CHAPTER 35
Harper
“Good Lord, whose bright idea was it to combine all the school bands into one big mega-band?” Max grouches as she walks into the back tent.
“I didn’t realize they’d just play marching band style Christmas carols non-stop!” Steven tells her.
“Ya’ll shut up!” Carl yells over the chatter. Then he stares at me and Miles at the laptop and asks, “Well?”
Miles shakes his head.
“Are we close?” Shelly barely whispers.
“Not really,” I say, trying to spare them. The truth is we got pretty freaking close, a few hundred thousand dollars away from being profitable. But the fireworks will start soon. It’s over.
Plus, Aiden as has told me again and again, even showing me the development contracts I didn’t understand, we never had a chance.
“But…look out there, we…we did it,” Shelly’s crying now.
I sniff also, “We really did.”
Today was another amazing day by the lake. Hundreds of tourists came in from the city. Going Full Send Juniper Falls was exactly the right call. People are here in holiday print swimsuits and I was surprised to see many brought Christmas-themed pool floats with them.
And ’tis the season to spend money, apparently. People paid to join in on all the new contests we concocted, like patriotic karaoke, kite flying, homemade rocket launches, apple pie baking and apple pie eating.
James can hardly keep enough beers at Nogs’ table and earlier, at the booth, I sold out of everything—iced mochas, iced peppermint lattes, donuts, muffins, holiday tree cookies with tiny red, white and blue ornaments on them. Madison said it was crazy at the store, too.
But it’s hard to feel triumphant. Dad has been even more quiet than usual, now that the reality has settled in. His shop is closing. Tyrone isn’t as jolly, though he’s tried to fake it. Shelly was holding out hope, I guess, and now she’s having to finally let go.
Aiden was right.
Our best was not enough.
Not that he’s feeling triumphant either.
I tried to sneak out early this morning, after one of the best nights of my life, but he was already up. Just sitting in the kitchen, staring out the back window. Withdrawn.
Until he saw me, then it was actually adorable. He and Stuart both piped up and stood, excited and smiling. If a dog can smile. But Aiden’s smile didn’t reach his eyes and I didn’t have time to discuss it, since I had to get to work at the shop and then out here.
I give Shelly a tight hug and we all begin to part ways silently.
“Not so fast, you!” Steven whispers as he grabs my hand. “I heard the Dark Lord defended your honor with the twat waffle last night!”
I can’t help but smile, “He did.”
“Was it really a throat punch?” Steven is giddy at the drama. I nod. He shakes his head in wonder, “Aiden Vanderwell smashing his fancy fist into ol’ JimBo. Man, I wish I could’ve seen it.”
I sigh, “It was crazy.”
Maxine’s voice pops back up out of nowhere, “You say crazy but what you mean is hot. Bet it was hot as hell.”
“It was very hot,” I agree, all three of us laughing.
“Hot enough I heard you shacked up with him. Finally,” she says.
“Wha—” I start. Steven just laughs and I give up, throwing my hands in the air. I guess I should never be surprised this whole town knows everything, always. I shrug, “I slept over but it wasn’t…we didn’t…you know, I’m still freaking married. So we mostly talked, laughed.”
Max puts a hand on her boy little hip, “You did not just talk to that man all night long.”
I smirk, “No, I didn’t.”
“Oooo tell me, is he as well-endowed as—”
“Okay! That’s enough girl talk for us, Max!” Steven cuts her off.
“Fine, I have to get back anyway, it’s about time to break out the glow stick packs!
” she starts to leave but turns back to point a finger at me, “But if you don’t finally divorce that famous asswipe, and then marry that fancy rich asshole, leave this town and travel the world in his jet and have his fancy babies, I will never forgive you Harper Louise Brown. Never!”
She stomps away before I have a chance to respond.
Steven heads to the edge of the big work tent too, adding, “Same, Harp. Same.”
I let out a shocked snort as I follow after them.
Marry?
I don’t even know if Aiden is planning to stay. At midnight, his arrangement with the town ends.
We’ve fooled around and had fun…a lot of fun. Damn, that man knows what he’s doing. As sure as he is about everything in life, that is how sure he is when he kisses, touches, all of it.
And there were the gifts, too. I understand his desire to take care of everything, maybe take care of me, a compulsion from his awful childhood. He sees a need and he wants it squared away immediately. This time he happened to notice my wonky oven and crappy car.
And all that was lovely.
But he hasn’t said anything about a future together.
“Your peppermint fudge is amazing!” A tipsy gal calls to me as she walks by.
I smile and wave, then head to my booth. DJ is taking the last of the supplies to my car so we can close up before dark. We work in tandem wordlessly, enjoying the sounds of hundreds of happy people across the fields and in the lake.
My phone buzzes just as I load the last of it into the Bronco.
Janie: Get over here!
Harper: omw
My heart tugs knowingly. It wasn’t Aiden to text me to hurry up and join them.
His distant stare in the middle of the night was just that—distant.
Just like JimBo would stare off and dream of his bigger, better life.
Like Lewis would freeze up, thinking through the reality of settling down with me and Stuart in this tiny town, after a legal battle with my famous ex.
Heck, it’s the same way Janie and my sister would daydream too.
It’s always the same.
I shouldn’t be surprised, I braced myself for this.
But just because you prepare yourself for something doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.
Bloom Harper! Bloom!
I shake my head and will the building tears away.
Plus, without the store, I can build something new here. Maybe something of my own, something different. I yawn as I drive up the winding, Juniper-lined street toward Janie’s house on the hilltop. Maybe something that doesn’t require me to get up at two or three in the morning.
I park in Ben and Janie’s driveway and head around the back.
Ben bought this massive log cabin for Janie and updated the inside but the outside didn’t need any work.
It’s stunning. The deck on the back spans the whole length of the house and overlooks the valley and lake, perfect for watching the fireworks.
When I hit the deck, the little crowd cheers.
“Well done, Harp!”
“There she is!”
Janie approaches while rolling her eyes.
“There are people here,” I say like it’s a question.
“Yes, Ben invited the whole town I guess.”
“Just your favorites, love,” he calls out from behind her.
Scattered on deck chairs and porch swings, I spot Miles, Steven, Tyrone, Aunt Bobbie, Aunt Kim, Ben and—
Bark!
“Hey Stuart,” I smile genuinely at my huge goofball. It’s amazing how much more I like him now that he’s not totally insane from sun up to sun down.
“How did you finally tame this beast?” Janie asks as she pats his head.
“I didn’t,” I admit. At that moment, as if refusing to accept the label, Stu tries to stand and hug me human-style.
“Stuart, down!” Aiden commands as he comes out to the deck, two drinks in hand.
“Oh,” Janie says.
Aiden stalks up to me in that cocky way of his, like this is his deck on the back of his house. But he falters just slightly when he reaches me. I think it’s because he wants to kiss me hello again, though, this time I don’t think it’s my preference that’s stopping him.
“Here,” he hands me a drink. I raise an eyebrow. “Dunno, something cold and fruity.”
“Thanks,” I say.
Janie watches our exchange and opens her mouth to say something, probably an observation about how awkward we are for two people who just spend the night, and really the past couple months, together. But someone calls out that the show is starting.
A radio is tuned to an FM station playing upbeat Christmas music. Then the first few fireworks fly.
Boom Boom Boom
“Come,” Aiden says, pulling me to the last available deck chair.
He sits and tucks me onto his lap before I have a chance to object.
The sky over the lake is completely lit up with every color of the rainbow, explosion after explosion, for at least fifteen minutes.
The display is set to music and reflects over the lake, doubling the show like glittering, summer magic.
“Did…did you do this?” I ask, knowing the incredible show we’re watching is way, way beyond the modest budget Gary set. I turn and find Aiden staring at me. I can’t quite read his expression.
He smirks, “Heard there was a generous donation.”
I smile back, “Thank you.”
He clears his throat and leans closer to say, “I get it now.”I frown to ask what he means. He goes on, “The expression. An unexpected burst of joy, of fun. A surprise splash of color, of…warmth. When you least expect it. Like you, Harper. You’re like Christmas in July.”
My mouth falls open, at what might be the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me. It stays open and he kisses my forehead and then turns me to watch the finale of the show.
A tear escapes as I watch the massive colorful blasts, one after the other. He must have spent a fortune on this. They can probably see these fireworks all the way in Cedar Point. Heck, all the way to Manhattan.
And I know he did it for all of us, for me.
But as I watch each flame fall toward the lake and peter out, I can’t help but feel it. Like his sweet words, this gift, the kiss on my head, like it might all just be Aiden’s way of saying goodbye.