Chapter 27 #2
“Then you’ll know the story arc for the Emberking is epic! He’s a multidimensional character with a hero’s journey like no other! He’s Henry the Fifth, meets Beowulf, meets Luke Skywalker, meets Gandalf!”
Brody’s lips press together like he’s forcing himself not to agree with me.
“If you say no to this, it’s the equivalent of me, I don’t know, refusing a book deal, a top spot at Comic-Con, and an exhibition at the Guggenheim. You have to say yes.”
“But what about us?”
My feet suddenly stop moving, my anger turning into fear. Is Brody saying he won’t want us to be together if we’re on opposite sides of the world for so long?
“You don’t want … you don’t think we’ll make it?”
“What? No! That’s not what I’m saying!”
“Then what?”
“I want to see you every day. I want to share my life with you!”
“We can still talk! Video call!”
“It’s not the same.” He sounds deflated now, which isn’t how I want him to be after being offered the job most actors would kill for.
“I know, but it’ll be worth it. I promise. If I get my dream job, then I want you to have yours.”
“I don’t know.”
“For me?”
“That’s not fair.”
“You said you’d do anything for me. So do this. Take it.”
He pauses, then nods.
I let out a breath of relief. “Good. Now let’s go back and tell Marv, then get to the hall so we can help set up for the dance tonight. We should be celebrating!”
He doesn’t reply, so I drag him out of the room and back to the kitchen. My heart may be breaking, but I have to hold it together for the both of us. I’m not going to be the reason he turns this opportunity down.
“Aunt Piper,” Martha says, handing me two small branches for the evergreen garlands she’s helping me make.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Are you and Uncle Brody going to get married?”
I shoot a quick glance at Brody. He’s on the other side of the main room in the town hall’s community building, helping my dad and brothers fix an enormous tree into place.
I don’t know how to reply to her. It’s what I’ve always wanted, but now our future seems so unsure. I can already feel the distance between us, like a yawning chasm.
“Because you should,” Martha continues.
“Why’s that?”
She gives me a look like I should already know the answer. “Because that’s what grown-ups do when they fall in love. And I want to be a flower girl.”
I smile at her simple logic. “Sometimes life isn’t straightforward. Things get in the way.”
“Then you should move them. Tidy them up.”
If only …
I rub fir needles between my fingers, then lift them to my nose.
The woodsy oils smell like Christmas and home, a scent that always makes me happy.
However, now it’s tinged with sadness. I’ll always associate it with Brody, and the perfect few days when our stars finally aligned.
But now our worlds are drifting apart, and my heart is trying to protect itself by withdrawing.
Martha copies me, then sniffs her hands. “It smells like the candle stall at the Christmas market where I helped Daddy buy presents for you.”
“Isn’t that meant to be a surprise?”
Her big blue eyes widen comically. “Oops!”
I laugh. “I promise I won’t tell.”
“Thank you. Are you going to Australia with Uncle Brody?”
“Australia?”
“Grandma was telling Daddy, and he told me it’s near Australia.”
“Do you mean New Zealand?”
She shrugs. “Maybe?”
“Uncle Brody’s got a job there, but I can’t go with him because my job’s here.”
She perks up. “In Hideaway Harbor?”
“New York.”
“Oh.” She scrunches her nose. “Can you move it?”
“I don’t think so, sweetie.”
“Have you made a wish at the spring about it?”
“Not yet.”
“Well, you should. They always work out. I made a wish the other day, and I know it’s going to come true.”
Hideaway beliefs and legends have more staying power than Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy combined. Objectively, I know it’s all probably nonsense, but the intention behind it is what matters.
Martha takes my hand and presses a sprig of fir into my palm. “This came from near the spring, so it has the same magical powers. Make a wish now.”
Her face is so serious, I don’t know whether to smile or weep at how sweet a kid she is. So I close my eyes, feeling Martha fold my fingers over the foliage.
“Now think of what you want more than anything in the whole wide world.”
In my mind’s eye, the image appears instantly.
It’s Brody and me together, holding hands and smiling at each other.
He’s dressed as the Emberking of Draventhorne, and we’re standing in one of those sweeping, timeless landscapes the South Island of New Zealand is famous for.
The picture is so vivid, it feels like I’m already there.
This is what I want, to be with Brody and to travel the world. Two things I’ve always dreamed of but never done.
“Now open your eyes,” Martha instructs.
I do, and the first thing I see is Brody striding across the room toward me.
When he reaches us, he leans down. “A tree’s fallen, blocking the mountain road into Hideaway. I’m going with your dad, Ethan, and Hudson to help clear it.”
“Is anyone hurt?”
“No, thank God, but it might take a few hours.” He glances at his watch. “I don’t know if we’ll be back in time for the start of the dance, so don’t wait for me at your folks’. I’ll meet you here later.”
I nod. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Decorate the tree? It’s up and secure, and we’ve placed it by the stage so there’s more height to reach it. A couple of people can easily rotate it so you can dress it all the way around.”
“Okay.”
I gaze at him, trying to read his expression. His eyebrows knit together like he’s worried. And I know it’s not just about decorating or clearing a tree.
His fingers reach out to cup my cheek. “I love you.”
I press my lips together as tears instantly sting my eyes. I can’t speak, or I’ll bawl, so I just nod.
He hesitates, then leans in and kisses me softly. “I love you,” he murmurs again, like we’re already saying goodbye.
“What about me?” Martha asks.
Brody stands and smiles at her, even though his eyes are glassy. “I love you too.”
“Good. Just checking.”
He chuckles, and I surreptitiously wipe my eyes.
“Make sure you look after Daddy,” Martha continues.
He salutes. “Yes, ma’am.”
“And hurry back, because I’m only allowed to stay at the dance until eight.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Martha’s little hand takes mine. “Don’t worry, Aunt Piper. You’ve made your wish now, so everything’s going to be all right.”
I don’t know how, but for one night at least, I’m going to put my trust in the faith of a little girl, and her belief in the magic of Hideaway.