Chapter 41
CHAPTER 41
OLIVE
C hristmas Eve morning, I wake up to the obnoxious buzzing of my phone on the nightstand.
I pick it up and look at it, bleary-eyed, when I see a photo of Liam on the screen.
I smile. “Hello?”
“Did I wake you?”
“Yes,” I say. “And I was having a really good dream too.”
“About me?”
“About pizza.”
He laughs. “I wondered if you could come for breakfast.”
I sit up, stretching and shaking off the sleep. “Oh, I don’t want to impose. Last Pine Creek Christmas and everything.”
“I want you there,” he says. “And I’m in your driveway.”
“What?” I throw the covers off and walk over to my bedroom window, which has a clear view of my driveway, where, sure enough, Liam’s truck is parked. I laugh. “What are you doing here, creeper?”
“Came to pick you up,” he says. “You know, if you’re hungry.”
“I did miss dinner last night,” I say. “So I hope there’s a lot of food.” I walk over to my closet and do a quick scan for an appropriate outfit. “Are you sure it’s okay that I come? I mean, I don’t want to crash your party.”
“It’s breakfast,” he says. “And my family wants you there.”
“Okay, fine. Give me a few minutes to get ready, and I’ll be right out.”
After I make myself presentable, I pull on my coat, boots and knit stocking cap then trudge out to his truck.
I get in and find him staring at me. “What?”
“Gorgeous.”
“Delirious.”
He leans across the cab and kisses me. When he pulls back, I frown. “We could just stay here.”
He laughs. “No, there are cinnamon rolls waiting for us.”
“Oh, I see where I rate.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty much cinnamon rolls, pie, a good sandwich, those mozzarella sticks from Joe’s, and then you.” He pauses. “No, wait. Hank, then you.”
I slug him.
We drive in the most comfortable early morning silence, and I let my mind wander about anything that isn’t what is going to happen to the farm ? Still, I note the twinge of sadness at the possibility of it all coming to an end.
Liam quit his job, yes. But there’s still the matter of the future of Pine Creek.
The truck ambles up the gravel driveway and the big, white farmhouse comes into view. I’m filled with an instant pang of nostalgia. I love it here.
“When you showed that Warner guy around, did he see this?” I ask.
“No,” Liam says. “He wasn’t interested.”
I sigh. “He wasn’t?”
“Nope.”
“Such a shame,” I say. “If they do go through with the sale, maybe they’ll at least keep the house. ”
“Hearing this guy talk, I don’t think he wants to keep anything,” Liam says.
He parks in the driveway behind Lacey’s van, and I think about how we’re all embarking on new adventures at the same time. Except Phoebe, the most unexpectedly stable one of all my friends.
Inside, we’re met with the smell of cinnamon and coffee.
“Olive!” Lacey is wearing pink and green Christmas pajamas and a Santa hat, holding a mug of coffee and eating puppy chow, Chex cereal drenched in melted chocolate and peanut butter, then coated with powdered sugar. A culinary delicacy, in my opinion.
“You’re already eating,” Liam says.
“Just a light snack.” She grins, then looks at me. “Is your Bluetooth on?”
“Uh, I think so?” I pull out my phone as an Airdrop notification shows up on the screen. I accept it and see a video Lacey made showing off my booth at the market. It’s her and Phoebe, dancing around with the cards and puzzles and T-shirts and water bottles that used to line the walls of my shop.
“I’ll send you the audio, but I thought this would be a fun one for your TikTok account.”
“I don’t have a TikTok account,” I say. “I think I’m actually too old for TikTok.”
“You’re not,” she says. “I mean, you’re pushing it, but you’ve got a few good years left.”
I laugh.
“I was bored last night, so I made about six videos for you.”
“Are you serious?”
She smiles. “Merry Christmas.”
I smile back. “Thanks.”
“All right, family,” Jo says, pulling a pan of cinnamon rolls from the oven. “Gather round.” She looks at me. “Olive, you can take your coat off. Liam, be a gentleman and hang up her coat. ”
I smile at Liam, then unzip my coat to reveal, once again, the coconuts and threaded chest hair, in all their glory.
Lacey barks out a laugh, which leads to giggles all around. “I heard the story, but now I am so glad I get to see it for myself.”
I grin. “I figured it was fitting to celebrate the end of the holiday season the same way I celebrated the beginning.”
Liam takes my coat and kisses my cheek, whispering, “I love you, you little weirdo,” in my ear before walking away.
Lacey laughs again. “That’s seriously the best. I think our family needs its own ugly Christmas sweater tradition every year from now on.”
“I’m game,” I say, shocked to discover I actually mean it. I was initially so embarrassed to be seen in this hideous sweater, but now, after only a few weeks, I’m so much more comfortable in my skin.
My mother is going to be so proud.
“All right, everyone. Time for family Santa gifts,” Jo says.
My eyes go wide. “Wait, what?” I look at Liam. “You didn’t say anything about gifts!”
He scrunches his nose and waves me off, as if to say, don’t worry about it, but I am worried. What kind of impression am I going to make if I’m the only one who has nothing to give?
Lacey pulls a small box from behind the toaster. “I got Dad.” She slides it across the counter, and he opens it to reveal a vintage Chevy keychain.
She smirks at him. “The perfect gift for the Ford-lover, don’t you think?”
“Oh, I see how it is,” he cracks, giving her a rough side hug. He’s pretending to be annoyed but does a bad job of hiding his amusement.
“Can I go next?” Liam asks.
His dad nods.
Liam reaches into the pocket of his hoodie and pulls out a small, thick box and hands it to me. “First, Olive. ”
I frown. “I didn’t know we were doing gifts,” I announce again.
“It’s fine,” he says. “I didn’t want you to have to bring something.”
I scan the circle and find all eyes are on me, something that surprisingly doesn’t make me uneasy at all. I tear the wrapping paper off and open the box to reveal a small, clear block and in the center of it, a bright green four leaf clover.
I look at Liam.
“You gave it to me when we moved,” he says.
“To keep you from forgetting me,” I say.
He shrugs. “I guess it worked.”
My breath catches in my throat. “Is this the same one?”
He nods.
“You kept it this whole time?”
Another nod.
“Oh my gosh.” I look at his parents. “Is it okay if I kiss him in front of you?”
Everyone laughs as I throw my arms around Liam’s neck and kiss him through tears that I can’t keep from falling. “Thank you.”
He smiles and kisses me again.
“Ew,” Lacey says. “That’s so weird.”
“I have something for you too.” He looks at his sister, and her eyes go wide.
“I thought Mom had my name,” she says.
“So did I.” Mom frowns.
“Think of this as a bonus.” Liam moves across the kitchen and pulls another wrapped gift out of the cookie jar and hands it to Lacey.
Lacey’s face lights up. “Are you making a video game based on my hashtag van life?”
He chuckles. “Not quite.”
I reach over and slip my hand in his as he watches Lacey with the look of someone who is anticipating a huge reaction to the perfect gift.
I look at his mom, then his dad, and it’s unclear if they know what’s inside this present, and now I wish he’d clued me in.
Lacey gets the wrapping off of the box, then pulls out a small stack of folded papers.
She opens them and as her eyes scan the pages, she gasps. Her hand covers her mouth, and tears spill down her cheeks. “Liam . . . what?”
I frown. “What is it?”
“Is this for real?” She asks. “Like, for real ?!”
His parents are both smiling, and it’s obvious that I’m the only one who has no idea what was inside that box.
Lacey looks at me. “Did you know about this?” Her eyes are bright with a mix of shock and excitement.
“I still don’t know about it,” I say. “What is it?”
She holds it out to me with trembling hands.
At the top it reads “Transfer of Ownership,” and at the bottom are Liam’s and his parents’ signatures.
There’s a blank spot for Lacey to sign, too.
“It’s a transfer of ownership deed,” Liam says.
Tears spring to my eyes. “What?”
“I couldn’t tell you before because I needed to work it out with my parents, but—” he holds his hands out in front of him—“I decided to stay. We’re going to be partners.” He looks at Lacey. “If you still want to.”
She rushes around the counter and hugs him so forcefully he loses his footing for a second.
“You’re staying?” I ask, registering the shock in my own voice.
“Yes,” he says. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
I cover my face with my hands and Liam pulls me into the hug.
“How?” I ask. “I mean—how? ”
“I promise, you’ll get the full story,” he says, still being squeezed by Lacey.
“And we’re going to keep a share,” his mom says. She looks at Brant. “Silent partners.”
He grumbles comically, then crosses his arms over his chest.
“He’s got the silent part down.” She pats his shoulder.
Lacey wipes her cheeks dry. “I should be offended that you wouldn’t do this until Liam got on board.”
“You could,” Jo says, “but one third of the total amount is very different from one half.”
“Besides, I’m the muscle,” Liam says.
“Except I’m way better in the fields,” Lacey says. “Ask Manny.”
“You each bring different things to the table, and the way we see it, it’s a perfect pairing.” Jo is beaming. It’s the best possible outcome.
I look at Liam. “What made you change your mind?”
He smiles back at me. “This crazy girl who wouldn’t quit until she showed me the last, best Pine Creek Christmas.”
My cheeks flush. “No. Way.”
“Partly,” he says. “That and I wasn’t about to let that tool Travis brought out here bulldoze our home.”
Brant laughs. “I second that.”
Liam looks at me. “I finally realized what’s been missing from my life.”
“Reindeer?” I quip.
He smirks, shaking his head. “You.”
I cover my mouth with my hands, still finding it hard to let myself believe it.
“I mean, also peace, but mostly you.” He grins.
“I can’t believe it.” I shake my head. “You’re going to stay. You actually want to stay.”
He takes a step toward me, leading me away from the others, who dutifully start chatting with each other to give us the illusion of privacy. “I actually want to stay.”
“This is a big deal,” I say. “What about your game?”
“I want to do it on my own. Same way I made Castle Crusade . I did that one between classes in a dorm room.” He smiles. “Imagine what I can accomplish here.”
“I would’ve moved to Indianapolis for you,” I say, meaning it. “You know that, right?”
“Now you don’t have to.” He pulls me into his arms and studies my face. “We’re going to need you. Are you up for it?”
“Absolutely,” I say. “I can’t think of a better ending to the last, best Christmas than finding out it’s not the last anything after all.”
He smiles.
I smile.
“Cinnamon rolls are getting cold,” Jo calls out.
Liam smirks down at me, and without looking away, he says, “We’ll be right back.”
He pulls me around the corner, into the living room, where we’re out of sight of his family. He takes my face in his hands and kisses me so sweetly, I melt, right there in his arms. My arms tighten around him as I pull him closer, the kiss leaving me breathless and undone.
“I think I’m gonna kiss you for the rest of my life,” he says, forehead pressed to mine.
“And I think I’m gonna let you.”
THE END