Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“I can’t believe today has finally arrived!”
Hazel turned toward Julia with a grin, appreciating the way her sister was practically dancing her way through the pub. The night of The Lighthouse Grill’s Christmas community event had finally arrived, and the Owens family was bustling about the pub, putting the finishing touches on the room. With them were Noelle, Cooper, and Grayson, all of whom had volunteered to help their significant other get the pub ready for the event.
“I can’t hardly believe it either.” Hazel smiled, feeling a glow of satisfaction in her chest.
After all of the hard work that they had put into the event, she was thrilled to know that they were finally ready—and that their preparations hadn’t been in vain. The pub’s redecorations looked fantastic. The new color on the walls made the room feel cozier and warmer, and the wall of plants and framed photographs looked charming and homey.
“I’m so proud of everything we’ve done,” she added. “It looks wonderful in here, and I’m so happy about it. And it feels even better knowing that our family made this happen through teamwork.”
“We sure did.” Alexis nodded at Hazel as she and Grayson carried in a couple of steaming dishes of food. There was a long buffet table set against the front windows, and it was nearly covered in bowls and platters of food.
Allison and the other cooks had been hard at work cooking for a couple of hours, and Julia, Vivian, Hazel, and Alexis had also prepared dishes earlier in the day for the event. There were dishes of mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato fries, ham, turkey, tuna casserole, seven-layer salad, miniature chicken fajitas, coleslaw, creamed corn, and egg rolls.
In addition to the savory foods, there were various cakes, cookies, and pies, some prepared by the staff of The Lighthouse Grill, and others by friends who had volunteered to contribute to the event. Noelle had baked a couple of gorgeous lemon meringue pies, and Dean kept looking at her as if he thought she was some kind of fairy princess.
“That’s the last of the kiddie artwork pieces,” Samantha said triumphantly, stepping back from the far left wall of the dining room, where she’d hung row after row of drawings that the children who had been coming to the pub had made. Most of them were adorably sloppy messes of color, but some of them were rather impressive crayon drawings of things like horses, houses, and snowmen.
“Looks fantastic, honey,” Hazel said, feeling proud of her daughter. “Great job!”
“Come and help me hang this mistletoe, Cooper!” Julia called with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “I think we should hang it right here over the fireplace.”
Cooper grinned at her. “Should I go get a ladder or do you want me to lift you up?”
Vivian laughed as she entered from the kitchen, carrying a streaming tray of pot stickers. “You’d better hurry up with that, I think I see people arriving.”
Sure enough, a moment later, a family of four stepped into the pub, chatting in excitement.
“Are we too early?” the father asked. “If you want, we can go wait in the car.”
“Of course not!” Vivian smiled at him. “The event doesn’t formally start for another fifteen minutes, but you’re more than welcome to make yourselves at home. We’re all family here.”
In another few minutes, more and more people started to arrive. Hazel felt swept up in the excitement of the event, and she felt delighted by how festive the pub looked. Christmas greenery and red ribbons and twinkling white lights added a charm to the already attractive restaurant. Faint Christmas music was playing over the speakers, and as the pub became filled with guests, a light snow began to fall outside.
Hazel worked with her family to make sure that everything ran smoothly. They cleared empty platters of food from the buffet table and brought out full ones, they restocked the clean dishes, and they went from table to table in the dining room taking dirty dishes from guests. There was plenty of work to be done, but for the most part, the Owens and their partners were able to relax and enjoy the evening.
Hazel felt a little nervous in the midst of her happiness, wondering if Jacob was going to show up. She hadn’t seen him since she’d told him that she didn’t want to date him, and she’d kept herself busy in order to stop herself from thinking about him. She had to admit to herself that now that there wasn’t anything left to do to prepare for the event, she was finding it harder not to wonder if he was going to attend.
I hope he does , she thought, even though her stomach flopped at the thought. We said we were going to stay friends. And he made all this possible by repairing the vents. He should be rewarded by getting to experience this party.
As she was coming back out of the kitchen bearing a fresh bowl of coleslaw, she saw Jacob. He appeared to have just stepped inside the pub, and he was looking around the room with a sweet smile on his face. He looked delighted by the festive atmosphere of the party, which was filled with the sounds of people talking and laughing and the sweet and savory aromas of food.
Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. He looked so handsome, with his cheeks flushed from the cold and his eyes bright with eagerness. His hair was a little tousled from being under his hat, and she had a sudden urge to go to him and brush it back into place with her fingertips.
I’m still smitten with him , she thought, feeling her heart rate pick up. How on earth is it that the feelings I thought I’d put away are back?
He caught sight of her in the next moment and his smile widened. He crossed the room toward her, not looking at anyone but her.
“Hey.” He gave her a friendly sideways hug, being careful to avoid the bowl of coleslaw she was holding. “You look beautiful.”
“Oh, gosh.” She laughed breathlessly, looking down at the red sweater and jeans she was wearing. “I wasn’t trying to look beautiful, just comfy.” Her cheeks felt flushed, and she wondered if she was blushing. She wished she wasn’t still acting awkward around him, and that she was able to maintain the casual, friendly demeanor that she’d had with him before she’d learned that he was single.
“It’s a nice sweater. It brings out your eyes. I mean—” He laughed. “Not that your eyes are red, obviously. It just—you look nice.” He smiled at her as if he was hoping she would smile back, but she found herself thinking about all the times her eyes had been red after crying about the fact that he was dating someone else. She cleared her throat awkwardly.
“It is a nice sweater, thanks. My mom knit it for me a few Christmases ago.”
Jacob gestured toward the food table. “Have you eaten yet?”
Hazel glanced over at the platters of food, and her stomach growled loudly. “No, not yet. I?—”
“Perfect. Would you eat with me?”
Hazel inhaled, about to make some excuse, but then she told herself that would be rude. After all, she’d told him that they could be friends, and eating dinner together at a party with lots of other people there wasn’t a date.
“Sure.” She smiled, still feeling skittish and unsure of how to behave. She found it hard to look him right in the face, especially because his eyes were sparkling and it made him look particularly handsome. “I have to set this coleslaw on the table anyway.”
After she placed the coleslaw on the buffet table, they went through the food line together, and some of Hazel’s discomfort disappeared as she and Jacob chatted about how incredible the food looked and smelled. She piled a modest amount of food onto her plate, knowing she would be going back for seconds later in the evening.
“This ham looks fantastic,” Jacob said. “I love ham.”
“I know,” Hazel said, and then stopped talking, wondering if it was weird that she remembered how much he liked ham. Was that the kind of detail that any friend would remember, or did she only remember that because she liked him and she’d unintentionally memorized all of his food preferences?
He smiled at her, not seeming to think it was weird that she remembered. It appeared to make him happy, as if he liked that she knew it.
“What’s your favorite food here?” he asked her. “The coleslaw, I’ll bet.”
“No, mashed potatoes. Especially with Allison’s award-winning gravy. I tried to make it once with the recipe she gave me, and it didn’t turn out right at all.” She laughed, remembering how disappointed she’d been.
“I bet it tasted great. You’re a really good cook.”
She nodded, suddenly feeling awkward again. “Thanks.” She wondered if he’d thought that she was fishing for compliments with her story. She hadn’t been, but she found it odd that he’d been so quick to compliment her.
They reached the end of the food line, and Jacob gestured to an empty table for two at the back of the dining room. “Looks like those seats are open. You want to sit with me there?”
“Sure. That’s a nice spot, by the window.” She was speaking stiffly, finding it hard to look at him. She wanted to behave differently, but she felt so uncomfortable, wondering how to act and what he was thinking.
They sat down together and began to eat their food. It was still warm and absolutely delicious. Hazel closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the creamy taste of the mashed potatoes paired with the rich gravy.
“You must feel really proud of what you and your family has accomplished here,” Jacob said, smiling at her. “It’s a fantastic event. Everyone seems really happy.”
She nodded, smiling more at the table than at him. “Thanks. I am proud.”
They ate their food in silence for a while. Every now and again, Jacob would try to make conversation, but Hazel would answer him in short sentences and not ask him any questions in return. She kept telling herself that she should, but she felt too tongue-tied. Finally, when they were done eating and just finishing their coffee, he cleared his throat gently.
“Hazel?”
She glanced up at his face and saw that he was looking right at her, his expression slightly pained.
“Yes?”
“We—I guess I just want to say that we had so much fun together when we were fixing the vents. I don’t want to feel like I damaged our friendship by saying what I did. It’s okay that you’re not interested in me. Heck, I never really figured you would be.” He grinned gallantly. “Why does our comradery have to be any different now? I’m okay with just being friends.”
Hazel bit her lip. “It’s not that. It’s not that at all.”
He watched her face carefully. “Then what is it?”
She sighed. “I don’t want you to think that I would never be interested in you. I—I was. I really was. Right before you started dating your girlfriend, I was actually planning on asking you out.”
Jacob’s eyes widened. “You were? Me?”
She couldn’t help smiling a little, because his surprise was so endearing. “Yes. My family helped me figure out how I was going to do it and everything. I made you a gift basket. You remember that I had that basket with me when I ran into you and your girlfriend for the first time? I was planning on asking you out that day. But learning that you were with someone else completely stopped me in my tracks.”
Jacob shook his head, looking dazed. “I can hardly—Hazel, I had no idea. I never would have expected you to be interested in me.”
“I was.” She laughed breathlessly for a moment, thinking of all the times she’d sat in her kitchen daydreaming like a teenager about getting to go out with him. “I—ever since high school, I’ve been interested in you.”
Jacob straightened up, looking ecstatic and hopeful. “Really? Honestly?”
She cleared her throat. “Yes. But—well, I was always too scared to do anything about it. When I’d finally mustered enough courage to ask you out, it was too late. That taught me that I was too afraid of getting hurt, and I didn’t value myself enough. After that happened, I spent a lot of time working on self-growth and learning to be a more confident person. That’s why I said no to going out with you now. I want to make sure I’m not going to lose that progress.”
Although it looks like I already have, she thought with a sigh. I feel like I’m all thumbs right now.
“I understand.” He smiled at her. “It’s clear that you’re doing really well. You’ve been so successful here with the pub, and I can tell that you’ve become more confident. I absolutely admire the character growth you’ve undergone. But I don’t think that going out with me would make you any less confident.” He gripped the sides of his coffee mug tightly, leaning forward a little. “If you were to give me a chance, Hazel, I wouldn’t mess that up.”
She inhaled, feeling torn. Her heart was thumping, and she felt overwhelmed by what he was saying. It felt like too much for her to think about at once. She felt her face flushing hotly as she looked back at him.
“I—thank you for saying that, Jacob.” Her voice sounded breathless. “But I just don’t have the—I can’t think about that just now. I’m still concerned about this event being successful, and I should get back to helping make sure things run smoothly. I can’t think about anything else just now.”
He nodded, looking as though she’d just punched him in the stomach. “I hear what you’re saying. Okay.” He forced a smile and stood up, picking up his plate and coffee mug. “I can take your plate. Should I just bring them into the kitchen?”
“I can do that?—”
He shook his head. “No, I’d like to.”
“Okay.” She swallowed. “Yeah, just put them on the counter by the dishwashing area. Thanks.”
He nodded, forced a smile again, and walked away. She watched him go, feeling an ache in her chest.
My heart hurts, she thought. I wish I hadn’t made him sad like this. But I ? —
She shook her head, feeling overwhelmed again. She didn’t even know what she was thinking, and her emotions felt like a confusing mess. She stood up, deciding that she would step outside for a moment to make sure that none of the outdoor signs pointing people toward the event had blown away.