Chapter 8 #2
She smiled and nodded. He hoped she was right. He didn’t want her secret outed because his son was such a big fan. Charlie was good at keeping secrets, but Nash would impress the importance of keeping this one, without letting his son know there was potential danger surrounding their new friends.
For the next hour, the kids played while he and Olivia joined in. Charlie didn’t pester her with questions, but he figured his son was only biding his time and storing them up for later.
When the dinner bell rang a while later, Olivia’s eyebrows shot up. “What was that?”
Charlie grinned. “That’s the dinner bell. Everyone here tries to eat together every night. It’s to keep everyone updated with what’s happening on the farm and to make everyone feel like part of the team.”
“That’s so nice.”
Charlie tossed the toys into the tub. “It is. All the adults take turns cooking, so no one is always stuck doing it. Dad and I are going to make hamburgers and turkey burgers when it’s our night. Do you like those?”
Olivia grinned. “Of course.”
“Me too. Are you ready for supper time, Ella? Do you want to eat?”
Ella clapped and reached for Olivia to pick her up. She clearly understood more than she spoke. He wondered more about their background and history. The girl had experienced a lot of loss in her time, and he wanted to ensure she didn’t have any more.
Downstairs, they found the table set for ten: Knox and Thea, Jolie and Ford, Gray and Amber, him and Charlie, and Olivia and Ella.
Their family.
A jolt of rightness hit him. He’d made the right choice for Charlie. The right choice for him.
Could it be the right choice for Olivia and Ella? He hoped so.
When Charlie took his first bite, his face lit up. “This is better than anything I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant. Are you a chef, Gray?”
His buddy laughed. “Not even a little bit. But I had an Italian mamma, and I learned to make a good red sauce when I was younger than you.”
“Seriously? That’s so cool. Can you teach me how to make it one day?”
“Absolutely. The gnocchi, too.”
Charlie’s jaw dropped. “You made the gnocchi? You didn’t buy it?”
Claus grinned. “My mamma would reach down from heaven and yank my ear if I ever bought pasta from a store.”
Charlie laughed and turned to Nash. “I like living here, Dad. I’m glad we moved.”
Nash had to swallow the emotion. “Me too, bud.”
A quick look around the table showed that same emotion shining from many pairs of eyes.
Knox grinned and pointed at Olivia. “Now, we have to convince these two to join the team.”
Olivia’s eyes widened, and she looked at Nash. He couldn’t stop his smile. “I like that idea.”
Charlie chimed in. “Me too. And so does Ella. She could see the ducks all the time and play in the snow with me. What do you think, Olivia? Would you like to stay here? You said you didn’t have a home base yet. This is a good one.”
Nash chuckled at the absolute shock on Olivia’s face. Around the table, the others chimed in to convince her.
Jolie smiled. “I don’t know your area of expertise, but the farm has lots of space and opportunities. We’d love to have you and Ella join us. And I know that Charlie and Nash would love to have an extra set of hands to help them while they figure out the cider aspect.”
Amber smiled. “We can’t have a No Phailed Apples Inn without having a good cider branch here. There’s lots of room in the farmhouse and we’d love to have you live here with us.”
Nash’s heart warmed. He’d known these were some of the best people on earth. If he needed any proof, here it was.
He wouldn’t be surprised if everyone around the table had realized that Olivia was worried about someone finding her. That she lived on the edge of fear and needed friends.
Here, she and Ella could be safe. Their names wouldn’t be on the property or a rental agreement. There wouldn’t be any paper trails leading here.
It was probably the safest environment that Nash could imagine for her.
He turned and smiled. “We’d love you both to move into the farmhouse with us. Charlie and I would also love the help with the cider. I’ve got a brewmaster license for beer, but this is new. You can learn along with us.”
Charlie nodded. “Yeah. It’ll be fun. Will you stay?”
Olivia had to blink to prevent tears from forming. These people genuinely wanted to have her and Ella Mae join them in their home.
They’d only known each other for a few days, but the emotions in the room were authentic. She could feel the friendliness and concern emanating from every one of them. Right down to Charlie who was incredibly intuitive for a kid.
The exact kind of kid she imagined when she created her worlds. Bright, curious, adventurous. She just hadn’t imagined the giant heart. He was an incredible role model for Ella.
Nash patted her hand. “Take the time you need, but please consider it. You’re welcome here.”
Again, she had to blink furiously and swallow hard. These people brought out all of her feelings in the very best way.
This would be an incredible home for Ella. A safe haven with family surrounding her. Not family by blood, but by choice. Like the family she’d made with Mary Mae and Liam.
Olivia could almost feel her friend patting her shoulder and whispering. They’re good people, Carmen. They’ll help you and our baby girl. Trust them.
Even though the whisper wasn’t real, hearing her former name in her head sent a shiver over her.
It was one thing for Nash and Charlie to know her pen name, but no one could know her former name. She shouldn’t even think it.
Ella grabbed a handful of the gnocchi Olivia had chopped for her and lifted it with a squeal. Gray laughed. “That’s a smart girl you’ve got there, Olivia. She’s got great taste.”
Ella’s face was covered with the sauce and she’d gobbled down the roasted green beans. There weren’t any carrots tonight, so she hadn’t tossed any food on the floor. “She’s loved every bite. I’m not much of a cook.”
Thea grinned. “Me neither. Fiona Phail has a ton of frozen entrees in her store. She’s another great cook and I mostly use her stuff when it’s my turn to make supper. You could do the same thing.”
It appeared they were all serious about her joining the family at the farm. They were inviting her and Ella into their group. Into their home.
She wondered if they sensed how lost and alone Olivia had been feeling. Were they all natural rescuers?
Talk at the table turned to the farm. What they’d accomplished so far. What they could do during the winter and what they had planned for spring.
Charlie swallowed another mouthful of garlic bread. “What do you guys do for Christmas here? It’s only a couple of weeks away.”
Complete silence greeted his question. The adults around the table exchanged glances. Knox finally answered. “This will be our first Christmas together. Thea was here with Jay last year but none of the rest of us.”
Thea shrugged. “Jay and I didn’t do much. We made cookies together on Christmas Day. Then we sat here at this table drinking hot chocolate and ate them all.”
Charlie laughed. “That sounds good to me.”
Nash ruffled his son’s hair. “Anything with cookies or hot chocolate always sounds great to you.”
Charlie nodded. “It does.”
Jolie agreed. “It really does. Maybe we’ll have to make up batches of cookies before the big day. There’s a woman with a Christmas tree farm across the road. I don’t know much about it, but her sign says she rents Christmas trees.”
The boy’s eyes widened. “She rents them? Like rents real trees?”
He looked at his dad, and Nash shrugged. “We’ve never had a real tree before. And we’ve never rented one. We’ll have to find out more, but that sounds fun.”
It did to Olivia as well. She, Mary Mae, and Liam hadn’t spent money on a tree, but they’d made ornaments out of paper and had fun. “Last year, we strung popcorn onto string to hang up.”
Charlie grinned. “That sounds fun, too.”
Nash chuckled. “You just want to eat the popcorn.”
Olivia laughed. “That’s the best part.”
Nash looked at her with a soft smile. “Sounds like we should add that to the list.”
A shiver ran over her skin. It was easy to imagine herself sitting here at the table with Nash, stringing popcorn and making homemade decorations with Charlie and Ella.
Her heart wanted it. Badly.
Could she have it? Should she move into this amazing place?
Nash smiled, and she wondered again if he could read her thoughts.
The talk turned to environmentally friendly Christmas decorations and fun things the group could do on the big day. The group suggested lots of outdoor winter activities and included ways to adapt things for Ella if needed.
Her heart yearned. She wanted this. Badly.
She caught Nash’s eye, and he smiled. If the chemistry zipping wasn’t arcing between them, would he be on board with her and Ella joining the group?
What if they followed up on the chemistry and things fell apart? That would ruin her opportunity to live in this safe space with her girl.
Would she be any worse off than she was now?
At least now, she knew she hadn’t permanently lost her ability to trust.
Of course, her mind also wanted to imagine what it would be like if she and Nash did follow up on the chemistry and things didn’t fall apart. What would that look like?
Perfection.
Olivia knew there was no such thing as perfection, but having a good man love her back? Having a family with these two amazing kids? That was pretty close.
When Ella started to yawn, Olivia reluctantly stood. “Time to get Ella back to the B&B.”
Charlie frowned. “See. If you lived here, you wouldn’t have to go. Ella could sleep upstairs, and you could hang out with us.”
She smiled as she lifted her girl, unable to form words.
Amber picked up Ella’s baby bag. “We’d like you to join us. Why don’t you try it out for a couple of nights to see if you’re comfortable here?”
Amber handed the bag to Nash while Charlie raced to the mudroom to get Ella’s winter gear.
He and his son walked the two of them to Olivia’s car. Once Ella was strapped in, Charlie leaned in to talk to her.
Nash stepped closer to Olivia and kept his voice low. “We’d love you to join us here. Can I call you in the morning?”
A thrill ran through her, and she nodded. “I’d like that.”
He brushed his fingers over her jaw and lip, causing shivers all through her.
His gruff voice barely reached her ear. “Will you come out and see us again tomorrow?”
She nodded again, squashing the desire to lean in and brush her lips across his.
When Charlie closed the door for Ella, Olivia sucked in a deep breath and nodded again. Nash didn’t break eye contact and didn’t back up for a couple of heartbeats.
When he did, he held the door for her as she sat and buckled in.
“Text me when you’re in the B&B so I know you’re both safe.”
And her heart melted a little more.