40. Victoria
Chapter 40
Victoria
W e’d done it. It still felt like a dream. Two days, thousands of visitors, and more donations to the food pantry than I thought possible. I would have to sit down tomorrow and do the math, but I was confident we’d be close to six figures when it was all said and done. The number of volunteers we recruited was unbelievable too. Chip, who ran the retiree crowd, had new folks to train, and since Alice was on summer break, she had offered to take on the rest and show them the ropes.
This town had shown up in the biggest way. The town common had overflowed with competitors, and every event for the kids hit its capacity. I never would have imagined that letting toddlers climb trees would be so popular. Thankfully, Alicia, Finn’s ex-girlfriend and Merry’s mom, was a lawyer and had drafted the wavers for me pro bono.
“I know what you’re doing.” Noah sidled up beside me and held out a cold beer. “I can see the wheels turning in your mind. Tonight, we’re celebrating.”
I nodded, my head bobbling a little too forcefully. When was the last time I really had the chance to blow off steam? I was brimming with affection for this town. We’d come together and achieved something amazing. The number of people who would benefit was huge.
“Victoria.” Alexandra approached, with Graham in tow, a large smile plastered across her face. “So much fun!”
My parents lingered behind them, looking out of place in their far too-fancy outfits. My dad gave me an awkward thumbs-up. My mom only stared.
“Great job out there,” I said to Graham. It was the truth. I’d figured he’d be in the water after the first step, but he’d placed second.
“It was fun.” He scanned the Moose, taking in the chaotic atmosphere. He held out a hand to Noah, who took it. “Well done, man. That was pretty wild.”
“Thanks.” Noah dipped his chin. “Hope you all enjoyed yourselves. Vic worked around the clock on the event for months, and it shows. It was a huge success. Mr. and Mrs. Randolph, did you ever imagine Victoria would be such a trailblazer?”
My cheeks heated. I appreciated Noah sticking up for me, but my family wouldn’t buy it. Or they wouldn’t care.
Though as that thought crossed my mind, my sister shocked the hell out of me. Alex raised her bottle of water and toasted me. Graham raised his glass of wine as well and gave me an almost genuine smile.
“She is a very capable young woman,” my mother replied, her chin lifted and her nose in the air.
My heart stuttered. Holy shit. For her, that was a ringing endorsement. It was probably the nicest thing she’d said to me in twenty years. I was putting this one in the win column.
Noah nodded at them, then he put his hand on my lower back.
Taking the hint, I gave my family a tiny wave. “Enjoy the party.”
Side by side, we wandered to the dart boards, where his brothers had all set up.
“That was uncharacteristically nice,” I said, still trying to wrap my brain around the encounter.
I’d expected Alex to criticize my outfit, and I figured Graham would complain about the lack of proper vintages of wine. Instead, they seemed to be having a nice time. It was truly baffling.
Noah shrugged, eyes twinkling. “Or you’re uncharacteristically amazing and they got tired of denying it.”
With a huff of a laugh, I slapped his shoulder and headed over to the dartboard.
We drank beer, ate waffle fries, and played multiple rounds of darts. For so long, I’d been only going through the motions, doing the things I was supposed to do. I pretended to be happy in my marriage. I pretended to care about my soulless corporate job. And I pretended to enjoy living in the loud, bustling city. Every day I woke up on autopilot and did what was expected of me.
Now? Now I was fucking living. This weekend had been so much work and had taken months of planning. The number of stomachaches this festival had given me was probably in the triple digits. But it had all been worth it. Bringing the community together to benefit the food pantry was a dream come true.
I never wanted to pretend again. I wanted real and messy and challenging. I wanted Noah and Tess and the rest of this zany town.
“I’ll get the next round,” I announced as Adele was tallying up the score. It was unnecessary, given the massive margin of her victory, but she insisted, nonetheless. Weaving through the dense crowd, I made it to the bar and waved at Jim, the cranky owner of the Moose, who was bartending tonight. He routinely dropped off supplies at the food pantry. He claimed they were “extra,” but I saw right through him.
With five beer bottles in hand, I turned away from the bar and ran right smack into Denis Huxley.
His beady eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a smile. “Just who I wanted to see.”
“Hi, Denis,” I said weakly, stepping to his left so I could walk around him.
He stepped that way too, moving forward as he did, forcing me back against the hard edge of the bar top.
“Parker Gagnon filed freedom of information requests about some of our businesses,” he said. “You know anything about that?”
“Sorry, I don’t,” I said with a forced smile.
He put his arms on either side of me, pinning me against the bar, his breath heavy with alcohol. “I know what you took,” he hissed. “And I warned you about crossing—”
His body was yanked back, and then Noah was there, one hand clenched into a fist like he was going to throw a punch.
“Do not put your hands on her.”
Jude appeared beside him, then Cole, Gus, and Finn. Apparently, the entire Hebert cavalry had arrived.
Denis put his hands up. “I’m just having a conversation with my business associate.”
Those words nauseated me.
“We have no business to discuss,” I said, pulling my shoulders back. I didn’t need the Huxleys or their dirty money. This weekend had been a success, and I was more confident than ever that I could scrape together anything the food pantry still needed.
Denis scowled. “Warned you.” With that, he turned and stalked away.
“You okay?” Noah took the beer bottles from me. The concern on his face instantly melted the anger building inside me.
“I’m fine. Thank you for coming to my rescue.” Tilting to one side, I surveyed his brothers, who were all standing behind him, still puffed up and ready for a fight. “All of you. But I’m good. We can go back to celebrating now. Gus, you still owe me a game of darts.”
Eventually, the jukebox started spitting out tunes we couldn’t help but dance to. Alice and Becca twirled me around for ages, taking selfies and gushing over me in the most ridiculous way.
“Certifiable badass.” Becca spun me as Britney Spears played on the speakers.
“So proud of you, sweetie,” Alice said, clearly tipsy. She was the group lightweight. “I gotta find my hunky husband. He owes me a dance.”
As Becca and I chugged waters and caught our breath, a firm feminine hand landed on my arm.
I peered over my shoulder, finding a striking woman standing behind me. “Oh. Hello, Magnolia,” I said as I turned.
“Victoria.” She pulled me in for a double-cheek kiss. “Congratulations. What an event. It was fun for all ages and will probably go down in town history for its success. Bravo.”
Magnolia Stephens-Thomas was a tall, glamorous force of nature. I hadn’t met her, but I knew who she was. Everyone did. She was a summer person who owned one of the lakefront mansions near my parents.
She lived in New York City and visited often, swanning around town in her designer clothes and trendy haircuts. Though her social status was likely more elite than my parents, she was beloved by the town of Lovewell. She happily spent her money in the local shops and went out of her way to help out. From what I’d heard, she owned a glamorous event planning company in New York and threw wild parties.
“Here.” She held out a thick embossed business card. “I want to talk.”
I blinked at her, my tongue suddenly too big for my mouth. Magnolia wanted to talk to me?
“I recently bought the Lovewell Inn,” she explained. “I plan to renovate and reopen. I was hoping you could consult on some events for me. I need someone in Lovewell who can help get things moving.”
I stood in shock, unsure what she was asking.
“I understand you’re devoted to the food pantry and respect your dedication. I’d only enlist your help for the occasional project and understand you’d have to work around your existing commitments. But you’re good at this, and I want to employ as many locals as I can.”
I nodded, at a loss for words.
“If you’ve got too much on your plate already, I understand. But from what I’ve seen, you’re creative and motivated. I need help from someone like you in order to pull off the big plans I have for the inn.”
“S-sounds great,” I said, finally finding my voice.
“Call me next week. We can have lunch and chat. I have so many fun ideas.” With a squeeze of my arm, she turned and strutted back toward Willa and Cole.
I stared at the fuchsia business card in my hand, breaths shaky. It may not lead to anything, but the thought of the inn reopening made my heart swell. Lovewell had become more of a tourist destination in the last couple of years, and this would increase that number significantly.
Giddy and practically walking on air, I headed back over to Noah, who was standing with Finn and Adele. When I told him what Magnolia had offered, he picked me up and twirled me around. “See? I told you. Everyone in town knows how talented you are.”
This man was my biggest cheerleader. There was no way I could ever repay him for what he’d done for me. I was still learning to trust myself, but with Noah by my side, I’d learned that I was capable of so much more than I’d ever given myself credit for.
He slid his hand down my arm and laced our fingers. “Let’s dance. Your friends have been hogging you. I want you in my arms.”
Swoon. I melted into a puddle right there.
“Okay, hotshot. I’ll give you a dance.”
He pulled me onto the floor and signaled Jude, who was standing guard at the jukebox.
Noah tucked me in close when the opening notes of “Love Is Like A Butterfly” played.
My heart stumbled over itself.
“Our song,” he declared, pulling me closer.
We swayed together while the people in the crowded bar chattered and laughed and hollered. Like this, in the arms of the man I loved, my heart was full.
I was musing about how perfect life was at that very moment when the music stopped.
“Excuse me.” Denis Huxley stood on the small stage, holding a microphone. “Hello, I wanted to congratulate Victoria and the town on a wonderful festival.” He swayed slightly, his words slurring. “But there’s something you should all know.” He hiccupped. “Or hear, I mean.”
He fumbled with his phone, each tiny movement echoing through the speakers. Then he held it up to the microphone.
At the sound of Noah’s voice, I frowned in confusion. Then a wave of dread washed over me.
“I’m so happy you asked me to be your fake boyfriend.”
“I’m happy you accepted.”
“It’s wild to think this all started because I didn’t want you to go to your sister’s wedding alone.”
“I had to bring a fake date to my sister’s wedding to my ex-husband.”
“If you need me to fake being your boyfriend, your husband, anything, I’ll do it without hesitation.”
It was us. Noah and me. The conversation he’d recorded was a private one. One we’d had while we were alone in his apartment. And it had been edited. Like this, what we were saying sounded insane. Like we were two kids coming up with some kind of elaborate prank.
As a collective gasp rang out, Denis broke into a menacing grin.
Several people turned and gaped at me. My head spun and my world imploded. I sounded pathetic. I sounded dishonest.
My heart pounded wildly and my vision went spotty.
Alice appeared at my elbow, her concerned expression only adding to my panic.
Bile rose in my throat and shame washed over me. Victoria, the pathetic spinster who’d had to bring a fake date for her sister’s wedding. The pitiful single woman whose husband cheated on her with half of Boston.
All those old emotions I’d fought for months, the ones that had finally died down and become manageable, came roaring back to life. My knees wobbled, and for a moment, I was sure I’d crumple to the floor.
But Noah gripped my arm, holding me tight, even as he wore his own look of shock and confusion.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, giving me a gentle tug.
I let him lead me to the exit. Every eye in the place was fixed on us, every mouth agape.
As we approached the door, I saw them. My family.
Mom and Dad stood with their arms crossed, and Alexandra’s face was red, her expression murderous.
“You brought a fake date to my wedding?” she hissed.
Noah stepped closer, his body angled in front of mine protectively. “Let me explain—”
“You are so pathetic,” she spat. “Get it through your head. He chose me. I’m having his baby.” With that, she took Graham’s arm and stomped out the door. My parents followed silently, my mother looking positively mortified.
My knees gave out, but Noah caught me before I could hit the ground. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. I was pathetic. An utter failure. How could I delude myself into thinking I was finally worthy of respect and maybe a little admiration? God, I was an embarrassment.
“Vic. Talk to me.” Noah put his arm around me, shielding me from prying eyes.
“I want to go home,” I said softly. “Alone.”