32. Elodie
THIRTY-TWO
ELODIE
It was blue.
Not just any blue, but electric, riotously, unapologetically blue . The kind of blue that caught sunlight and flung it back like a dare. The kind of blue you couldn’t ignore, even if you wanted to.
I stood in the freshly leveled gravel driveway, arms crossed over my chest, chin tipped up to drink in the sight of it.
The paint was still tacky in some places, and the scent was sharp and raw in the warm summer air, like the whole building had been reborn and hadn’t quite dried yet.
A smudge of it streaked across my forearm, proof that I’d been part of the resurrection, that I’d wielded a brush and stood on a ladder and chosen this wild, impossible color on purpose.
For Stan.
In many ways, it felt like the last thing I could do for him with the little time I had left there.
It was like closing a book you didn’t want to end, but you knew you had to.
The barn was finished, but my promise to him wasn’t kept.
I had promised Stan that we could turn Star Harbor Farm into the best family destination in Western Michigan.
But now, the rest of that dream wasn’t mine.
I swallowed past a lump in my throat as I fought back tears. “Hey, Levi.”
I battled the sun as I looked up at the big, beautiful barn.
“What’s up?” he answered, carrying the last of our five-gallon paint buckets to the front of the barn.
I bit back a smile. “What’s red and smells like blue paint?”
His dark brows pinched together. “Um ...” At a loss, his shoulders lifted.
I grinned. “Red paint.”
“Oh, wow.” Levi shook his head and started to walk away. “That was bad.”
I cackled at my own terrible joke. “Come on. It’s hilarious .” On impulse I glanced at the paintbrush in my hand before throwing it in his direction. The brush tumbled end over end through the air and landed smack-dab in the middle of his back, leaving a massive smear of cheery, blue paint.
Levi froze. When he turned, childlike mischief sparkled in his eyes. Fighting laughter, my hands flew up. “It was a joke. I’m sorry.”
His eyes flicked to the nearly empty five-gallon bucket at his feet.
“No. Levi ... no.” I had already started backing up as he lowered to grab the handle of the bucket. I was fucked.
Quickening my steps, panic rose in my chest as he started walking toward me. “Levi. I was messing around. Don’t you dare—I’ll fire you!”
With every step, my flight impulse ratcheted higher. When Levi took off in a sprint toward me, I turned and ran. The kid was fast, I’d give him that. Reaching into the bucket, he pulled out a soaked paintbrush, flinging electric-blue paint in my direction as I screamed, laughed, and ran like hell.
His youthful laughter rang out behind me as he shouted, “You can’t fire me. I quit!”
With wide eyes I turned, stunned. My mouth fell open. “Levi ...”
A grin hooked the side of his mouth as he shrugged.
“Nah, I’m just playing.” He dropped the paintbrush back into the bucket, both of us laughing and breathless.
I slung my arm around him, pulling him into an affectionate side hug.
We were covered in blue, splatters slashing across our clothes and faces, but we didn’t care.
“Ahem.” The stern throat clearing behind us had Levi and I whipping around.
Cal had his phone held up, capturing a picture and shaking his head. I’m certain my eyes were wide, mouth open like a fish as I was surprised into silence.
With a smile, Cal pocketed his phone. He jerked his head over his shoulder as he spoke to Levi. “Jamie is here to get you for community service. You should clean up.”
Levi nodded, the easy smile never leaving his face. “Yes, sir.”
As he walked away, I called after him. “There will be payback for this!”
Levi jogged away, laughing. My attention rested on Cal. His expression was hard to read—like he was studying me and not quite sure what to make of me.
His eyes flicked up to the barn. “It sure is something.”
I sighed. “I know. Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yeah. Sure is.” His gruff voice had me turning. He wasn’t even looking at the barn, but instead staring right at me. A smile bloomed on my face as I hugged my middle.
Cal cleared his throat, shifting my attention to the brooding look on his face. “Can we go for a walk? I’d like to talk with you for a bit.”
Dread pooled in my stomach. Cal and I hadn’t addressed the massive elephant in the room—when the summer had started, an unspoken rivalry blossomed between us and we were both fighting for the farm.
Now everything was . . . different.
Unable to find my voice, I nodded and walked in step with Callum. His long strides slowed to allow me to keep pace with him. His wide palms were stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, shoulders hunkered forward like the weight of whatever he needed to tell me was pressing down on him.
“Helen came to tell me today that the Keepers have come to a decision.” The gravel in his voice pricked my skin as tears burned behind my eyelids.
I didn’t think I could look at him without falling apart.
He gently cleared his throat. “The preservation easement went through, meaning the land itself is protected from outside developers.”
The knot in my chest eased the tiniest bit.
“But,” he continued, looking at his boots, “that doesn’t keep just anyone from bidding on the property.”
My chin lifted. “Bidding?”
His jaw flexed, and he dipped his chin with a nod. “They put it to a vote. Since Stan’s wishes were for any proceeds of sale to go back to Star Harbor’s public works and education systems, an auction would garner the highest profit.”
Panic rose, burning my throat and causing my words to come out choked. “I see.”
Cal paused, the dunes at his back and a breeze ruffling his dark hair. “We’re all so proud of what you and Stan have done here. It’s just?—”
My hand flew up to stop him. I wiped under my nose in an effort to hold myself together. “No, I get it.”
I could feel Cal’s gaze on my face, but I focused my attention on the farmland that stretched in front of me. So much potential. So much more I wanted to do.
“I asked Helen to let me be the one to tell you.”
A man who could communicate should have been a dream, but what no one tells you is that sometimes you don’t want to hear it.
I gathered the courage to finally look at him. “So you’re bidding on it then?”
His expression was tortured, but he didn’t lie. “Yes.”
My lip trembled, but I nodded.
Cal exhaled. “Look, if I don’t, anyone can take it for themselves. Sure, the easement helps, but if I don’t purchase it, there’s no telling who will and what they’ll do with it.”
My eyes whipped to him. “Please don’t do that. Don’t lie to me now. I know you’ve wanted it since the beginning. Just admit it.”
His warm, brown eyes bore into mine. “I’ve wanted it from the beginning. I still want it.”
His brutal honesty sucked the air from my lungs. Deep down, I had always known it, but finally hearing it out loud made it real . Cal wanted the land for his restaurant, and a part of me knew he deserved that.
I was certain I could never outbid Cal, but stubborn pride bubbled inside me as my chin lifted. “But what if I still want it too?”
I started to walk away. I was too afraid to hear his answer. My boots crunched on the freshly laid walking paths, defeat echoing in my ears.
“El, please don’t walk away,” he called after me. “The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”
I turned to face him, not bothering to wipe away the fat tears that streaked down my face. “I know, Cal, and I don’t want to hurt you either ... but no matter who wins here, someone is getting hurt. Neither of us can get what we want without hurting the other. How is that fair?”
Cal’s arms crossed, his expression unreadable. “It isn’t, but if someone else—some corporation or greedy businessman swoops in—” Cal dragged a hand through his hair before gesturing at the barn. Frustration seeped from his every pore.
“What?” I demanded, my voice rising into the evening air.
“You sold them all the dream, El!” he shouted. “Everyone knows exactly how magical this place could be. You documented every step, shared every plan you had. Now all someone has to do is buy the land and profit off your ideas! You handed it to them on a silver fucking platter!”
Realization was a sucker punch.
Hurt laced with shame as I fired back. “Well excuse the fuck out of me! I was happy and having fun and, and—did you think I knew Stan was going to die ?” My voice broke on the last word, and I swayed on my feet.
In all my enthusiastic oversharing on social media, I never imagined that I was detailing all the plans to anyone who was paying attention. I had never dreamed that the plans Stan and I were creating wouldn’t happen or that someone could come in and take that dream for themselves .
Instantly Cal’s strong arms wrapped around me, holding me steady.
Grounding me.
I leaned into his embrace, closing my eyes. I knew in my heart that Cal wasn’t the enemy. Emotions were high, and shoving down my sadness for losing Stan had been a losing battle.
I let the grief in.
I let it wash over me in waves, pulled under by the tide of everything I couldn’t say—that I loved this place. That I missed Stan. That I was deeply in love with Cal. That I didn’t know who I was without this dream, and I wasn’t sure I’d survive watching it belong to someone else.
When the heaviest of sobs racked out of me, Cal stayed sitting on the walking path, wrapped around me like a blanket. “It’s okay,” he soothed, smoothing my curls away from my face. “I won’t let anything bad happen to the farm. I promise you.”
It was something, but it wasn’t enough. I nodded and sniffed, staring at the wet spots staining Cal’s shirt. I used the heel of my hand to wipe my tears. “I can’t give up again,” I whispered.
His arms tightened. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think you should give up. You need to give this your best shot.”
After a moment, I risked a peek at Cal’s face. “What about you? Won’t you hate me if I still try to buy it for myself?”
His jaw flexed, his dark eyes unreadable as he swallowed and shook his head. “No, Darling. Nothing could make me hate you.”