35. Connor
CONNOR
My Delaney came back.
And fuck, if I don’t feel like the luckiest man in this whole damn town. Maybe I should still be angry, maybe I should still be clinging to the hurt that she caused. But I’m having a hard time feeling anything other than the overwhelming happiness that she came back.
Delaney clears her throat as we settle side by side on my couch, twisting her hair up into a messy bun.
“I was scared to stay because I didn’t know what would happen if I walked away from who I was in L.A. My career had become… a runaway train that I didn’t know how to get off of. But it felt impossible to do anything else.”
There’s so much sadness in her voice, and a flicker of the shame I’d seen on her face earlier.
“I didn’t want to leave,” she continues, “But I didn’t know how to stay.”
She swipes open her phone, and a sly smile creeps onto her face. “But now I do.”
She passes the phone my way and I stare at it for a moment, trying to make sense of the series of slides on her screen.
The title reads: The Orchard, a Sanctuary for Young Artists.
“Delaney, what is this?”
Her smile continues to grow. “It’s a business proposal.”
She gives me a moment to look through the slides. This thing is thorough, and some of the jargon is honestly over my head. I look back over at her, and she’s practically vibrating with excitement.
“How would you feel if I bought out your dad’s portion of the orchard and you and I built something amazing together? A retreat for young musicians and artists, up-and-comers, a place to guide them and help them find their voice. It was something that I desperately needed when I was starting out.”
I’m stunned into silence.
“Lanie baby, that’s…” I look down at the screen again, then back at her. “That’s an incredible idea.”
She continues on.
“Working with the kids at Ridgecrest, I realized how much I like helping. So really, this is a self-indulgent project.”
She laughs a little at that.
“I know, I’m kind of a selfish bitch.”
“Lanie, no you’re not,” I interrupt.
She holds her hands up in protest.
“No, it’s fine, I am sometimes. But working with Mrs. Crane and the choir was enlightening. It showed me how meaningful that kind of work is. Turns out music really is my passion, I just don’t like all the performative bullshit.”
A shadow passes over Delaney’s face. “I had a run in with Molly Jo at The Valley. I tried to swoop in and save her from a paparazzi set up, but she didn’t want my help.
It might be too late to keep her from getting caught up in the same media machine that consumed my life, but I think I can help other artists. ”
I can feel a big goofy grin spreading on my face.
“You are so incredible, Delaney.”
“I don’t know about all that, but I think this plan could be really meaningful.
I’d like to have some year-round programs for local students, then have some weeks blocked out specifically for young musicians.
We could expand to other mediums as well.
Writing retreats, poetry weekends, a music camp would be awesome too.
Really make this place an oasis for creativity. ”
I continue to scroll through the document on her phone.
Without looking up, I ask, “But why do it here? Why the orchard?”
“Because this way we both get what we want. Your dad does too. The land stays in the family, you can keep teaching at Ridgecrest, and I get to do something still industry-related that doesn’t suck the life out of me. It’s perfect.”
And shit, it really is perfect.
“This is a genius plan, Lanie Lou.” I gesture with the phone, “Did you come up with all of this yourself?”
She shakes her head, her messy top knot flopping every which way.
“No, Remi helped a lot.”
My eyes bug out a little. “Remi? As in your manager that you hate?”
Delaney winces.
“Yeah. Turns out, I might have been the problem in that dynamic. And my dad undermining every good thing in my life, as per usual.”
I nod, a little laugh escaping.
“Okay, so… you and Remi cooked this up. What does your dad think? There’s no way he’s okay with this.”
She shrugs.
“He’s not. But Remi and my lawyers got him written out of all my contracts and all my accounts, and I blocked his number. If he really needs to get in contact with me, he can go through my mom.”
Her eyes drop to her hands, a piece of her confidence slips away for a moment, and it hits me deep in my chest.
I reach over and lace my fingers through hers.
“Proud of you, baby.”
I shake my head, letting her big plan sink in. “This is… this is fucking incredible. You’re fucking incredible.”
I can see it so clearly in my mind, the orchard surging with life again, with purpose.
Delaney scoots closer to me on the couch, draping an arm around my shoulder and throwing her legs in my lap. She traces invisible circles on the back of my neck, sending the most delicious shivers down my spine.
She pulls away and looks at me, those piercing blue-gray eyes locking on mine.
“So, what do you think? Are you in?”
“Delaney, you should know this by now, when it comes to you, I can’t say no.”