Chapter 16
Graham
I wake up earlier than normal, not because of the usual stresses or investor calls or the twelve new messages surely waiting on my phone.
I’m sleeping less due to genuine excitement that I feel to my core.
It feels like hope and peace intertwined, all laced with the essence of Willow herself.
Her scent clings to my shirt like a whispered promise. Her laugh echoes in my mind.
I shower under the steaming cascade that washes away the night's remnants, shave with deliberate strokes that mirror my newfound clarity, and dress in layers that brace against the chill.
I head to Snowy Summit’s lounge for coffee, nodding at Carla as I pass, and she greets me with a knowing smile, remarking that I seem unusually chipper today.
I give her a casual response, only for her to insist that I've never looked more so during my stay here. This actually makes me laugh and I attribute it to the weather. But her raised eyebrow conveys a silent disbelief. Thankfully, she’s discrete.
I’m sure she’s seen Willow and I together.
Carla is a woman who values the sanctity of secrets.
I take my coffee and settle near the window overlooking the slopes, attempting to focus on the revised site plan spread before me, yet my thoughts drift inexorably to the gift I gave Willow. I loved watching her expressions as her fingers brushed the key.
Willow has transcended being merely an obstacle or a town official standing in the path of my project. Instead, she has become my compass, the missing piece that brings coherence to all of this. She’s the one who makes the chaos of ambition feel purposeful and grounded.
Stepping outside into a snowy morning that feels brighter than the one before, the world itself is signaling a new beginning. I want that to be with Willow’s light in it.
???
By late morning, I'm walking through town, checking in with Peak Construction, touching base with Holden, and ensuring Atlanta understands that nothing proceeds without mine and Willow’s sign-off.
I hang up the call with Atlanta and notice an older couple strolling past. They offer a warm, familiar nod laced with appreciation, which strikes me as strange.
I continue, another person -- a woman I recognize from the Bakehouse smiles at me with the soft, approving expression typically reserved for firefighters, teachers, or men who rescue abandoned kittens from storm drains.
When I jog up the steps to City Hall to drop off permitting documents, the postmaster is just leaving.
He stops to look at me, declaring that it was a mighty fine thing I did.
This makes me pause and I ask what thing he means.
He chuckles, pats my shoulder, and commends my modesty.
He says he’ll keep it under wraps, walking away and leaving me bewildered.
Inside, Avery greets me with a grin that's entirely too bright, wishing me the best week ahead.
I retort by asking why everyone in this town is suddenly hallucinating about me, only for her to hum secretively that people talk.
When I press about what exactly, she smiles too sweetly, murmuring, “Oh, nothing, just that Hope Peak appreciates generosity.”
A realization dawns -- the toys. Someone must have talked or seen the delivery. Maybe the shop owner told one person, who told another person. Small towns harbor no true secrets. Yet strangely, I don't mind, especially not if Willow knows.
I try to keep my voice level as I ask if Willow is in, and Avery responds that no, but she’ll be at the parade tomorrow, along with everyone else.
I leave City Hall with papers signed and the sky darkening early as it does before a snowfall. The air is electric with the town's palpable excitement for Christmas.
I won’t miss the parade. The chance to experience the town’s excitement at this annual event has me anxious. I’m sure there will be kids running around, hot cocoa stands wafting their sweet steam, and the sleigh at the very end, laden with all those toys waiting to be given away.
I imagine Willow seeing it, realizing the truth, and smiling in that soft, breathless way she does when something cracks her heart open wide.
The thought ignites a desire more intense than anything I've craved in a long time -- not to sit on the sidelines, but to stand beside her.
I want to let the town witness us together, to make her feel chosen out loud and in the open.
She’ll know exactly what she means to me -- no investors, no projects, no doubts -- just Willow. If I’m lucky, a step toward the future we’ve stumbled into together.