Chapter 26
CHAPTER 26
OLIVE
I t’s Family Day at Pine Creek.
For one afternoon only, the family and staff of Pine Creek will switch roles, becoming the patrons of Pine Creek. And this year, for the first time since I was a kid, I’m included.
For years, our family was invited, which is why I shouldn’t be surprised when I pull in and see my parents parking their Taurus—but I am. I had no idea they were coming. I park in the spot next to them and see that my brother is in the back seat.
I get out of my car, grinning. “I didn’t know you guys were coming today!”
“Oh, we thought you invited us,” my mom says.
“No, that was me.” We all turn and see Lacey standing there. “I wanted it to feel as much like our best Christmases as possible. I thought we could recreate some of our favorite memories.”
“Oh, Lacey, that is so nice of you!” my mom says.
“Are they grilling burgers in the barn?” Dad asks.
“You know it.” Lacey grins .
“I’ll go see if I can help with anything.” He gives me a quick hug. “They might need a taste tester. Catch up in a bit.”
Because all the staff is participating in the events they usually oversee, Family Day has an “all hands on deck” kind of feeling. Most of the activities are self-led, with the exception of the carriage rides, which Brant will run, and of course, Manny couldn’t be talked out of playing Santa, even for a night.
I look at Benji. “No girlfriend today?”
“No girlfriend.” He shifts.
I raise a brow. “You broke up with her already?”
Benji reaches in his pockets and pulls out a pair of gloves. “Eh. She made mouth noises when she chewed.”
“You’re so weird,” I say with a light laugh.
He shrugs and pulls the gloves on.
I look at Lacey. “Benji doesn’t do relationships.”
My brother rolls his eyes.
“Sounds like my brother,” Lacey says.
Heat rushes to my cheeks, because when Lacey says “my brother,” I picture Liam’s face. His strong jaw and piercing eyes. I clear my throat, wishing my confusing feelings about Liam would calm down already.
“Scavenger Hunt starts in half an hour!” Lacey seems to be unaware that I’m currently battling a forty-five second fever brought on by my overactive imagination.
“The old team’s back together.” Benji brightens, his mood shifting.
“I think we might be on our own,” I say. “There’s no way Liam’s going to do this.”
“He might if you ask him.” Lacey puts on a knowing grin.
I frown. What’s she mean by that?
Lacey turns to Benji. “Are you still in construction?”
“Yeah,” he says.
“Can I pick your brain for a sec? ”
It would feel like an abrupt and random change of topic, but I know what she’s going to talk to him about. This morning, I shared all my expansion ideas with her. She especially loved the idea of cabins in the woods—cozy, open floor plan bungalows tucked back in the unused acreage of the tree farm, each with their own fireplace, each professionally decorated for the seasons. In the winter, and especially around Christmas, the cabins could host couples or families looking for more of an unplugged Christmas experience.
It would be a huge undertaking, and it’s years down the road, but I know having ballpark numbers behind our expansion ideas will strengthen our presentation at the city council meeting.
People have a tendency to give more when they can see what their money is going toward.
I start off in the direction of the main barn, where we’re all meeting for the rundown of activities. Once inside, I’m met with the sound of excited chatter, and I spot Brant and Jo near the front of the large, open space. The café and gift shop share this barn, one of many outbuildings on the property. I smile and say hello to my (now) co-workers and their families, many I’ve known for years outside of Pine Creek.
But as I make my way around the room and over to my family, I mostly wonder where Liam is.
Then I see him, through the window of the door leading to the kitchen. He’s wearing an apron and appears to be working at the counter.
He’s wearing an apron.
Who knew aprons were sexy?
As Brant gets everyone’s attention, I inch my way around the back and over to the kitchen and slip through the door.
Liam looks up. He’s unloading burger patties from a box onto a large tray. “You’re not supposed to be back here. ”
“I know,” I say. “But I wanted to see if you looked at my ideas.”
He smirks and goes back to unloading. “You’re hilarious.”
“What?” I move to the opposite side of the counter and start helping with the food. “I’m excited!”
He smiles at me. “You are?”
“Yes! I want to help. The game sounds fun. Like, I know you want to market it to kids, but I’d play it. And I don’t even like video games.” I stifle a yawn. The lack of sleep is creeping up. “But I like puzzles, and I like to turn my brain off at night.”
“If you turned your brain off, you wouldn’t draw,” he says.
I frown.
“You said you draw to unwind,” he says. “I’d hate to deprive the world of your creativity.”
I shoot him a look. “You talked to Lacey, didn’t you?”
He chuckles. “Well, it was more her talking to me. She showed up with a giant bin of stuff she stole from your garage to put in the shop and said I need to be more encouraging.”
I roll my eyes. “You don’t. You’re exactly the right amount of encouraging.”
“Oh?” he asks.
“I mean, yeah.” I meet his eyes, all out of burgers to concentrate on. “You asked me to help with this game concept. You told me you like my style and that it’s unique. Didn’t feel like lip service. It felt, you know, honest.”
He slides the tray to the end of the counter. “Well, good. Because I set up a meeting with my boss, Aaron, for next week. I can’t promise they’ll like it or even that they won’t want to hire someone in-house to do the artwork, but if we get the green light, I’m going to lobby to hire you freelance. Either way, I do have a budget to pay you for the work you’ve already done.”
My excitement falters. Not because there’s a chance I won’t be working on the game, but because I hate that there are so many hoops he has to jump through. The game could turn out completely different than he—and I—imagine it.
It’s the nature of creative business, and I get it. I mean book to movie adaptations are a perfect example that the source material isn’t always followed. But Liam’s ideas are good, really good, and he has a vision for the propeller hat kid that he should be allowed to see through.
“You okay?” he asks.
“Yeah, totally,” I say, trying to play it off and unsure how to articulate what I’m really thinking. “I’d love to see the final pitch when it’s ready.”
“Of course.”
“Are you two coming?” It’s Lacey, poking her head in the kitchen. “The Scavenger Hunt is starting! Let’s go!”
I look at Liam, eyebrows raised in expectation, hopeful he’ll actually join in.
“Come on, Grumpy,” Lacey says. “Last Pine Creek Christmas. You can’t hide out in the kitchen.”
He looks at me, then at her.
“Fine. But I’m pretty sure we’re not eligible for the trophy anymore.”
“The ‘trophy’ is a homemade wreath this year. What we’re going for here is bragging rights ,” Lacey says.
Some of the staffers will go out to the fields to cut their own trees. Some will take carriage rides. Some will do the Mistletoe Walk. Some will take their kids to Manny so they can tell Santa what they want for Christmas. But tonight, after the sun goes down, everyone will come together to eat summer food in the winter, then sit by a huge bonfire and roast marshmallows.
Considering how tired I am, I might not make it that long.
But the Scavenger Hunt? I’m here for it.
I glance to my left.
And I’m also here for Liam Fisher.
Trying to ignore it only makes the feelings more intense .
I like him. A lot.
It makes no logical sense. He’s made it clear a relationship isn’t what he wants, especially with someone who lives in Pleasant Valley.
I’m not into casual dating, and I have no intention of leaving Pleasant Valley. Which means, we could never work, even if my feelings were reciprocated. Which they aren’t.
That little silent reminder helps me refocus.
We make our way up the hill to the precut lot, where Jo is handing out Scavenger Hunt cards. “For old time’s sake,” she says as she hands them around our little circle. “You all can’t win, so I made these special for you. Photo entries only. If you finish, I’ll gift you a bottle of merlot.”
I glance down and see what looks like a Bingo card, but instead of “Find a blue spruce” or “Locate Chester, the Pine Creek horse,” our tasks are more personal.
Go to the place where Olive found the bird with the broken wing.
Locate the spot of Lacey’s first kiss.
Find the tire swing and take Benji for a ride.
Where did Liam hide the stray cat we told him not to feed?
As I scan the tasks, a lump forms at the back of my throat. No matter what happens with Lacey and the farm, this really is the last time Pine Creek will be like this. And the weight of that is heavy.
I look up and see my brother, unmoved. “Are we doing this or what? I want the wine.”
I sniff and look away.
“Are you crying?” Benji sounds disgusted.
“ No ,” I say, aware that they’re all looking at me now. I sniff and look away. “Shut up, Benji.”
Benji shakes his head. “Dibs on not being with Olive.”
I smack him on the arm.
Lacey reaches over and gives me a side hug. “It’s okay, you big baby. Let’s have fun today. And let’s get that wine! Benji and I will take the ones that have to do with us, and you guys take yours.”
“We can’t split up,” I say, shocked.
“We’re going to be here all night if we don’t,” Lacey says. “There are like twenty-five things on this list. And I really want to be done in time for dinner. I’m starving.”