Chapter 26
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For a brief moment, there’s silence. Time seems to stop inside me. But I can’t think or process the news because Erica and Eileen are clucking their tongues in disappointment like mother hens.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” Erica begins. “We should have tried harder.”
“They don’t know what they’re missing out on,” Eileen adds, shaking her head. “You’re the best actor in the business.”
“I don’t know about that,” I try, but they’re having none of it, either continuing to find fault with themselves for not getting enough publicity for me over the last few days or berating the showrunners.
Under the table, Piper’s hand reaches for mine.
“I’m so sorry,” she murmurs.
“It’s okay,” I say quietly to her, then look at her mom and Eileen. “It’s nobody’s fault. These things happen. It’s part of the job.”
“Have some more pulla,” Eileen says, cutting me another slice. “Those silly producers wouldn’t know talent if it kicked them in the butt.”
I smile. It’s good to have these women on my side. They’re like substitute moms since I no longer have mine around.
“I’m sorry, Brody,” Marv says. “And Piper, I should never have done it. I just got mad and then got drunk. Then madder and stupid. I wanted them to see what they were missing. How Piper drew you … I dunno, man. She just gets you, y’know?
Those pictures were the bomb, and I wanted them to see how fu—crazy they were to have turned you down. ”
“When did you find out I didn’t get the gig?”
“A couple of days ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
He shrugs. “You were so happy. I didn’t want to ruin it.”
I mull over his words for a moment. Sure, I’m disappointed, but this door closing opens another one. And what lies behind it is a future where I don’t have to spend the next year on the other side of the world from Piper.
Putting my free arm around her, I drop a kiss on the top of her head. There’s a lightness in me now that the weight of our potential separation has been lifted.
She tilts her face to look at mine. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Leaning down, I brush a kiss across her lips. “It’s not a crisis; it’s an opportunity.”
A slight crease remains in her forehead, as if all she can think about is my feelings of rejection. And in that moment, just when I think it’s impossible, I fall even deeper in love with her.
“Do you want to visit the Christmas market?” I ask, wanting to be alone with her so we can talk.
She gazes at her mom and Eileen like she’s asking to be excused.
Erica makes a shooing motion with her hands. “You two go on. Eileen and I will look after Marv.”
Getting up, I take out my wallet, but Eileen pushes it back into my pocket with surprising strength. “On the house, honey. Now off you go. It’s the last week of the market, so you might get some good bargains.”
Marv starts to stand, but I place my hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, man. We can talk later.”
He looks at Piper. “I’m sorry.”
She nods. “Apology accepted.”
Collapsing back into the booth, Marv reaches for a paper napkin to mop up fresh tears.
Erica rubs his back like she’s trying to warm him up. “I think we should take you to the Haven Spa. You need an organic detox juice, a sauna, and a hot stone massage.”
“Ooh, yes,” Eileen pipes up. “And there’s a discount today for seniors!”
“I’m not a se—” Marv says before being drowned out again by Erica and Eileen as they plan their own version of a twelve-step program.
Taking Piper’s hand, I lead her out of Love at First Sip and onto the snowy street. Thankfully, the hail has stopped as quickly as it began, and patches of bright blue are now breaking through the clouds.
I draw in a deep lungful of the crisp air, glad to be outside and relatively alone with Piper.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get the job.”
Guiding her to the side of a building, I take her in my arms. I can’t stop wanting to touch her. I may have lost the job of a lifetime, but I’ve got the woman I’ve always dreamed of.
“It’s all good. I promise. And it means I’ll be on the same side of the world as the woman I love.”
Her cheeks flush adorably, and I kiss her again.
She makes a soft sound, halfway between a gasp and a moan, and I’m instantly hard.
I slant my head, deepening our kiss, my tongue sliding against hers. I don’t care where we are right now. I just need to taste her sweet mouth and underline my words of love with my body.
Her fingers run up the back of my neck into my hair, tugging me closer. She’s hot and needy, and I’m so here for it. Desire roars through me, demanding I back her up against the stone wall and fuck her until she’s coming apart on my cock and screaming my name.
“Get a room!” a man quips, and people laugh.
Reluctantly raising my head, I gaze at Piper and raise an eyebrow.
She giggles. “Maybe we should go to the Christmas market?”
“It’s that or give the good folk of Hideaway Harbor a show they weren’t expecting.”
“Lady Lovewatch would have a field day.”
“Lady what?”
“The Almanac’s gossip columnist. No one knows who it is, but my money’s on Eileen or Mom.”
I smile. “Sounds about right.”
We walk up Main Street, then take a right down Lobstah Lane where the Christmas market is. Wooden huts line the street, and food stalls fill the air with the smell of roasting chestnuts, Glühwein, clam chowder in bread bowls, and cinnamon churros.
Our pace slows as we take in the sights. There’s the odd glance of recognition, but no one comes to ask for a selfie, and I’m glad. I can pretend I’m just a regular guy out with his girl.
“Have you deleted the photos?” Piper asks.
“Fuck! No, sorry.” I come to a halt and pull out my phone. “It got so crazy back there, I totally forgot.”
She folds her hand over mine. “Wait a moment.”
I do, not sure where she’s going with this.
“I’ve been thinking about what Mom and Eileen said,” she begins hesitantly. “That I should show people my drawings and be proud of them. What do you think?”
“That’s not my decision to make.”
“But if someone else had done them, say Harper or Mia, and the guy wasn’t you, what would you say to them in this situation?”
I don’t reply. I don’t want to sway her decision either way. It took enough guts for her to show them to me; I don’t want to pressure her to open them up to the rest of the world, and people who would only criticize out of petty jealousy.
“Brody, please.”
“This has to be your call.”
“It will be, I promise. But I value your opinion, and they are of you, so you need a say as well.”
I take a measured breath. “I think you should put them out there. They’re incredible. But on your terms. How you would want them to be posted.”
She nods. “I’ve spent most of my life drawing you in secret, but now that we’re …”
“Together.”
Her cheeks flush with color, but her eyes brighten with excitement. “Together,” she repeats as if she can’t quite believe it. “I don’t have to hide my obsession any longer.”
“You can be obsessed with me as much as you like, Piper Locke. Bring it on.”
She grins. “Your number one fan.”
“The best.”
“And I’ve had an idea … about my art.”
“Go on.”
“I’ve seen these adverts online for companies that you can build a website with. They handle everything from the domain and design to security. They have templates you can pick from, and it’s meant to be really intuitive.
“Now we’re excused from enforced public outings, I thought I could create one. It would be a better platform for showcasing my work, and I could advertise for commissions. So, if I don’t hang onto my job, then this could help cover bills until I find a new one. What do you think?”
I want to tell her that I’d happily support her for the rest of our lives if she wanted to quit tomorrow, but I keep my big mouth firmly shut. If she’s passionate about her job, then I want her to keep it.
“I think it’s an awesome idea. You can link to it from your socials, and I’ll link to your socials and your site from my accounts to help drive traffic to it.”
“You’d do that?”
“Of course! I love you and want to show the world how amazing you are.”
She blushes. “Thank you. And now it doesn’t matter about hiding all the pictures I’ve drawn of you because there’s a backlog to post.”
“And I can always pose for more …”
“I’d like that.”
I kiss her again, and she sighs as our lips meet, then she breaks away.
“Come on. We need to choose a present for you.”
“I don’t need one. You’ve already given me you, and that’s everything I’ve ever wanted. Plus, you’ve drawn me looking way hotter than I actually am.”
“There’s no one hotter than you, Brody King.”
She pulls me toward a stall festooned with Christmas tree decorations, all laser-cut from wood and depicting different scenes of Hideaway Harbor.
“Look at these,” Piper says in a hushed tone. “They’re beautiful!”
“If there’s a view of Hideaway you want and don’t see, I can always create it,” the woman inside the hut tells us.
“Thank you,” I reply as Piper’s eyes flit from ornament to ornament.
“Look! There’s the wishing bridge over the spring! The harbor, Larry the Lobstah, Skippy the dog, the museum, the town square.” She faces me. “Would you like one of these for Christmas? Would they work on your tree back in New York?”
I tense, as if I’ve just been punched in the gut. “Yeah, that’d be nice,” I reply. “Perfect.”
Piper’s excited expression falters. “You sure?”
“Absolutely.” I force a smile. “I’ll turn my back, so it’s a surprise.”
I don’t wait for a reply, facing the street as memories of Christmas past come back to haunt me.
A minute later, Piper threads her arm through mine, and we set off again.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
No, I don’t, but this is Piper, and she deserves the truth from me, no matter how hard it is to talk about.
“I don’t have a tree. Never have.”
“That’s okay. I only have a tiny artificial one in Brooklyn.”
“I don’t decorate at all.”
“Nothing wrong with that.”
“Maybe. But I don’t celebrate Christmas at all.”
She stops in her tracks. “What do you mean? Surely you go somewhere on Christmas Day?”