Chapter 24
24
Days pass, and there’s no other word to describe them aside from blissful. The snow eventually falls, blanketing Heart Springs in fluffy whiteness, the kind of snow that sticks but doesn’t slush, the kind that’s perfect for snowball fights and building snowmen but doesn’t get all gray and dirty.
Lights are strung up throughout the town, a ginormous tree erected in the town square, right next to the equally large menorah that gets lit in a nightly ceremony for the eight days of Hanukah. Each morning Emma slides holiday-themed treats onto the trays in the display case and by the time we’re ready to close up shop each day, all of them have sold.
A couple of days after Ben and I met with Mimi, Emma asks me to accompany her on an errand after closing. I agree, of course, because there’s not much I wouldn’t do for her.
She locks the front door of the bakery and turns to link her arm with mine. “So we only have a few-minute walk, but I need to know everything about you and Ben. What happened and how’s it all going?” We’ve been so busy lately, we’ve barely had time to breathe, let alone gossip.
I swear, all anyone has to do lately is say the name Ben and I’m grinning like an idiot, and today is no exception. “I don’t really know how it all happened, other than the two of us became friends and then it became clear that it was really something more.”
Emma sighs wistfully. “Ugh, just the way your voice changes when you speak about him is so freaking romantic.”
I nudge her with my elbow. “Well, pretty soon, that’s going to be you. Isn’t your date with Ethan this weekend?”
She grins and nods. “It is. I’m so excited, but also like super nervous. I never thought he would ask me out, but it’s finally happening.”
I don’t kill her buzz by reminding her he didn’t actually ask her out; I basically forced him into making the date. “It’s going to be fine. The two of you are perfect for each other.” I don’t really know enough about Ethan to be making such a claim, but Emma is amazing, and the little time I did spend with Ethan made me believe he’ll be just as amazing as she is.
“Have you and Ben…you know, taken things to the next level yet?” She waggles her eyebrows up and down, and I can’t help but laugh.
“No, we have not taken things to the next level yet.” Not that I haven’t wanted to. Not that he hasn’t wanted to, either. We’ve spent every evening together since our chat with Mimi, but we’ve been holding back before going all the way.
I think a large part of our hesitation stems from the unknown. What happens if we sleep together and wake up the next morning back in the real world? What happens if we don’t? If we do find our way back home, how do we know we’ll remember our time here in Heart Springs? What if opening myself up to love, opening myself up to Ben, somehow also leads to the greatest heartbreak I can imagine—losing him.
So yeah. For now, there will be no sexy times happening. Luckily, we have fingers and hands and mouths, and exploring the ways we can make each other come without going all the way has been a challenge we’re more than happy to face head on. I realize the whole thing is an extremely heteronormative way of looking at sex, in line with a lot of the other outdated rules about dating present in Heart Springs, but it’s allowed us to have the time to explore each other in a way I’ve never done with any other partner.
Just thinking about it sends a little shiver down my spine.
And then I see where Emma is taking us, and that shiver goes from hot and horny to cold and dready.
I pull Emma to a stop outside of Noah’s office, willing to stand in the freezing snow rather than make our way to the warmth inside. “Really, Em?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She bites her lip with worry. “I wanted to tell you, but I figured if I did, you wouldn’t come with me.”
“You figured right.” I try to dislodge my arm from her grip, but with a surprising amount of strength, she keeps me locked in place.
“Please, Cam. I have to go in there and sign paperwork and didn’t you tell me not to sign anything without having a lawyer read it first?”
“I didn’t know I would be the lawyer in question. And I didn’t know all the paperwork signing would happen at my ex’s office,” I grumble, though I push through the door of the office, succumbing more for the promised warmth than anything else.
Noah greets both of us with a pleasant but fake smile, leading us into a conference room much cozier than any I’ve been in before, with cushy chairs, a large oak table, and windows overlooking actual nature and not the concrete jungle of Manhattan.
He slides a stack of papers across the table. “I’ll give you some time to look through everything. Let me know when you’re ready to discuss.”
As soon as he leaves the room, I glare at Emma. “You’re lucky I love you.”
She gives me a stiff grin in return. “You’re the best, Cam.”
Luckily, the paperwork Noah handed me is pretty straightforward, documenting the sale of the bakery to Emma for an agreed upon price. I haven’t looked at a lot of real estate contracts lately, but I remember enough from law school to make my way through. By the time we leave Noah’s office a couple of hours later, everything is signed and Emma has the metaphorical keys in her hands.
We’ve barely stepped outside when we’re stopped by Noah’s receptionist.
“Wait!” she calls, grabbing her coat and shoving her arms into her sleeves.
I assume we must have forgotten to initial something and turn back with a sigh.
But the receptionist, Celeste, I think her name is, doesn’t beckon us back into the office. “You’re Campbell, right?” she asks, though she obviously knows exactly who I am.
“That’s me.” I tighten my scarf around my neck. There’s something about the cold here that’s just colder than it is in New York.
“I have a favor to ask.”
I raise my eyebrows, but don’t say anything, gesturing for her to continue.
“It’s not so much for me, but for a friend of mine. Anna. She’s been working at the local toy store for years and she wants to take over the business since the owner has passed. He basically promised her he would leave her the shop, but now his long-lost nephew is coming back to town and claiming he has more of a right to it than she does.” Celeste pushes out the words in a rush, as if she doesn’t believe I’ll stand there and listen.
“I’m not sure what you’d like me to do.”
Celeste gestures to Emma, who’s standing next to me and flashing me weird looks. “We all saw what you did for Emma. I don’t think anyone in this town has ever bested Noah before, and you managed to bring him down in just a few weeks.”
“I didn’t exactly bring him down.” Though I obviously knew from the beginning there was no way I was going to let him take the bakery from Emma. “And really, Celeste, that was a one-time thing. I don’t think we can expect everyone in town to shell out for fundraiser after fundraiser.”
Celeste shakes her head. “Anna doesn’t need money. She has money, she just needs someone who can represent her, be her advocate.”
“I don’t know.” I feel myself starting to waver because I can’t lie—helping Emma felt good. More than good. It unlocked something inside of me that has been buried for a long time.
Celeste must feel me wavering too because she clasps her hands together and flashes me a huge smile. “Please, Cam, just talk to her. Any advice you could give her would be much appreciated.”
“I don’t have time to full on take her case,” I warn. “I work at the bakery full-time and then I…”
Celeste’s smile turns borderline salacious. “And then you have to get home to Ben. I know.”
“Great, well, love that everyone in town is talking about my personal life, but—”
“We’re all just so happy to see both of you happy!” Celeste insists.
I roll my eyes, though I know the sentiment is genuine. “Fine. I will go talk to her. One time.”
“Amazing! Thank you!” Celeste looks for a minute like she might throw her arms around me, but then thinks better of it, offering us a two-handed wave before bouncing back into Noah’s office.
Emma and I turn to walk back toward the bakery, and I can practically feel her vibrating with excitement.
“Oh my god, just say what you need to say, Em.”
“This is perfect!” she squeals.
“The entire town is now going to be coming to me for free legal advice and that screams perfect to you?” The minute people find out you’re a lawyer, they all want free legal advice.
“Who says it has to be free? Celeste said that Anna has money, she just needs your representation. Therefore, she has the ability to pay for said representation.”
“Representing clients is a full-time job, Emma. More than full-time, if we’re being real. And, as you might recall, I already have a full-time job.”
Not to mention, Mimi might blow an actual gasket if I break another rule. She straight up told me I’m not allowed to practice law anymore, lest I be settling for a career I’m not “passionate” about.
“I’ve been thinking about bringing on some extra help anyways, now that the building is mine, and with how busy we’ve been. Maybe this would be a good time for you to become just a part-time employee.”
We stop outside the bakery in question, the soft glow of the lights warming the pastel interior, the smell of fresh-baked goods seeping out through the front door and tickling my nose. Maybe working in the bakery isn’t my greatest life’s passion, but I’ve felt content here, and at home. There’s a certain sense of accomplishment that comes with a long day of hard, physical work that I never used to feel after eighty hours of sitting in front of my computer at the law firm.
“I’ll talk to Anna, but don’t you dare go cutting my hours and giving them to some pimply-faced teenager just yet.” I bend down to give Emma a hug, all on my own, without her urging at all. “You heading back inside?”
She nods. “Yup. I’ve got some prep to do for tomorrow.”
“Want help?”
She shakes her head, her eyes tracing over the soft purple letters on the door, Emma’s Eats and Treats . It all really belongs to her now, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s no actual prep needing to be done. I think Emma really just wants a minute to stand inside her bakery and relish the fact that it’s hers.
Some kind of warm goo flows through my body as I realize that none of this would have happened without my help. Emma put in the time to build her successful business, and I helped her take true ownership. For a minute, I let myself revel in the pride.
“Get on in there, then,” I say when the time for pride has passed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Emma just nods and unlocks the door, stepping into her domain like it’s the very first time.