Chapter 24
EVE
Ispent the day putting out fires, or at least that's what it seemed like. It wasn't until I was laying on the leather couch in my office, staring at the ceiling, that I remembered that Maddox and Sofia had stopped by with a present.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Sofia had been so excited to give it to me. All I could think about was, how was I going to get away for a weekend during my busiest time of the year and in the midst of a plumbing crisis that affected the entire town?
It was an impossible situation. Of course I wanted to be with him. A weekend away sounded amazing, but maybe after New Year's when things slowed down.
I couldn't imagine how it would even be possible for me to leave right now. Christmas was quickly approaching. We were inspecting the pipes in all the buildings in town, and I'd promised Angela I'd have her store up and running quickly.
My chest was tight, and my breath came in short pants. I couldn't seem to calm down. How was I going to sleep?
My entire body was starting to hurt. I didn't think I was getting sick. It was the long nights sleeping at my desk or on the stiff leather couch. It was too many days worrying about everything that needed to be done.
Then there was Belle's Book Shop. She wanted to open her book shop and expand the space to include a little cafe and a garden patio. I needed to talk to Ford about the likelihood of him getting to that project on the schedule for next year.
Would I ever be able to take time off? Was it a realistic idea in the first year of running a business?
In a perfect world, I would have met Maddox and Sofia after the town was established, the repairs completed, and we had a few years under our belt. Instead, I met him during the first holiday season, and it felt impossible.
Tears stung my eyes. Was it a mistake to get involved with him?
The problem was, I wanted more than just a physical encounter. I wanted everything: baking together, decorating the tree, and building the light trail. I wanted it all.
Sometimes you had to make tough choices, and maybe this was mine. I could have the town or Maddox, but I couldn't have both.
Normally, I'd talk to my sister about this, but I didn't want to bother her.
It took me a long time to fall asleep. The next morning, I woke to a knock on the door. I wondered if whoever it was had been knocking for a while. I sat up, finger brushing my hair and straightening my clothes. Hopefully no one would notice that I wore this same outfit yesterday.
I stood, interjecting every ounce of energy into my voice. "Come in."
Clara came inside. "Good morning."
I moved behind my desk to hide the wrinkles in my slacks and my morning breath. "Clara, what are you doing here?" Then my heart stuttered. "You didn't have a water leak in your store, did you?"
Clara waved a hand at me. "Not yet."
I sank into my seat, wishing I'd gone home to shower and change. I hadn't felt fully like myself since I'd gotten that call about the burst pipe in Angela's shop.
Clara stood across from me, her hands on her hips. "There's a lot going on in town. The pipes are old. Christmas is coming up—"
I held up my hand to stop her. "Clara, I'm working around the clock on these issues. I promise I have it under control."
She tipped her head to the side. "Do you?"
I sighed, suddenly more exhausted than when I went to sleep last night. "I'm not sure what else I could be doing."
She glanced over at the couch where I'd left a throw. "There's a rumor that you're sleeping in your office."
"There's a lot to do, and I'm working on it.
Hudson will get to your shop just as soon as he can.
We'll have your pipes replaced as soon as possible.
" It was only seven a.m., and I already had a raging headache.
I think it had something to do with the crick in my neck from the position I'd slept in.
Clara sighed. "I'm not here to complain. This is an intervention."
My brows furrowed. "I'm sorry?"
She threw her arms up. "We're worried about you."
"With everything going on, you're worried about me?"
She gestured around the office, the piles of paperwork, the clothes hanging in the bathroom, the blanket and pillow on the couch. "Yes, you. You're working too much."
"There's no one else who can do the job," I said slowly, still unsure exactly what she needed.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "So you can't ask your sister for help?"
"She's busy with the inn and the renovations there." She was in a new relationship, and I didn't want to be the one to put stress on their reunion. Natasha deserved to be happy.
"Have you talked to her, asked her to help?"
"This is my responsibility."
"Eve, this town is everyone's. Natasha and you might own it, but we all have a stake. We want to help you."
I studied her. "You do?"
"Well, maybe not all of us, but enough of us. We want you to lean on us when you need help. We can make phone calls, arrange inspections."
"But—"
"No buts. First, you're going home to take a shower and eat something." She lifted a bag that smelled wonderful from behind her back along with a to-go cup of coffee. "You're going to eat this and drink this. I'm a little scared to give you more caffeine but more scared not to."
"Smart," I remarked as I took the steaming bag and to-go cup.
"I'm going to handle the inspections. I'll work with Hudson to come up with a timeline."
"What if Bill—"
"Send him to me. I'm in charge at the moment. We all have an interest in this town being successful. And you working yourself to death isn't helping anyone."
"There's nothing I can say to change your mind?" I asked.
"A bunch of the shop owners met and talked about this. This is what we've decided. You can still be the town coordinator, but you need to start delegating stuff. And until you do, we're stepping in to help."
My shoulders lowered. I'd lost this fight.
"Eat and then get home to shower. I don't want to see you in this office or town for a few hours. Take a nap if you need one."
"That sounds decadent."
"That's the idea." She dropped into the seat across from me while I unwrapped the egg croissant.
I took a few bites and sipped my coffee, and when I felt more awake, I said, "Maddox wanted me to go away with him this weekend."
"Just you and him?"
"It's a little bed-and-breakfast a couple of hours from here." I'd carefully kept my personal business away from the other shop owners. I assumed that's what any boss should do. But I needed someone to talk to, and I'd decided not to burden Natasha with my relationship woes.
"That sounds lovely."
I grimaced. "I said I couldn't go because it’s before Christmas, and we have the pipe situation."
Clara cleared her throat. "You're going to go on that romantic getaway."
I finished the croissant, wadding up the wax paper and throwing it into the trash. "I can't."
"You can. In fact, we're going to make sure you can go."
I assumed it was an impossible ask. But now that it was a possibility, I felt excited. "I don't think he's happy that I said no." I hadn't heard from him at all, and Sofia was so disappointed.
"Shower. Nap. Brush teeth. Not necessarily in that order. Then decide when you wake up. But know this; we want to help. You've done so much for us."
I gave her a look. "What are you talking about?"
"You helped Angela put away her stock when the pipe burst. That's not your job."
"It's what anyone would do," I mumbled.
Clara gave me a look. "You would do anything for one of us, and it's our turn to do something for you."
I had wondered how much longer I could go at this pace without burning out. "I appreciate you offering to help. I'm not good at delegating."
"I figured that part out." Clara snorted, and then she stood. "Enjoy your nap. I've got this."
I finished my coffee on the way home, wondering when I'd been in my house recently, other than to grab more clothes.
Inside, I brushed my teeth, then put on pajamas. It felt lazy to sleep in the middle of the day, but I was so tired. As soon as I laid my head on the pillow, I fell asleep. I didn't wake until a few hours later.
I rolled over, my entire body feeling heavy.
I grabbed my phone, reading through the messages that came through while I was sleeping.
Clara: You better not come back to work today.
Now that I was nestled in my warm blankets, and she was handling Hudson and the pipe inspections, I didn't want to get out of bed.
But there was something I needed to take care of.
There was a little girl's disappointed face that I couldn't get out of my head.
Then there was her father's. I just hoped they'd forgive me and give me another chance.
Maddox: Can we talk?
Eve: I'd love to.
I wondered what he had in mind.
Maddox: I'm working. Maybe when I get off?
I didn't want to wait that long. But I didn't want to spoil my plans.
Eve: Sounds good.
I showered, brushed my teeth again, and threw a sandwich together. Then I picked up cupcakes from Reina at Sweet Dreams and brought enough for everyone at the firehouse, including a box for my two favorite people.
I called ahead so that Steve could help me with the boxes. Thankfully, he was working the same shift as Maddox.
Steve met me at the back of my SUV. "What did you bring us this time?"
"Cupcakes," I said as I opened the rear door revealing several large pink boxes. "I wasn't sure which flavors you would like, so I got a little of everything."
He laughed. "You know we'll eat anything, right?"
I gave him a serious look. "I wanted to do this right."
"You had me at cupcakes. I'll take these into the kitchen for you and distract the guys. What do you have planned for Maddox?"
"I brought him his own box of cupcakes." I remembered what Frank said about saving the goodies for the person I was meeting with.
"I like your style. If you ever get sick of Maddox's grumpy ways, you know where to find me."
I laughed as he stacked the boxes in his arms and headed toward the open bay. Men swarmed him, grabbing boxes.
Steve told me that Maddox would be in the fire chief's office because Frank wanted him to transition into the new role before the end of the year.
I wore the same red dress I'd worn the first time we met.
Once he told me he was working, I came up with the idea to replicate our initial meeting with a few key differences.
I just hoped he wouldn't be as grumpy this time. I already had my work cut out for me.
The rec room was empty as all the men were in the kitchen, fighting over the cupcakes. I balanced the box in one hand as I knocked on the door with the temporary sign that read Fire Chief Maddox Knight.
I was so proud of him, and I couldn't wait to tell him that to his face.
"Come in."
I opened the door, slipping through it before locking it behind me.
He glanced up for a second, spotting the pink box. "You can set that in the kitchen."
When I didn't move, he raised his gaze, his eyes widening when he saw me in that red dress.
"What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to surprise you."
He stood and slowly walked around the desk. It was almost as if he was afraid to startle me.
I set the box on his desk. "I was told that the fire chief needs his own sweets."
"Are you saying that you brought more for the schmucks out there?" He nodded toward the locked door.
"I needed them distracted so that I could get to you."
He leaned against the desk. "What can I do for you?"
He was distant. I'd hurt him with my refusal to go on that getaway. I hoped he'd hear me out and give me another chance.
I stepped forward, reaching around him to place the box on the desk. "I was hoping you'd ask me to go away with you again."
He frowned. "I know it was a bad time of the year. The worst weekend I could have asked."
I shook my head.
"It's not?"
I sighed. "I've been working too much. I assumed that no one else could do the same job as I could.
I didn't want to burden my sister with extra tasks when it was my responsibility to handle the town.
But today, I was reminded that there are people who want to help me, and I don't have to do it all on my own. "
He held himself stiffly. "What are you saying?"
"At some point, I fell in love with a grumpy firefighter with the sweetest daughter in the world."
His face softened.
"And I'd love to go away with you this weekend, if you still want to go."
He tipped his head to the side. "This weekend?"
"The town is covered, and I have people who can handle things while I'm gone."
He raised a brow. "Are you sure?"
I smiled. "Am I sure I'm in love with you?"
"Yeah," he said gruffly.
"I've never been surer of anything. I was worried that you're not ready or that you don't want a long-term relationship. But none of that matters. I needed to tell you how I felt." I wanted to give him a chance to react to my declaration.
He moved closer, his hands on my shoulders. "I love you too."
"I'm sorry I've been working so much. I'm going to rebalance my life so that you and Sofia come first. Where you should be."
He tipped his head back. "You're saying everything I wanted to hear.
But I wanted to apologize too. I shouldn't have assumed that you could get away the weekend before Christmas.
That was insensitive of me. I think, on some level, I wanted to test your priorities. I wanted to know if we'd come first."
"You were right. I wasn't making our relationship or Sofia a priority. But to be fair, I've never been in a relationship like this before."
"And what kind of a relationship is that?" he asked gruffly.
I rested my palms on his chest. "One where I want to spend the rest of my life with a man and his daughter."
His hands went to my hips. "I can't believe you came into the firehouse wearing this red dress. You were all I could think about the first time I met you."
I grinned. "I wanted to get your attention."
"It worked."
I looped my arms around his neck. "Can I kiss you now?"
"Mmm. I thought you'd never ask." He lowered his lips to mine, and he tangled his hand in my hair. His free hand kept a tight grip on my hip. "I can't wait to get away with you this weekend."
I smiled up at him. "Me too."
I wanted to put him first and balance my work and relationship better. There might be some hiccups along the way, but we'd figure it out together.
"To think this all started right here in this room. And now I have my dream job and my dream woman."
"I like the sound of that," I said as he kissed me again.