimes relationships are all about timing.”
“Our timing has been awful, but I thought things were finally coming together.”
“Can I give you my unbiased opinion? No ulterior motives?” she asked.
“Sure.”
“I think that you are afraid to tell him everything because you don’t think he can handle it, which means you’re holding back because you’re unsure you can trust him.”
“I trust him.”
“Not as a person, sweetheart, but with your heart. You love him, but if you give him all your troubles and ask him to be your partner, you think he’s going to run.”
Delilah parked the car along the edge of Mistletoe Community Park, closing her eyes against the truth. How many times had she told Holly she thought he was going to panic? That he was a coward?
Maybe he wasn’t the only one.
“Thank you,” Delilah said.
“For what?”
“For listening.”
“Anytime, my darling,” her mother said, and Delilah could hear the smile in her voice. It made her miss seeing that smile in person.
“I’ve been thinking that maybe I could come see you guys this weekend?” Delilah said abruptly. “Maybe stay the night?”
“Of course, but aren’t there a bunch of Mistletoe Christmas events going on?”
“Yeah,” Delilah said, watching the garland that the town had stretched along the play structure sway in the wind, “but you know I’m not really into that stuff.”
“Well, if you want to come down here and hang, I will not argue. I miss being able to see my girl anytime I want.”
“You know, you guys could always sell your house and move back up here.”
“Now, you told me I couldn’t do that to you,” her mother scolded.
Delilah grinned. “I know, but you left yourself wide open.”
“As beautiful as it is up there, I can’t do more than a few inches of snow and neither can your father.” There was a brief pause before her mother came back with a wheedling tone. “You know what might get us back up that way someday?”
Delilah realized what her mother was about to say and shouted, “I love you, hanging up now.”
“Grandbabies! Lots of cute grandbabies. I love you, too!”
Delilah ended the call, her body shaking with laughter. Her mom was amazing, the best person in the whole world.
But she always had to find some way to be a giant pain in the ass.
Delilah climbed out of the car and headed toward the crowd of people setting up tents. The roar of a chainsaw buzzed to life and Delilah was a little afraid of the kind of winter games Adventures in Mistletoe had in store for them.
As she drew closer to where the games would take place, she noticed several men on the outdoor skating rink in full hockey gear running drills.
“Delilah!”
She turned at the sound of Anthony’s voice and spotted him jogging toward her across the snow-covered lawn, his unbuttoned flannel flapping behind him like a cape. With all the work he and Pike had put into this event, she could believe he was a superhero.
“Hi,” she said, lifting her face up for his kiss.
Anthony started to lean down and winced, clutching the back of his neck. “I can’t wait until you are healed so I can pick you up. All this bending over is giving me a crick in the neck.”
“Shut up,” she said, laughing. He grinned before leaning down and finally giving her a hello kiss, fast and sweet.
“How are your ribs?” she asked.
“Better. You should see Pike’s eye though. It’s more green than purple.”
“That sounds gross,” she said, watching several mean waving chainsaws in the air over his shoulder. “Can I ask what the chainsaws are for?”
“We’re filming a horror film. Mistletoe Christmas Chainsaw Massacre ,” he deadpanned.
“That isn’t even clever. It’s too long and wordy.”
“It’s a working title,” he quipped. “We can workshop better ones later.” He slung an arm over her shoulder, leading her toward the noise. “No, the chainsaws are for the ice sculpture contest.”
“You’re going to have people carve ice sculptures using chainsaws?” Even out loud it sounded insane. “Did you make sure the ambulance would be on sight or are we to watch people bleed out in the snow?”
“You have a gruesome imagination, but no. We are taking precautions and the people signing up are professionals. It’s the relay race where all bets are off.”
“What are you doing for the relay race?” she asked.
“The players are going to start by the elementary school,” he said, pointing at the hill in the distance that blocked the view of Mistletoe Elementary, “and work their way to the park, gathering their snowmen supplies using a set of clues.”
“Like a scavenger hunt?”
“Yes, I was inspired by the night we officially met.”
Delilah snorted. “We’ve known each other for years.”
“Not really,” he said, leaning down to nuzzle her ear. “We knew of each other, acknowledged the other’s existence, but didn’t know -know each other until that night.”
“You have a point. Continue.”
“So, the track will run from the elementary school to the hill, where the first person will sled down. The sledder tags in the skier at the bottom of the hill, who will cruise down Main Street, finally tapping in our reindeer—”
“Reindeer?” she questioned.
“Yeah, the person who runs the final leg will have to put on a reindeer costume and gather up the rest of the scavenger hunt supplies while dodging snowballs.”
Delilah shook her head. “I feel like you’re doing too much here.”
“I disagree, but I will let you have your opinion. The third player will build an epic snowman using only what they gathered. First to finish wins the race.”
“It sounds like chaos,” she laughed, scanning the people and tent, her attention returning to the men skating in full hockey gear. “What are the hockey guys doing on the outdoor rink?”
“Oh, we’re going to have a hockey game as the finale.”
“Um, are you playing?” she asked, her heart thundering in her chest.
“Yeah, why?”
“Because I like your teeth right where they are?”
Anthony kissed her forehead. “I’ll be fine.”
“Hmmm, those skates are also super sharp. They could easily slice your balls and then that would be all she wrote.”
“Okay, I think someone has been watching too many Christmas horror films and not enough Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer .”
“Rudolph is a horror movie,” she argued. “Rudolph was bullied and his friend was eaten by a yeti.”
Anthony burst out laughing, wrapping her in a hug. “Man, what is with you? You have a bit of the Grinch in you today. What do I need to do to make your heart grow ten times bigger?”
Delilah sighed. “Sorry, I just got some bad news is all.”
“You want to talk about it?” he asked.
“No,” she said, returning his hug. “I want to spend time with you and hear more about these wild winter games.”
“Oh, I like that. Remind me next year to use that.”
Delilah’s chest tightened, hoping that there would be a next year for not just the games, but the two of them together.