Chapter 11
Ivy
“Okay, so are we just not going to talk about how he went and got your dog and your stuff and pulled a whole Mary Ann to your Wanda?” Willa asks as she pours the foam into a Christmas tree shape on my latte.
I roll my eyes playfully at The Chicks song reference. “It wasn’t like that,” I insist. But great song.
“Oh, we’re talking about it,” Rowan says as she nudges my shoulder and slides onto the stool next to me.
Junie’s at school, and I borrowed Remy’s truck to run some errands and stopped at the bookstore to check in with my sisters.
“There’s nothing to talk about, you guys. It’s just a job,” I say as Willa slides my latte over to me.
“Thanks,” I say and take in the design on the foam and smile.
“Spill it,” she demands.
“It’s been almost a week since he went and got your things from Derek’s, and I am just imagining how that went down,” Rowan murmurs. “Remy was probably so hot.”
“Hey, don’t call him hot. And did you know Remy used to be a criminal defense attorney?” I ask them, changing the subject.
Willa nods. “I knew he practiced some sort of law, but I didn’t know what kind.”
“I knew he left a big career behind to take over the tree farm when his uncle died,” Rowan says as she twirls her tea bag in her mug.
“I was just surprised,” I murmur. “He doesn’t seem like the lawyer type.”
“You know, he’s not Derek,” Willa gives me an all-knowing big sister look.
“I didn’t say he was,” I say, pretending not to know what she’s hinting at.
“Just because Derek is a lawyer and Remy was a lawyer, doesn’t mean anything,” she continues.
“He does have that hot daddy thing going for him,” Rowan mutters. “If you’re into that sorta thing.”
I say nothing, taking a big sip of my latte, so I don’t have to respond.
Oh, I’m into it, all right. But I’m not sharing that with them just yet.
They’ll try their hardest to get us together and meddle.
Because that is what this town is good for.
And God help them if they knew that Remy saw me naked with our shower mishap.
I’ve been using the shower in his bathroom ever since, and let me tell you, the water pressure is the best. And it smells like him in there, and I like it.
The front door opens, and my mom comes in. “Well, hey there. All my girls in one spot. What’s going on? What did I miss?” she asks as she shrugs off her coat and hangs it on the back of a bar stool.
“Not much, just catching up,” Rowan shrugs.
“What’s going on at your shop today?” My mom asks as she glances over at the doorway between the shops that’s been cut and taped up for now.
“It’s coming together,” Rowan says. “I need to finalize the plans for the grand opening, but I don’t have dates yet because we’re held up with the permits.”
“It’s going to be perfect,” I try to reassure her.
“Yes, everything will work out,” Mom says as she beams at all of us.
“And Ivy has Lola and her things back, and she was just telling us how much she loves working with Remy,” Willa grins.
I kick her leg from where she’s standing at the edge of the counter, which makes her duck out of the way and grin even bigger.
“I do like working with Junie and Remy,” I tell them. “And it was nice of him to take me to get my things back.”
“Very nice…” Rowan says with a wicked grin.
Which I ignore.
“Did Derek give you any trouble?” My mom asks, tilting her head at me as if she already knows the answer.
“Surprisingly, no,” I admit.
My sisters exchange a knowing look.
“What did you do?” I demand. “I know you did something.”
My mom smiles, and Rowan looks away guiltily. Willa stands to pour my mom a cup of coffee.
“Tell me now.”
“Okay, well…I might have put Derek on ice for you,” Willa shrugs.
Which means she put his name in a jar of water and froze it. Something that she likes to do when someone is bothering her or someone in our family. Oh, great.
“Well, that seemed to work. He has left me alone. Thanks for that. I guess,” I tell her. “And what about you two?”
“I decline to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me,” Rowan says with a serious face.
My mom laughs and shrugs. “Same.”
“Put it this way, times might get hard for Kristin and Derek,” my mom says as she sips her coffee.
And this is why I love my family. They have my back, even if it’s in the most unconventional ways.
They always have my back.
It’s pizza night at the house, and I have the list of groceries that Remy requested.
Tonight he says it’s just us, Junie, his mom and Finn.
We’re going to watch a Christmas movie and make reindeer poop.
Every time I brought up reindeer poop, Junie laughed so hard.
It’s basically muddy buddies, also known as puppy chow.
But she loves when we make everything silly and fun.
I take my time at the Wisteria Cove General Store, pausing in an aisle when I hear Remy’s name and glancing down to listen as two women talk.
“He’s Wisteria Cove’s most eligible bachelor,” one of them says. I think her name is Vanessa, but I’m not sure. I’ve seen her at Rowan’s yoga classes when I’ve filled in for her. I remember her as being kind of snarky and having mean girl energy.
“He really is. I heard he used to be a big hotshot Boston lawyer. He gave it all up to work on a tree farm. He’s like a real-life Hallmark movie come to life,” the other woman says, her back to me so I can’t see who she is.
Both women seem to notice me and turn. “Oh, hey, Ivy,” the woman—Marilyn—says sweetly. Too sweetly. “How are you? I heard you were a nanny for sweet little Junie.”
I shrug. “Yeah, she’s a great kid. How are you guys? Been keeping up with yoga?”
“Oh, you know it. And Pilates. Gotta keep up. Can’t let the pounds creep up, if you know what I mean,” Vanessa says as she gives me a look.
Bitch.
Yeah, I’m curvy. But I’m also strong. I can do ninety minutes of yoga without breaking a sweat, while Vanessa here flops onto her mat in Child’s pose every five minutes like she’s dying. And I caught that snide comment loud and clear.
“What do you mean by that?” I say, voice low but sharp, locking eyes with her.
Vanessa shrugs, flicking her nails. “What? Don’t take it personally, Ivy. But maybe you’d feel better if you did yoga more often with us or added Pilates. Could do you some good.”
Her tone drips with condescension, like I’m some project she’s trying to fix.
I roll my eyes, grab my cart, and head to the checkout. “I’d take your Pilates advice more seriously if you could finish a class without collapsing. Have a nice day, ladies.”
I don’t have time for her mean-girl bullshit. Not today.
I get to go home to hot Remy and his adorable kid, Junie. And by the way Remy looks at me, even after he saw me naked in the shower, I don’t have the impression he had a problem with my curves. In fact, it looked like he appreciated them.
Junie’s grin could light up the entire Bennett farmhouse. “Candy Land again!” she declares, slapping the colorful board down on the coffee table like she’s about to win the Olympics.
“Kid, you always beat us,” Finn groans, dropping onto the floor beside her.
She waggles her eyebrows at him with the smug confidence only a five-year-old can pull off. “That’s because I’m the best.”
Remy sits on the couch behind her, arms crossed, trying and failing to hide the smile tugging at his mouth.
He looks tired, but there’s something softer in his face tonight.
Like the sharp edges have been sanded down a little and he’s happier than when I first got here.
I’ve figured out that pizza night does that to him.
He loves making pizza, playing games, and watching movies.
I think quality time might be his love language.
Donna breezes in and sits down on the couch beside me. “Candy Land again? Lord help us all. This child is ruthless.”
“She cheats,” Finn says, ruffling Junie’s hair.
“I don’t cheat!” Junie protests. “I’m just lucky. You’re jealous.”
“Jealous? Of losing to a kindergartner? Never,” Finn says, though he looks nervous as Junie shuffles the cards.
I pull a green gingerbread pawn and set it at the start. “All right, champ. Show us what you’ve got.”
Fifteen minutes later, Junie’s got us all beat again, crowing in victory while Finn groans dramatically, and Donna watches us all like this is the best entertainment she’s had all week. I have to admit, it’s hard not to laugh when Junie pumps both fists in the air and shouts, “Three for three!”
“All right, Candy Queen,” Remy says, hauling himself off the couch. “Enough winning. Pizza’s ready.”
The words are magic. I swear I’ve never smelled anything so good in my life.
Remy Bennett, grumpy Christmas tree farmer extraordinaire, makes pizza from scratch every Friday night, and right now I’m living for it.
The entire house smells of melted cheese and roasted garlic, a scent that will make your stomach growl even if you’ve already eaten.
And a secret that I saw him do is drizzle Mike’s hot honey over it when it is fresh out of the oven.
It’s got that perfect sweet and savory taste that I crave.
We pile into the kitchen. Remy’s pulling another pizza from the oven, steam curling up as he sets it on the counter. He glances at me, just for a second, and I swear he hesitates before reaching for the pizza cutter. Like he wants to see if I’m impressed.
I am. I grin at him and say, “Need help?”
He shakes his head and smiles. And I don’t say anything, but Remy smiling is a big difference from his grumbly faces when I first got here.
We eat at the big farmhouse table. Donna sits at one end, Junie beside her, Finn across, and me…
next to Remy. He doesn’t say much, but he’s different tonight.
Gentler. Every time my glass dips low, he fills it.
When the pepperoni pizza makes its way around the table, he pushes the plate toward me first.
“Try this one,” he says, voice quiet. “Extra mozzarella.”
I take a bite and almost melt in my seat. “This is unfair. You could open a pizza place and put every restaurant within an hour’s radius out of business.”
Junie giggles. “Daddy’s Pizza Palace!”
Remy shakes his head, cheeks faintly pink.
“Marco would be devastated if he knew your pizza was this good.” I tell him and watch his eyes light up at the compliment.
But when I reach for another slice, he hides a smile full of pride.
Donna, of course, notices everything. She leans her chin on her hand, eyes dancing, and when Remy glances her way, she winks at him. He rolls his eyes and clears his throat, taking a bite of his crust like he can pretend she didn’t just call him out without saying a word.
The house looks different tonight, too. I didn’t notice at first, but now mistletoe hangs everywhere. Over the kitchen doorway. Above the back door. Even dangling from the light fixture in the living room.
“Real subtle,” Remy mutters, glancing up at the sprig dangling above us.
Donna’s smile is pure mischief. “Tradition, sweetheart. Anyone caught under the mistletoe has to kiss.”
Junie gasps. “That’s the rule!”
I press a hand to my chest, eyes wide. “Oh no. Finn, guess I better call Rowan over.”
Finn nearly chokes on his soda. “Hey. Not fair.”
Donna cackles, and even Remy lets out a laugh, low and rough, that makes my stomach flutter. And luckily the teasing gets us out of kissing under the mistletoe, which without an audience, I wouldn’t mind kissing Remy. He could kiss me anywhere.
The teasing doesn’t stop through the rest of dinner. Remy doesn’t say much, but every once in a while, I catch him looking at me like he’s wondering what would happen if Junie shoved me under the mistletoe with him again.
And I wonder myself. More than I should. I wonder what it would be like to wrap my arms around his neck and pull him in. Kiss him slowly, feel his arms around me. I wonder what he’d do if I kissed him. I know that kissing Remy in my fantasies is pretty hot. In real life, I might combust.
After we all clean up, we migrate to the living room for Christmas movie night. The tree glows in the corner, colorful lights reflecting in the window. Donna insists on It’s a Wonderful Life. Junie curls up between her and Finn on the couch, leaving the other side empty.
I settle in, pulling the blanket across my lap.
A moment later, Remy drops beside me. Not close enough to touch, but close enough that the heat of his body makes me hyperaware of every breath I take.
I feel like I’m back in high school, sitting next to the crush I swore no one would ever know about.
I pull the blanket over and give some to him, and he says nothing, just settles in as if this is something we do daily.
Halfway through the movie, my eyes get heavy. The laughter from the kitchen, the warmth of the fire, the weight of the blanket…all of it pulls me under. The last thing I notice is Remy shifting closer, his arm brushing mine, steady and warm.
When I wake, the room is quiet. The lights are dim; the movie is long over. Junie’s gone, probably tucked into bed with Lola at her feet. Donna and Finn are gone too. The only one left is Remy, still sitting right here, letting me use his shoulder like a pillow.
I jerk upright, mortified. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
His voice is soft, deeper than usual in the quiet. “You looked like you needed the sleep.”
Heat floods my cheeks. “Oh, my gosh. I drooled on you, didn’t I?”
He snort-laughs, the sound rough and unguarded. “I have a kid. I’ve been drooled on.”
The way he looks at me then makes my stomach flip. There’s no irritation, no guarded walls. Just warmth. Interest. Something I can’t quite name but that makes me feel like my chest might burst.
I can’t stop myself. I lean in and press a quick kiss to his cheek. His stubble is rough against my lips, and his skin is warm. He freezes, and his eyes close, and he sucks in his breath. His body visibly relaxes, as if he needed that touch.
“Goodnight, Remy,” I whisper before I can lose my nerve, and I head to my room, heart hammering.
I close my door and press my back to it, my pulse racing like I just did something far more reckless than kiss Remy on the cheek.
My lips still tingle, my hand itching to go back, to touch him again.
I get ready quickly and crawl into bed, pulling the blanket up to my chin, but the warmth under my skin has nothing to do with the quilt.
Every time I close my eyes, I see the look on his face, feel the way his whole body went still like he’d been waiting for me to do that forever. I bite back a smile into my pillow.
Tonight, I didn’t just say goodnight. I started something neither of us can take back. The ball is in his court now. Let’s see what he does with it.