Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
For three days, Billie didn’t leave her house.
And for three days, everyone left her alone.
But then…
“We brought all the makings of a Mexican feast!” Chloe announced as she let herself into the house. “Now go and take a shower and make yourself presentable, because I have news and you don’t get to hear it until you’re clean.”
From her spot, curled up on the couch, Billie didn’t move. “You’re pregnant,” she mumbled.
Gasping, Chloe put down the cooler she was carrying and ran over. “Who told you? Did Ash call you? Dang it! Why does she have to have such a big mouth? Why can’t I ever be the one to surprise anyone?” Stomping her foot, she stormed back to the cooler and brought it to the kitchen.
Sighing, Billie got up and padded after her. “Ash didn’t tell me anything. You said you have news and that’s the biggest news I could think of.”
“Drats. I had a whole thing planned.” Pouting, she began pulling trays and bags out of the cooler. “Ash, Jade, and Avery are on their way over.”
“Do they all know or just Ash?”
“Just Ash, and now you.” More pouting.
Unable to help herself, she pulled her youngest sister in for a fierce hug. “Congratulations, Chlo,” she whispered. “I’m so happy for you and Tanner.”
She held her in the hug until she got her emotions under control. Just because she was miserable didn’t mean she had to make everyone else feel that way.
Chloe hugged her back just as tight. “I know you’re sad and hearing stuff like this is the last thing that you want to hear, but there was no way I couldn’t share it with you.”
And that right there was why she straightened and smiled. Chloe looked nervous. “This is actually the best thing I could hear right now. And I’m honored that you wanted to share it with me and the girls.” With a brief sigh, she pulled back. “I’m going to go take a shower and I’ll be back out in a few minutes. I know the place is a bit of a mess, but…”
“No worries. I’ve got it all under control. Go.”
So she did.
Thirty minutes later, she felt like a somewhat new person. There were more voices coming from the kitchen and living room, so she figured everyone else had arrived and it would be rude to keep them all waiting any longer.
“Hey! There she is!” Jade called out before meeting her halfway and hugging her. “We tried to give you time, but then we started to worry.”
“I know. Sorry.” They went to join Ashlynn and Avery in the kitchen where they were working with Chloe to put out a huge Mexican feast. “Wow, this is…a lot.”
“We’ve got margaritas and sangria,” Ash said before coming over and hugging her. “Considering Chloe and I can’t have alcohol, it’s up to the three of you to drink it all. We’ve got virgin versions for the two of us.”
Normally she wasn’t typically a drinker, but tonight she was going to make an exception and potentially drink enough for her two sisters.
There was fresh guacamole, a ton of chips, and bowls of salsa and queso for them to start with. Then there was a chicken enchilada casserole in the oven, and a taco bar warming up. She had to hand it to her sisters; this was impressive.
“I know they’re not homemade, but the Mexican place now has chocolate-filled churros, so I bought a bunch of them for dessert,” Avery announced. “Plus, ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream!”
It all sounded wonderful.
Soon, they were all in the kitchen eating chips and dips and guac and making drinks. It wasn’t until everyone had a glass in their hands that Chloe made her big announcement.
“Tanner and I are having a baby!” And then she screamed with excitement as they all congratulated her.
The thing that hit Billie the hardest was the fact that she wasn’t jealous. Sure, she wished she was the one who got to tell everyone that she was pregnant and starting a family, but right now, she was far too happy for her sister to feel anything but love. Someday it would be her turn and she knew her family would be thrilled for her. Her time just wasn’t right now, and she was okay with it.
At least…that’s what she was telling herself.
Ending things with Marcus was the first step toward finally achieving the life she always dreamed of. Now she knew for sure that they wouldn’t work and could finally move on.
Once her heart healed.
For the next few hours, Billie enjoyed catching up with her sisters and friends. Calvin was finally sleeping through the night, and Ashlynn was over her cake cravings—but not all of them—and now was obsessed with frozen pizzas and apple juice.
Just not together.
Avery shared that she and her husband, Leo, were thinking of moving. Leo got a job offer in Richmond, and they were beginning to seriously contemplate it. And then there was Chloe, who was looking positively radiant as she talked about how she told Tanner she was pregnant.
“I already knew,” she told them. “I had taken a home test, but…I’m never late. Ever. Tanner had some parent conferences after school the other day, and I went to see Dr. Reynolds. She confirmed it and I was just so excited that I didn’t know what to do first!”
Pausing, she took a bite of her dinner before continuing.
“You know I have a huge craft room at home, and I called Tanner and asked him to run some errands after he was done with the conferences. We didn’t really need anything, but I needed to keep him out of the house for as long as possible. So, I went to work on creating one of those first day of school boards—you know the ones that have the name, how it’s their first day of whatever grade, teacher name…that sort of thing. Obviously, it’s too soon to know the sex of the baby or anything specific, but I had it say Baby Westyn’s First Day of Kindergarten—you know, since we’re both kindergarten teachers, and the date and year that will happen. It was so cute! I wrapped it up along with the pregnancy test—the one I took because I saved it—and gave it to him when he got home!”
“Was that the day you asked him to come to the shop and ask if we had cupcakes or anything with frosting?” Jade asked with a hint of amusement.
Chloe nodded with the biggest grin. “I already knew the only thing you had in the case that day were the brownies—which we both love—and it would make the perfect dessert.” She sighed happily. “The look on his face was just…” Another happy sigh. “It was everything. He had no idea I was going to the doctor or that I even suspected I was pregnant, so he was completely surprised!”
“What a great idea!” Billie gushed. “And it was completely perfect for the two of you! Very clever!”
“Thank you. We’re hoping to have everyone over this weekend so we can tell Mom and Dad. We already called Tanner’s parents because they don’t live close by, but I thought it might be nice to have everyone come over for dinner so we can tell them together. What do you guys think?”
“I think that sounds like a lot of fun!” Jade said. “Just tell us what to bring, and we’ll be there.”
“Same,” Ash agreed. “It’s kind of nice how we can do this sort of thing—you know, having them both at the same place at the same time without any drama.”
“Absolutely,” Billie added. “Although I thought Dad was back up in Laurel Bay this week visiting everyone. Will he be back by the weekend?”
“Oh, I forgot about that,” Chloe said with a pout. “I’ll call him and ask. But we might have to just tell him over the phone because I don’t want Mom to find out from anyone else but us. The longer we wait, the bigger the chance of someone else mentioning it to her. I’m ready to tell everyone I run into!”
“I’m going to text him now,” Ash volunteered. “I’ll just say we’re all getting together for dinner and ask if he’ll be back. This way you can relax.”
“Thank you!”
Jade looked over at her with a sympathetic smile and Billie knew she was just being a good friend and sister-in-law. No matter what anyone thought, this was an excellent distraction and the perfect way to bust her out of the pity party she’d been having.
“I’m going to make cupcakes!” she said happily. “Half with blue icing, half with pink. We’ll save anything more elaborate until you do a gender reveal—if you choose to do one. No pressure.”
“Thanks, Bill,” Chloe said, reaching over and squeezing her hand.
“How come they get cupcakes, but Reid and I got cookies?” Ashlynn whined.
“Because you asked for cookies!” Billie reminded her. “You asked for giant, big-ass cookies! Those were your exact words.”
“That does sound like me…”
Everyone nodded. “I was there, and I can confirm,” Jade told her. “You even had pictures!”
“Oh, well…sorry. I didn’t remember that,” Ash murmured.
“Are cupcakes okay with you, Chlo, or is there something else you’d prefer? I can make a cake or do something assorted? Really, it’s your choice.”
“Definitely cupcakes. Like I said, Tanner and I really love anything with frosting, so…” She giggled.
“Would you prefer brownies with frosting? I can do pink and blue frosting too.”
“No, no…cupcakes are fine! I’m just thankful you want to bake anything! I know this week has been hard and… ow! ” She glared at Ashlynn. “What was that for?”
“Dude, this was to distract Billie from being sad and you just went and brought up how sad she’s been! We discussed this! No one was supposed to bring up…you know…the thing!”
Good grief.
“No, I didn’t,” Chloe hissed. “You just did! You and your big mouth!”
“Okay, we all need to calm down,” Jade said diplomatically. “No one said or did anything wrong. Let’s just move on to a new topic.” Smiling, she looked at Billie. “What are your thoughts on adding to-go displays at the store?”
“To-go…?”
“Rather than just having everything in the case, we also have a display where customers can grab them and bring them up to the counter. Not with everything, but maybe a three-pack of cookies? Or have a single slice of cake or a single muffin? I’m thinking of ways to make the line move faster sometimes. Plus, customers might feel the urge to buy them that way when they can grab them themselves. What do you think?”
“It can’t hurt…” She thought about it for a moment. “We’d have to find the kind of bags or boxes so they can see what they’re buying…get the right labels…find an eye-catching way to display them…”
She missed the knowing smile between Jade and everyone else because her mind was already spinning with ideas on the kind of display they should get and where it could go and…
“Has anyone started a book club that meets in the shop?” Avery asked. “I think that could be the coolest thing to have a monthly thing just for the adults. I know you have story time for the kids, but how cool would it be to have authors come in and read? Ooh…ooh…you could make it themed for whatever the book is about! Fun cookies or snacks and drinks that are part of the story!”
“We do have a book club,” Jade told her, “but we’ve never invited any authors. I’m not even sure how to go about doing it.”
“Leave it to me,” Avery assured her. “I follow a lot of authors on social media, and I think we could make something work. I’m on it!”
After that, the rest of the evening was spent talking about food, baby showers, books, authors, and plans for all the upcoming local festivals. By the time everyone left, Billie was feeling more and more like her old self. Healing a broken heart was going to take time, but…she had the greatest support network anyone could ever ask for.
And for right now, it was enough.
“I set up a zoom call with the Marshalls for today at three, you have a meeting with Jones and Associates tomorrow morning at nine—also via Zoom —and then lunch with the board at noon,” Stella said before going over the rest of his schedule for the week. Marcus was only partly paying attention because he knew his schedule by heart.
It was the only thing he had to focus on for over a week.
“The reports you asked for will be ready later on today,” she went on. “I’ll email them to you. Is there anything else you need?”
Yes, a life…
“No. Thank you, Stella,” he murmured, as he stared out his window. In the background, he heard his door close, and he felt…nothing. Just like he had since he walked out of Billie’s house. He was numb and going through the motions.
He had no idea how long he had been sitting there when his phone dinged with an incoming text. Sighing wearily, he turned and saw his brother’s name.
Max: Hey! Any chance you’re going to be at Dad’s this weekend?
Max: I finally have some free time and thought it would be great for the three of us to go out to dinner.
Max: Dad said he’s feeling great, so it would be a nice reward for him.
Max: BTW, he sent pictures of the exterior of the house. It looks amazing!
He’d gotten those pictures too and had been pleasantly surprised. As for seeing it in person, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. He was sure there would be an angry mob looking to tell him off. Word of him leaving had probably spread, and he wasn’t looking forward to dealing with all the fallout.
So, he ignored the texts and focused on preparing himself for his Zoom call with the Marshalls. They were a wealthy older couple who were in their first year of retirement and they enjoyed going over every investment and seeing how their stocks were doing each month. It was a standard appointment, and he knew he could almost recite their numbers without even looking at the report, but it was a good way to pass the time.
At three, he put a smile on his face and greeted the Marshalls when they showed up on his computer screen. “Warren, Dawn, it’s a pleasure to see you both,” he began. “I have exciting news for you regarding your earnings this month…”
For the better part of twenty minutes, Marcus spoke almost non-stop. When he finished his presentation, he relaxed a bit and waited for their questions.
“Are you doing okay, Marcus?” Dawn asked. “You don’t seem like yourself.”
Seriously?
His smile felt a bit tight as he replied, “I’m fine. Really,” he assured them. “I was thinking now might be a good time to think about moving some things around…”
“I have to agree with my wife,” Warren interrupted. “Something’s definitely wrong. Are you sure you’re doing okay?”
Don’t react…don’t react…
Stella quietly walked in carrying some folders. She never sat in on these meetings and he was used to her coming and going. The Marshalls were watching him and he knew he had to say something…
Then the perfect explanation came to him. “My father’s been a little incapacitated as of late. I’ve been going back and forth to be with him. He’s fine and getting stronger every day, but I guess all the traveling maybe has me a little exhausted.”
Stella let out a small snort, giving him a disapproving look as she did, before walking back out.
Awesome.
“You poor thing,” Dawn was saying. “You need to remember to take care of yourself. How can you help your father if you’re worn out?”
“I’ll try to remember that,” he told her before something occurred to him. “Warren, you recently retired. Did you stay in your office until the last day?”
Warren looked at him oddly before laughing softly. “Not at all. For the last five years, Dawn and I worked remotely. Our logistics company had a fantastic management team, so it wasn’t necessary for us to be hands-on every day. Once a month, we went into the office to check on things, but you know how everything is nowadays; there are a lot of jobs that don’t require a physical office. I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but once I embraced it, I realized how beneficial it could be.”
“We traveled and got to spend time with our children and grandchildren,” Dawn added. “That was the biggest perk to me. We used to miss out on so many things because we felt like we were tied to the office. Now we can pack up our laptops or tablets and work from anywhere. I’m sure it’s like that for you, right?”
He nodded. “I was able to work from my father’s house and there are days I work from home, too.”
Why am I acting like this is all a brand-new concept? I’ve been doing it for years, not just for the last two months!
“Sorry for the conversational detour,” he said with a bit of humor. “I guess I was curious and realized we’d never talked about that aspect of your careers. With a grin, he launched back into their financial accounts. Thirty minutes later, he hung up after accepting their well wishes for his father, and part of him felt a little guilty for lying, but…his personal life wasn’t anyone’s business.
When he walked out of his office to get a cup of coffee, he caught Stella’s look again.
“Okay, what is that about?” he asked wearily.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said stiffly.
“The look. The disappointed look,” he told her.
“I just can’t believe you’d lie to that sweet couple.”
“I wasn’t lying.” Liar. “They asked me what was going on, and I told them. I have been going back and forth to help him. Where’s the lie?”
“Marcus, you and I both know something else is bothering you. I’ve worked for you long enough to notice.”
“There’s nothing…”
“Your father called and told me about your breakup.”
“What?!” he demanded. “Why? Why would he tell you that?”
“Well, he couldn’t get you on your cell phone, so he called the office and we got to chatting. And can I just say he sounds like a lovely man,” she gushed. “So charming!”
“Stella…”
“Anyway, he told me about everything. I can’t believe you would keep something like this to yourself!”
This was ridiculous, he thought.
“I appreciate your concern, but it’s really no one’s business but mine. And for the record, I’m okay. This isn’t the first time a relationship has ended. I’m a grown man. I can handle it.”
She didn’t look convinced, and he wasn’t in the mood to try to change her mind.
“I’m going to get some coffee,” he muttered as he walked away.
He walked past at least a dozen different coworkers and none of them even acknowledged him on his way to and from the break room. When he got back to his office, he picked up his phone and noticed even more texts from his brother.
Max: Okay, you and Billie broke up again.
Max: You got back together once. It can happen again.
Max: Don’t let this keep you from coming home again.
Max: LOL! Can I say the word again a few more times?
Max: Seriously, dude, call me. I’m sure you’re in a mood, but…I’m a good listener.
That was true. Max was probably the only person Marcus ever felt comfortable opening up to, but was he ready to open up to him about Billie?
Max: Marcus? Hello? I know you’re reading this!
Max: Talk to me!
“Oh, for crying out loud.” Huffing with annoyance, he hit the call button.
“Hey, there’s my big, cranky brother!”
And for some reason, that made Marcus laugh. “What is wrong with you? Why are you like this?”
“You mean caring? Charming? Lovable?”
“Yeah, speaking of charming, that’s the word my assistant just used to describe Dad.”
“Seriously? Why would she even say that? Dad doesn’t know her.”
“Apparently he called the office when he couldn’t reach me on my cell phone and got chatty with her.” Leaning back in his chair, he scrubbed a hand over his face. “Then he went and told her about me and Billie. I mean…why? Why would he do that?”
“No idea, but I don’t think there was anything malicious about it. They were probably just talking and got on the subject of how you are.” He paused. “So, do you want to talk about it?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. If I don’t talk about it, I can pretend that it doesn’t bother me and just go about my life as usual. But if I do…”
“Then you’ll have to come clean and say the words out loud that you’re upset.”
“It’s more than upset. I’m freaking miserable. Like…I didn’t even realize this level of sadness was possible.” Staring up at the ceiling, he groaned. “When we broke up back in…well, the first time, I was angry. Furious. I felt betrayed and completely justified in my fury. The few times we ran into each other when I went back to Sweetbriar, it was an annoyance when things didn’t go the way I thought they should. But this? I swear she ripped out my heart. I don’t even know how I’m breathing because I just feel so damn numb and empty.”
“Wow, I had no idea. I don’t even know what to say to that. I thought you were just bummed. I wasn’t expecting this level of…”
“Yeah. Me either.” He sighed. “It’s all my fault too. She didn’t do anything wrong. Ever. This is all on me. Again.”
“I’m sure that’s not true. You’re just being dramatic.”
So, he shared the story of him looking at her bank statement.
“Dude! What is wrong with you? That seriously violated her privacy!”
“I know that now, Max! At the time, all I could see were all those zeroes and then it pissed me off—briefly, but still pissed me off—that she has like ten times as much money as I do! I’m working my damn ass off, chasing the freaking dream, and she’s working in a small-town bakery when she’s a millionaire.” Now his hand raked through his hair. “It made me feel inferior and then that made me mad.”
“Yeah, but you get mad at everything. That’s kind of your thing. We all know it.”
“Not helpful…”
“Okay, fine. Not helpful. But it’s the truth.”
“Max…” he whined. “Come on.”
“What do you want me to say? It sucks. I know it sucks. But the only one who can change things is you. Obviously, you already know you’re the problem—helpful or not, there it is—so you’re the one that has to fix it. But I guess the most important question is whether or not you want to. Is that what this is all about? You want Billie to be in your life?”
“I really do.”
“Okay, that’s a start, but…for what? Your girlfriend? A casual sex buddy? Your wife?”
“She wants marriage and kids…she wants it all,” he said quietly.
“Is that what you want?”
“It’s what I always wanted. It’s what I thought we were working toward ten years ago until she walked out the day before our wedding.”
“ What?! Are you freaking kidding me? You never mentioned the two of you were going to get married! And…wait a minute. You were getting married without telling anyone? Why?”
Ugh…me and my big mouth.
“I didn’t want to deal with all the wedding planning and thought it would be fine for us to go to Hawaii and elope.”
“Look, I don’t know Billie the way you do, but even I know she’s very close with her family. How did you convince her to go along with that plan?”
“I didn’t, Max. That’s why we’re not married!”
His brother laughed softly. “Oh, yeah. Right. Okay, so…if she wants all the same things that you do, what’s the problem? You know, other than you violating her trust and then getting mad at things you had no reason to be mad about.”
“Logistics. It boils down to logistics. Lame, right?”
“I’m glad you said it,” Max mumbled. “I’m guessing she doesn’t want to live in D.C. and you don’t want to live in Sweetbriar Ridge.”
“Exactly.” He paused. “At least…I didn’t think I did.”
“I’m going to say something that you’re going to probably think is dumb, but I’m saying it anyway, so brace yourself.”
“Great. Consider me braced.”
“When you moved away for college, you used to say how you couldn’t wait to live in a big city. You’d come home to visit and we would have a lot of fun doing stuff around town. Then you graduated and moved to D.C. You came home a lot less—even before Mom died—and you became a lot less fun. After Mom died, it was like a part of you died too. And after you and Billie broke up? If we weren’t brothers, I wouldn’t want anything to do with you.”
Marcus let out a long breath and fought the urge to say something snarky.
“So here’s the thing, bro, how great is your life—how great is living in the big city—that it’s worth throwing away the woman you love? Is it worth it? Really?”
“For years, I told myself this life was great. I bragged about where I live, what I drive, the things I can do, when it’s not any of that. The house and car are great, but the rest? It’s non-existent. I don’t have any real friends and I spend a lot of time by myself. I don’t mind being alone, but sometimes it genuinely sucks.”
“So why lie about it?”
“Because I didn’t want anyone to know how wrong I got it—how big of a mistake I made. I thought…I thought I needed…”
“Back to what I was saying,” Max interrupted. “When you left, people weren’t working remotely. That sort of thing wasn’t the norm. Now it is. Why can’t you keep doing what you’re doing from Sweetbriar Ridge? Why can’t you do what everyone else is doing these days and start your own firm? And lastly, why can’t you get out of your own damn way and stop being so stubborn? Jeez, you are the dumbest smart guy I know! The answer is so flipping simple and yet it's like you need it spelled out for you! You’re exhausting!”
“I know, I know…but…how do I make this right? Billie has zero reason to trust me, zero reason to give me another chance, and zero reason to believe I can change. I don’t even know what I would say to her…or where to begin to explain my behavior.”
“Words are easy. Actions speak way louder. If you’re going to do this, you can’t just walk into the coffee shop or show up at her house and tell her you want to talk. You need to show her you’re putting in the work. You have to actually do the work.”
“How? I can’t just…” The words died in his throat because suddenly he had a plan. Or…part of one.
Looking at his calendar, Marcus knew exactly where to start and whose help he was going to need.
“Max, I need to go. Are you going to be home later? Can I call you tonight around eight?” His heart was pounding and he was eager to get off this call and start trying to put things in motion.
“Of course! I know you’re busy, but if there’s anything you need, you know I’m here.”
“That’s what I’m counting on.” Sitting up straight, he began searching online for phase one of his still-to-be-determined plan. “I’ll talk to you later. And Max?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks. I owe you everything.”
“Hey, it’s what brothers do. I’ll talk to you tonight!”