Chapter 29
CHAPTER 29
OLIVE
M y exhaustion gets the best of me, and I leave Family Day after dinner but before marshmallows.
Liam walks me to my car and proceeds to give me a proper goodbye, and I want to fold into his arms and make a home there. Now that I’ve opened the floodgates, my feelings for him get a little more intense every time he looks at me. This has been happening for days, but now, I don’t try to stop it.
I loved him once—back when we were kids, defined by friendship and fun. But this?
This is something else entirely.
Even though Liam and I decide to keep a low profile, I call Phoebe on my way home from Family Day and gush my way through the entire story.
Because I know her, I know she won’t tell me to be careful or remind me that he doesn’t live here. I know she won’t hint that I could get my heart broken. She does exactly what I expect her to do—completely freaks out.
After an appropriate amount of squealing and, I assume, kicking her feet, she says, “Olive, I have such a good feeling about this.”
“Even though he’s so cranky?” I smile thinking about it. I love that he’s cranky. I love it because I’m starting to learn how to make him smile, and it feels like winning a prize every time.
“It’s hot,” she says. “And I see the way he looks at you.”
“I never noticed.” I’m grinning so wide my cheeks hurt.
“Liam is a good guy too,” she says. “He always has been. I knew it the day he sent those movers to come help when you had to pack up the store. I mean, who does that?”
“Wait, what?” I feel the deceleration of the car as I lift my foot off the pedal.
“The day we were moving everything out,” she says. “Remember when those movers showed up with a big truck and helped us get all the boxes and bins over into your garage?”
“Yeah.” I frown. “I thought my parents sent them.”
“Oh, Olive, that was Liam.” She pauses. “I thought you knew.”
“How do you know this?” A car passes me, and I realize I’m going about twenty under the speed limit. I try to focus on the road as I press on the gas, but my mind is still trying to catch up to what she’s saying.
“You were super busy, and I signed the paperwork,” she says. “His name was on the invoice.”
I’m not sure how to process what she’s saying. How is it possible I didn’t know he did that? All these years, he’s kept tabs on my life, and I had no idea.
I go to sleep thinking about him. Replaying every second of every kiss until my face flushes all over again. Because Liam is a good kisser. The kind of kisser that makes me realize everyone else has been doing it wrong.
I think about the way he held me so sweetly and about how anyone who knows him would be surprised to learn he has this gentle side, and I feel honored he’s shown it to me. I think about how thoughtful and kind and inherently good he is.
Then I think about the day after Christmas.
And I never want it to arrive.
It’s the week of the Christmas Market, and everyone is all-go-no-quit. Jo’s asked me to gather the staff before we open Monday morning and get everyone on the same page about what this week of set-up will entail, which is why I’m currently standing at one end of a large open space in the office building.
Lacey is at the back of the room filming a few of the staff members, and I scan the space, looking for Liam. When I find him near the back, standing next to Manny, I’m hit with a flash of heat from the inside out.
He glances over and meets my eyes. I feel the smile crawl across my lips. His gaze lingers for a few long seconds, and then Jo walks in, pulling everyone’s focus.
She smiles brightly as she greets her staff, moving toward the front of the space. “You look flushed.” She presses the back of her hand against my forehead. “Are you okay?”
My eyes dart to Liam, then back to her. I force a smile. “Maybe a little nervous to talk in front of everyone.”
I’m such a liar.
“You’ll be great.” She unwinds her scarf, takes off her coat, then turns and faces the group. She makes a few announcements, then motions for me to take the floor. I follow my notes and go through all the information they need about when to set up, when and how to tear down, how many people to expect, how to ease the flow of traffic, signage, attitude, and every other potential planning point I can think of. It’s going to be a lot to try and keep up with our normal activities and prepare for the market, so Jo is bringing everyone in instead of splitting shifts .
I think we might actually pull this off.
I avoid looking at Liam the entire time I’m speaking because I know my face will give me away. There’s no way I can hide all the deliciously giddy feelings bubbling up when I think about him.
Once I’m done, I turn to Jo. “I think that’s everything.”
“Wonderful, Olive.” She squeezes my shoulder, then turns to the group. “I know Olive is a new-ish addition to our Pine Creek family, but I want to take a minute to publicly brag on her.”
I scrunch up my face and shake my head.
“This girl is a creative powerhouse, and we are so, so lucky she has gone to such lengths to make this a Pine Creek Christmas to remember.” She turns to me, and I see her eyes welling with tears. “You’ve made things so special and added so many fun details. It truly is shaping up to be, as you said, the last, best Christmas.” She pulls me into a tight hug, and it cracks something open inside me.
I bathe in her words, encouraging and uplifting, and I think about what Lacey and Phoebe said, and how Liam knew I failed but he still asked for my help in something as important to him as this new game idea.
None of them think of me as a disaster. Or a failure. All of them think I’m worthy of another chance.
These people have put me back together, and I couldn’t even see I needed it.
Jo pulls back and looks me square in the face. “You are a very special, very talented young woman, Olive. Don’t forget it.”
I didn’t expect to be tearing up this morning but here we are. I thank her as the rest of the staff starts applauding. For me.
I scan the room and wave a thank you, when my eyes find Liam’s. He’s clapping along with everyone else, but the fire burning in his eyes is uniquely his.
The jolt is like someone has just yelled, “Clear,” and hit me with defibrillator paddles, and I wonder if he’s replayed our kisses as many times as I have. Or if he’s just itching, like me, to get out of here so we can do it again.
“All right,” Jo hollers over the din. “Have a happy Pine Creek day, everyone!”
I pull my lower lip between my teeth and search for a reason to follow Liam out the door, but I come up empty.
Jo turns to me. “The newspaper is going to do a story about the market. Clark wrote the first blurb to help spread the word that this would be our last year in business, but now he’d like to do a full spread. Something a little more in-depth.” Her face is pinched, her smile forced.
I reach over and squeeze her arm. “Are you doing okay?”
Her smile holds. “I am. I know it’s all going the way it’s supposed to—but it’s just getting real now, isn’t it? That this is it?”
“Yeah, it is. We’re all going to feel it. This place is really special. Because of you.”
“Thank you, Olive.”
“Thank you ,” I say, “for letting me be a part of it.”
She squeezes my arm, and I get the sense she’s choked up.
I smile. “I’m going to head out to Christmas Tree Row. I want to double check the measurements and make sure there aren’t any branches that need to be cleared away.”
“You shouldn’t do that yourself,” she says.
I quirk a brow and pretend to think for a moment. “Maybe I can con Liam into helping me. He’ll love that,” I say it in a way that makes it sound like he won’t.
She grins. “Good idea! Put him to work.”
I pack up my things and head out the door. As I walk outside, an arm reaches for me and pulls me around the corner of the building.
Normally, this would freak me out, but I know it’s Liam before I even meet his eyes .
He backs me up against the wall of the barn and steps in close. I expect him to kiss me, but instead, he just looks at me—almost like he can’t believe I’m real. Almost like he’s admiring me.
It’s nice to be admired.
I drop my bag on the ground as I wrap my arms around his neck. He leans down and kisses me, and I have my answer. He’s definitely been replaying our kisses as much as I have.
He pulls back and searches my eyes. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I say. “I was just coming to find you.”
“You need help?”
“If you’re free.”
“Hmm. Let me check my schedule.” He kisses me again. “Yeah, I think I can work something out.”
The door of the office opens, and he pulls away, then we both freeze. “We’re going to get caught,” I whisper.
He holds up a hand, and we wait. I half expect Jo or one of the staffers to come around the side of the building and find us there, in a place we have absolutely no reason to be.
I’m holding my breath, and I don’t let it out until I hear a vehicle start and whoever it is drives off.
We both crumple in laughter, and Liam kisses me one more time before we walk toward his truck and head out to survey the area where the vendors will set up.
If my life were a movie, this would be the point where there would be a montage of several days of happy moments, set to an upbeat, romantic pop song. There would be images of Liam and me, stealing kisses behind buildings, in his truck, outside under the mistletoe. Images of us working together on the market, talking to Clark from the newspaper, taking a late-night carriage ride. Moving pictures of us ice skating on the pond and me falling more than skating. And, of course, there would be a shot of us standing outside, kissing under the light of a full moon, during the first snowfall of the year .
For the next several days, we spend every evening at my house, making dinner or eating takeout, brainstorming about his game and preparing the pitch for his meeting next week, which usually devolves into making out on my couch under the light of my wonky little Christmas tree. When we come up for air, he helps me stuff the vendor packets and swag bags for the Christmas Market, one of several personal touches I hope makes the vendors feel special.
And even though it feels like we’re trying to squeeze every second out of the time we have, I do all of this without ever mentioning the ticking clock on the most natural, easy, amazing relationship I’ve ever had.
Liam’s family all comment about how much happier he’s been, and while none of them seem suspicious of us, I’m ninety-eight percent certain that Manny knows exactly what’s going on.
I can tell by the way he looks at me, almost like, I’m onto you .
It’s Thursday afternoon, and with all of us so busy with market preparations, Lacey, Phoebe, and I have had to finalize on our presentation for the city council meeting via a shared Google folder.
We’re ready.
Lacey will do all the talking, appealing to the council members for their support in this somewhat unorthodox plan. I hope they go for it. Getting the city’s support will go a long way.
I’m packing up my things when Liam shows up in the doorway of the office space. His hair is the perfect amount of disheveled and his eyes are a shade lighter than usual. They flicker when he looks at me, and I’d pay a lot of money to know what he’s thinking.
I smile at him. “Hey.”
“You look pretty.”
“Thank you.” My smile widens, and I add, “So do you. ”
“Gee, thanks,” he jokes.
He jokes with me now.
He stares at me for several seconds, then asks, “Hey, I know we don’t have plans tonight, but are you free later?”
“Not exactly. Why?” I know I’m being a little cagey, but tonight is the city council meeting.
“My parents are going to the city council meeting,” he says. “They want to discuss the sale of the property.”
I frown. I knew they were going, but I didn’t know they had their own reasons for doing so. “Has something changed?”
“I think the buyer wants to move forward,” he says. “The guy Travis found.”
I nod. “The developer guy.”
“Yeah, Travis is bringing him out here next week for a tour, but I think he’s looked over the paperwork and photos, and he’s very interested. Sounds like something would have to go really wrong for it not to go through.”
My stomach rolls. I wonder if Lacey knows they’ve moved on to the next step. I wish she would’ve told them about her plan. I have to believe that Brant and Jo would do whatever they could to help her make this happen, but Lacey wanted them to see her presentation along with the members of the city council. Something about needing her family to see her as a professional. And wanting her parents to have the retirement they deserve.
Honestly, I don’t blame her. It’s hard to be taken seriously when you’ve screwed up. And Lacey’s life, though professionally successful, isn’t traditional or easy for people to understand. Her persona is more “free spirit” than “solid investment,” and while I understand why her family would hesitate to listen to her plan, I also believe her passion and excitement for Pine Creek will go a long way.
“Do you know what this guy is planning to do?” I ask .
His eyes dart off to the side. “Not sure.”
But I can tell he has at least a vague idea, and the fact that he’s not telling me is all the answer I need. “He’s going to bulldoze it, isn’t he? Build vacation homes for an investment firm or something. Liam, he’s going to ruin it.”
His smile is kind. “Unfortunately, this place can’t run on sentimentality.”
“I know, but Travis and whoever he finds, is not going to do right by it.” I sigh and look away, feeling the weight of all of this. Just because this isn’t a topic Liam and I have discussed, that doesn’t mean I didn’t know this was happening, I just didn’t think it would happen so quickly. “And there’s really no part of you that wants to—” I meet his eyes, and it feels like a betrayal to finish the sentence. “Never mind.”
I want to plead my case with him right here, to tell him the entire plan to look for investors to help shoulder the burden. I want to ask him to be a part of it, to stay here, to give the farm and us a real shot.
But I know it’s not fair.
I force myself to smile even though I really don’t feel like it. “So, you’re going to the city council meeting?”
He nods. “Will you come?”
“Uh, yeah,” I say. “I’ll be there.”
I want to tell him I was already planning on being there. He deserves to know, and I think he’d be on our side. A voice in our corner. Because while he may not want to stay, surely, he’d rather Pine Creek stay in his family.
But I stay quiet because I promised Lacey. She has her reasons—understandable reasons—for wanting this to all go a certain way. I can’t betray her trust by sticking my nose in their family affairs.
Hopefully it’ll all work out exactly how Lacey wants it to. Her parents will hear her pitch, see how well thought-out it is, and the members of the council will want the town to be an investor. We’ll secure private donations from several other wealthy Pine Creek customers, and then Liam will jump on board and he’ll see a future with me and Pine Creek.
And we’ll all live happily ever after.
While I’m at it, I’d like a million dollars and a pony.