9. Chapter 9
Chapter nine
Bella
I stared at my laptop screen, my mouth hanging open. The view count on my latest blog post was skyrocketing, with numbers ticking up faster than I could process. My heart raced with excitement as I refreshed the page again and again.
“No way,” I whispered, a grin spreading across my face. “This is insane!”
I scrolled to the comments section, wondering how in the world I was going to respond to all these comments. My excitement quickly faded as I read:
“OMG, are Bella and Devon together?? So cute!”
“Forget the festival, I’m here for the romance!”
“Devon is so dreamy. Bella’s so lucky!”
I closed my laptop with more force than necessary, suddenly desperate to escape the flood of doubts creeping into my mind. I picked up the journal I had found and decided that would take my mind off the blog.
Curling up in the window seat, I opened the leather-bound book. As I flipped through the yellowed pages, one entry caught my eye:
“December 15, 1952 - The Silver Bell Ornament”
My eyes widened as I read about a young Millie and her whirlwind romance with Jack. They had come to a Christmas dinner at the bed and breakfast and hung an ornament on the tree. He had presented her with the ornament and asked her to marry him.
I traced the faded ink, a lump forming in my throat. I never knew there was someone before Mr. Hawthorne. It made me see the guesthouse—and its nosy neighbor—in a whole new light.
Just as I was about to turn the page, my phone let out a sharp ping. It was an alert for Madison’s blog.
My jaw dropped as I scrolled through her latest entry. The cozy reading nook design. The DIY book page garland. Even the vintage teacup candles. She’d stolen every single one of my ideas—and posted them as her own. She must have seen the design I’d given to the Mayor for my ideas on the lodge.
“That conniving little—“ I bit back the rest of that sentence, my hands shaking with fury. How dare she? After everything she’d already done, now this? If Madison had beaten me to the punch with these designs, my chances at that coveted magazine feature were...
“No,” I whispered, fighting back tears. “No, no, no.”
I slumped against the window, watching snowflakes dance outside. The cozy charm of Serenity Falls suddenly felt suffocating. What was I even doing here? What made me think I could make it big in the design world when people like Madison existed?
A gentle knock at the door startled me out of my spiral. I hastily wiped my eyes, not wanting Devon to see me like this.
“Hey, you alive in there?” His muffled voice carried a hint of concern.
I cleared my throat. “Yeah, just... working on something.”
The door creaked open, and Devon’s head poked in. His eyes scanned my face, undoubtedly taking in my blotchy cheeks and red-rimmed eyes.
“Found something cool in the attic,” he said, in an overly sweet tone. “Wanna see?”
I hesitated, torn between wallowing in my misery and indulging my curiosity. “What is it?”
A crooked grin spread across his face. “Well, you have to come and look. Where’s your sense of adventure?”
I was leaning towards wallowing but found myself following him down the hallway. “My sense of adventure is currently on vacation. Possibly permanently.”
Devon led me to the front porch, where several dusty boxes sat waiting. He dramatically lifted the lid off one, revealing a tangled mess of colorful lights.
“Ta-da! Outdoor lights. Thought we could hang ’em up, make this place look a little more festive.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You want to hang lights? Mr. ‘Christmas is just a commercial ploy to sell overpriced sweaters’?”
He shrugged, avoiding my gaze. “Maybe I’m embracing the spirit of the season. Or maybe I just thought it might cheer you up.”
The unexpected sweetness of the gesture caught me off guard. I couldn’t possibly say no when he was trying so hard to lift my spirits.
“Alright,” I conceded, reaching for a strand of lights. “Let’s do this.”
As we worked to untangle the mess of wires and bulbs, I found my frustration over Madison’s betrayal bubbling to the surface again. Without thinking, I scooped up a handful of snow and lobbed it at Devon’s unsuspecting back.
He yelped, spinning around with wide eyes. “Did you just—“
I couldn’t help but giggle at his shocked expression. “What? It slipped. You know, gravity and all that.”
A slow, mischievous grin spread across his face. “Oh, it’s on now.”
I shrieked with laughter as Devon’s snowball whizzed past my ear. Ducking behind a snow-covered bush, I hastily packed another handful of powder.
“You’ll have to do better than that!” I taunted, popping up to launch my projectile. “I’m the reigning snowball champ of Serenity Falls, remember?”
Devon’s athletic reflexes kicked in as he dodged, scooping up more snow in one fluid motion. “Oh, I’m just getting warmed up! Prepare to be dethroned!”
We chased each other across the yard, breathless giggles and playful taunts filling the crisp winter air. For a moment, all my worries about blogs and betrayals melted away.
I darted around a tree, my boots crunching in the fresh powder. Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind, and I found myself tumbling backward into a snowbank with Devon.
We lay there, both panting and grinning like kids. “I haven’t had this much fun in... I can’t even remember,” Devon admitted softly.
“Well, then,” I said, spreading my arms, “allow me to introduce you to the fine art of snow angels.”
I began moving my limbs, creating the familiar wing pattern. Devon watched for a moment before joining in, his larger frame carving out an impressive angelic silhouette beside mine.
As we lay there, our breath forming little clouds in the cold air, I couldn’t help but feel the intimacy of the moment. Devon’s hand was so close to mine, I could almost feel its warmth through my mitten.
He turned to face me, a smile softening his features. “Bella, I—“
My pulse quickened. Was this it? The moment I’d been simultaneously hoping for and dreading?
Devon leaned in closer, and I found myself holding my breath. Then I felt a cold, wet impact as he smashed a snowball right into my face.
I spluttered in shock, blinking rapidly as clumps of snow clung to my eyelashes and slid down my cheeks. I just gaped at Devon for a moment, my brain struggling to process what had just happened.
Then, as the cold trickle of melting snow slid down my neck, I let out an indignant squeal. “Devon Montgomery, I cannot believe you just did that.”
Devon burst into uncontrollable laughter, his whole body shaking as he rolled away from me in the snow. “I’m sorry!” he gasped between chuckles. “I couldn’t resist! I had to get the last throw in!”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Oh, you are so… “
“Going to get back to hanging the lights,” he interrupted as he headed back to the house, still chuckling.
I was still brushing snow from my hair when a flash of red caught my eye. Mrs. Hawthorne was in her yard, fussing with an enormous inflatable Santa. An erratic trail in the snow showed where she’d wrestled Santa out of the garage, but the snow-covered flower beds were clearly giving her some trouble.
“Need a hand, Mrs. H?” I called out, veering towards her fence.
She peered at me over her bifocals. “Oh, Bella dear! I’m just trying to get this jolly fellow over by the tree. He’s being awfully stubborn today.”
I unlatched the gate and trudged through her yard. “Here, let me help. I’ve got some experience wrangling stubborn men today.”
As we wrestled with the Santa, I decided to ask her about the journal entries, hoping she wouldn’t be offended that I dug up old memories. “Mrs. Hawthorne, can I ask you something?”
“Fire away, dear. Though if it’s about that handsome Devon, I’d say you two looked mighty cozy out there in the snow.” She winked at me.
“Actually, I was wondering about... well, about you. I found a box of old ornaments in the attic and this journal?”
Mrs. Hawthorne’s eyes twinkled. “Oh my, that was a lifetime ago. But I remember it like it was yesterday.” She paused, her gaze drifting to some far-off memory. “There was a boy—Jack Winters. He was the talk of Serenity Falls, with his motorcycle and leather jacket.”
An inflatable candy cane thumped my head as Santa wobbled out of place, and I shoved the figure back upright. “And you two were…?”
Mrs. Hawthorne sighed wistfully. “Oh, we were mad for each other. Sneaking out to the old drive-in and stealing kisses behind the general store. My parents didn’t approve, of course. Said he was nothing but trouble.” Mrs. Hawthorne chuckled. “They weren’t entirely wrong.”
I couldn’t help but smile, picturing a young, rebellious Millie. “So what happened?”
“Life, my dear. Jack had his heart set on the big city, and I realized my life was here. It hurt something awful at the time, but then I met Larry, and well...” She smiled softly. “Sometimes the heart needs a few false starts before it finds its true course.”
I nodded, mulling over Mrs. Hawthorne’s words. My own heart felt like it was still stumbling through those false starts, unsure of its true course.
“But enough about ancient history.” Mrs. Hawthorne nudged Balloon Santa back into place with a reassuring pat to his inflatable belly. “Now, tell me all about what’s going on with you and Devon. Don’t think I haven’t noticed those longing glances!”
I laughed, shaking my head. “There’s nothing to tell, Mrs. H. We’re just... figuring things out.”
“Mhmm,” she hummed, clearly unconvinced.
After helping Mrs. Hawthorne, I trudged back to the guesthouse. I couldn’t stop thinking about false starts and second chances. Was this our second chance? Should I agree to a movie? Ugh. My brain and my heart were in an obvious tug-of-war match. My heart was apparently taking the lead.
That evening, the soft glow of the TV flickered across Devon’s face as we settled onto the couch, a well-worn quilt draped over our laps. “It’s a Wonderful Life” played on the screen, but my gaze drifted more towards Devon.
“You know,” Devon murmured, his eyes still on the movie, “this always reminds me of that Christmas when we were kids. Remember? The whole town lost power, and your dad set up that old projector in the town square.”
“How could I forget? We all huddled under blankets, drinking hot cocoa and watching this very movie. And you kept stealing my marshmallows.”
Devon shifted, his arm brushing against mine. “Simpler times, huh?”
“Yeah,” I breathed, acutely aware of his proximity. “Before... everything.”
A heavy silence fell between us, broken only by the dialogue from the TV. I could sense Devon tensing beside me, his jaw clenching.
“Bella,” he said finally, his voice low. “There’s something I need to tell you. About... about my parent's car crash.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Devon, you don’t have to.”
“No, I do.” He took a deep breath, his eyes glistening in the dim light. “I wasn’t... I wasn’t focused that day at the Olympic trials. I kept thinking about our breakup, about leaving Serenity Falls. I made a mistake, and it cost me everything.” His voice cracked, raw emotion bleeding through. “If I’d been paying attention, maybe they wouldn’t have–”
I reached out, instinctively placing my hand on his arm. “Devon, it wasn’t your fault.”
He looked at me then, his blue eyes swimming with pain and regret. “Wasn’t it? If we hadn’t broken up, if I hadn’t been so distracted... I could see the disappointment on my dad’s face. He pushed so hard for me to follow in his footsteps. I let him down. They should have been there celebrating with me. Instead, they left early…”
The weight of his words hung in the air. I felt a pang of guilt, wondering how much of his pain I was responsible for. “I had no idea you felt that way,” I whispered, my own eyes stinging with unshed tears.
Devon’s hand found mine, his fingers intertwining with my own. The simple touch sent a jolt through me, and I leaned closer.
“Bella, I–”
A sharp ping cut through the moment. Devon fumbled for his phone, breaking our connection. “It’s Liam,” he muttered, his attention focusing on the screen. “I need to take this.”
I leaned back, trying to hide my disappointment as the intimate moment slipped away. But it was probably something to do with skiing, and I could never compete with that. Devon's career was his number one priority. I always came second. It was what tore us apart in the first place.
I hugged a pillow to my chest, staring into the flames. “Oh, Bella,” I muttered, “when will you learn? Some things are better left in the past. Stop trying to defrost the abominable snowman.”
But even as I thought it, I couldn’t quite make myself believe it.