34. Ember
EMBER
Sleepy Hollow Manor envelops me in a warm hug.
The single light on in the foyer is like a beacon of providence.
I take my coat off, hang it up, and smile.
“We did it,” I tell the walls and furniture.
The cement and wood. The bones. But I already know that I’m speaking to much more. The house has heart. “We did it.”
The board couldn’t approve Devon’s surprise proposal to change the law right away, but the board approved the Children’s Haunted House can begin again…starting tonight.
Lucky me, I’d gone through the house this morning and picked up. I only have thirty minutes to bring the house to life…or to death, I mean.
Chuckling to myself, I turn on all the fake candles, their glows flickering in a dance.
Then I move to the ballroom and start setting up everything in there, turning on the spooky music and making sure the game tables are all ready to be manned.
Knocks come on the door, and immediately, I notice no one waits for me to let them in, they just swarm the area, waiting to be told what to do.
Bea is the first. Then Travis. They act as my helpers, delegating people to where to stand and what to do. Even though we had such a short amount of time to start it this time, I almost feel more prepared.
“How do we get the word out?”
“Oh, the word is out,” she says. “Everyone knows that if they had tickets for yesterday or today, they can come and use them. If they can’t, they can use them at the upcoming haunted houses if they sign up for a different slot.”
I hug her, and she hugs me back. “Plus, whoever doesn’t hear it will read about it in tomorrow’s paper. The gazette’s motto is there is no small news.”
Trav comes up to us next. He and Bea share a look that undoubtedly has to do with Devon. I don’t ask though. Every time someone walks in the house, I expect it to be him, but it hasn’t been. He probably won’t even come. He’s been on his feet a lot today, and it’s probably been too much.
I swallow the lump in my throat when I think about what he said at the meeting.
The proposal he’d already written up with a way to change the law that would be beneficial to everyone.
He wasn’t just thinking about me, he was thinking about all of Harvest Falls as well.
I swear he should take over his mother’s job when she decides to retire. He’s just like her.
Whatever their exchange meant, neither of them explain it to me. Trav squeezes my shoulder. “I’m going to turn the lights on outside. You’ve got this.”
In a way, it feels like an echo of yesterday.
The nerves, the excitement. But in other ways, I’m much more calm.
All the people who showed up outside the town offices earlier, and then again during the meeting, I know that they support me.
Even if everything wasn’t perfect, they would come together and help.
I can’t even imagine doing this without everyone at this point.
“It’s almost time!” Bea squeals. “Everyone take your places! If you haven’t been given a station, kindly find me and ask, and…” She throws her arm over my shoulders. “Ember and I are so extremely grateful that we have such amazing neighbors who step in at a moment’s notice. You all are amazing.”
“Truly amazing,” I call out, trying to look each one of them in the eye so they know how grateful I really am.
The doorbell chimes, and Bea practically pushes me toward the front. We’re a couple of minutes ‘til but that’s okay. I close the ballroom doors behind me, take one more sweeping glance around the area, and then whip open the front doors.
I suck in a breath. Devon Lachey is standing on my porch. He steps out of the way and Randy Shue walks inside. “Mr. Shue.”
Devon tells him to head into the ballroom, and he’ll be right there.
Within moments, we’re alone again. Devon leans against his crutches. “Well, sit down,” I tell him.
He shakes his head. “I’m fine.”
I want to roll my eyes. He’s so obstinate.
“I have something to say.”
“I have something to say first.”
His lips try to quirk but he keeps it under control.
He motions for me to start. “Devon Lachey, you are a pain in my ass. From the first moment you realized I’d purchased Sleepy Hollow, you have been a thorn in my side.
First, because we butted heads, and you refused to be a gentleman about anything.
Second, because you snuck up on me. I hadn’t planned on coming to Harvest Falls and falling for someone. Especially someone like you.”
The Adam’s apple in his throat bobs. He’s still so handsome. Scruffy. I want to shake the stubbornness out of him, but that’s also part of who he is, and by the same token, I don’t know that I want to change anything about him.
“I have a proposal of my own,” I say finally.
“I’m listening,” he says.
I take a deep breath. “What you said to me was wrong. It hurt in ways that are hard to describe because I am worth fighting for, and I know you know that. I know it wasn’t your intention, that in some weird, dark place inside of you, you thought it would be best for me if you did what you did.
“Here’s what I’m going to say though. I’m going to stay in Harvest Falls.
I’m going to run the manor like I have been.
I’m going to turn it into the tourist stop everyone wants to see.
The haunted house, the ball, and whatever else my creative brain thinks of.
Now, you can do it with me, or I’m going to do it without you.
It doesn’t matter. Well, that’s sort of a lie.
I’d prefer to do it with you, but I’m also not going to let it stop me if you don’t join me.
I have dreams. I have goals. I just need to know right now if you want to be a part of them. ”
The corners of his lips tease up. “Why am I not surprised that I’m greeted with this?”
“Because you know me?”
“I know you,” he says. “And…” He takes a deep breath and lets it out.
“I was so stupid before. My mother says I should grovel and beg, and I believe that is something that you usually have to get on your knees for, but I hope you’ll forgive me if I don’t, but the sentiment is still the same. I was wrong.”
“I know.”
He chuckles. “Just let me get this out, Sweetheart. You were right. I was in a dark, weird place, and I couldn’t see through my own pain, but what hurt even more was seeing your face when I told you that you had to leave.
Now, you know me, I’m dumb. I still wanted to think I was right, but I had a few people who talked some sense into me.
” He peers at the floor and then back up.
“Ember, I promise that next time I find myself in that weird, dark place, that I will ask for your help instead of shoving you away. I promise I’ll treat you with the respect you deserve, and listen to your thoughts and feelings instead of making decisions for you. ”
“And you promise to believe you’re not cursed.”
“Man, you really are a strong woman trying to tell me what to say during my own grovel session.”
“You looked like you needed help.”
“I promise that I believe I’m not cursed because how could I be with a woman like you in my life. I love you, Ember O’Malley, and I promise I won’t forget it.”
I break into a smile, the hands crossed over my chest loosening. Behind me, a couple people start to applaud and I almost come out of my skin. When I see who it is, I sigh. I should’ve known it was Bea and Trav. Trav even gives Devon a thumbs up.
I shake my head, but soon, I find myself wrapping my arms around him. “Does this mean that you’re going to help?”
“This means I’m here for you forever.”
I lift onto my toes to whisper in his ear, “I think I kind of love you too.”
He squeezes me and one of his crutches clatters to the floor. He doesn’t let go though. I step in, giving him the stability he needs, but he gives it right back to me. Again, we just fit. We’re like two people meant to be together. Halves that make a whole.
I step back, bending to retrieve his crutch on the floor, and then I make him sit on the couch. “I’ll take tickets at the door tonight,” he says. “I figure it’s about the only thing I can do.”
“Do you want to tell me why Randy Shue is here?” Bea asks. “If your mom sees him, she’s going to freak.”
“I called him here,” Devon answers. “I told him there was some work available for him in Harvest Falls if he wanted it. I need to show him the few things in the ballroom that still need doing since I might be laid up for a while. Mom will have to get over it unless someone else wants to pick up a hammer around here.”
“Not me,” Bea and Trav say at the same time.
“I don’t know,” I say. “You might have rubbed off on me.”
Devon peers over at me cautiously. “The last time I saw you wield a tool, I thought you were going to hurt yourself.” Then he leans over and whispers, “But you looked good doing it.”
With us, right there, and the residents of Harvest Falls who start trickling in through the door, their excitement at an all-time high, I’m home.
I have no doubt what Devon said is true.
I’ve found my person, and he’s found his.
The next time he gets like that, it might be dark and scary, but he won’t push me away again. We can work on it together.
When the first wave heads inside the haunted house, and Trav shuts the doors, leaving us alone in the foyer, I turn toward him. “You know that day you took me to the well?”
He nods.
“I think my dreams are coming true.”
“So are mine.”
He kisses me. Soft and slow, we study each other once more until we come together as a promise.
Life is messy. Things will happen. It’s not always going to be sunshine and rainbows, but that’s why you find someone to go through life with because no matter how hard it gets, you’ll still have each other.
This kiss is like a memory we can look back at when the next dark time comes. We can seal it to each other, etching it into our very being, so it’ll be easy to remember that no matter what, we can get through anything together.
That’s what love does. It heals. It breathes. It centers. It’s sort of like a small town. It gives you everything you didn’t know you needed.