Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
T hat night as the Christmas Festival lights dimmed over downtown Willow Creek, weary parents carried exhausted children on their shoulders and in their arms; food and wine stalls clamped their doors shut; grills were turned off; the Ferris wheel stopped its spinning; and the pony handler led the tired animals into their temporary barn near the elementary school, where, the handler had explained, they would sleep peacefully and warmly, resting up for their rides for children tomorrow and the next day.
Sophie and Derek watched from her front window as the festival setup darkened to black. It was nearly eleven at night, and they were wrapped in blankets, their hands wrapped around steaming mugs of hot cocoa. From Sophie's Bluetooth speaker came soft Christmas songs. Derek had requested them. He was "leaning in," he'd said.
Sophie hadn't been able to imagine Derek going back to his cabin by himself tonight. She'd invited him over without thinking about it at first. But now that he was here, it felt right.
Already, they'd talked for more than two hours. They'd wandered through the festival, eating pizza, drinking mulled wine, and playing carnival games. Derek had won her a stuffed ladybug that she proudly displayed on the fireplace mantel. Not once had they chatted about anything serious, not since they'd hidden themselves away behind the Christmas tree. Instead, they'd traded memories from childhood, told one another silly and nonessential secrets, and even joined a few Silver Bells crew members for final drinks, laughing with them about how "frozen" their feet were.
Now, they sat in silence. But it was a comfortable silence. It was a silence that didn't demand anything from either of them.
The Christmas tree they'd picked out together glinted with light in the corner. More than anything, that tree made Sophie half believe this was her house with Derek. That they both belonged there together.
Just then, Derek sipped his hot cocoa and got foam on his mustache. Sophie laughed with surprise, and Derek pretended not to understand what she was talking about.
"Why are you laughing at me, Soph?" He feigned anger and furrowed his brow as Sophie laughed harder and harder. "What could possibly be wrong?"
Instead of reaching for the napkin on the end table, Sophie leaned forward and kissed the foam from his lips, pressing the foam onto her own upper lip. The air in the room intensified. Their hot chocolates were abandoned, and suddenly, their arms were around one another, and their kisses were more and more passionate. Sophie's thoughts drained away, and all she was, now, was his. Their hearts beat as one.
When they came up for air, their arms and legs were wrapped around one another on the sofa, and it was nearly eleven thirty.
Derek pressed his nose against hers. His breath was sweet from the cocoa. "Tell me more about you, Sophie. Tell me about your business. Nobody can stop talking about it. You're expanding! You're going to take over the state!" He smiled, but his eyes were sorrowful. "You know, it's strange. When I first heard about your business expanding, I was jealous. I thought, 'She'd never have time for me.' Isn't that so stupid? So selfish?"
Sophie felt a strange shift in her stomach.
It's true , she thought now.
"I can't believe I made you jealous," Sophie offered.
"Are you kidding? I was mad with jealousy every time I heard someone else make you laugh," he said, smiling.
Sophie pressed her cheek to his chest and listened to his heart's steady beat.
"I don't know if I really want to expand," Sophie said softly.
"Why's that?" He sounded curious and worried about her.
How could Sophie explain? She sat up and tucked her hair behind her ears.
This is what couples do , she remembered. They share private problems. They whisper secrets.
"All year, Culinary Tastings has been struggling," she confessed. "I worked hard to get contracts here in Willow Creek; I took weddings and birthday parties; I tried to market us; I created brand-new recipes. But it wasn't enough until my colleague Randy started helping me."
Derek's eyes lit up. "Randy. He's a great guy, isn't he?"
"He's incredible: a savvy business partner and a real go-getter," Sophie said. "In fact, his eagerness to grow the business has proven something to me. Something hard to admit."
Derek took her hand and gazed into her eyes as though to say, You can tell me .
Sophie closed her eyes. Once she said it, it would be real.
"I don't know if I want to stretch myself so thin," she offered. "I think my sister's right about me. I've been a workaholic. I've been obsessed. And Randy's vision for the future will demand so much more of me. Maybe it's more than I can give."
Derek stroked her hair. "It's good you know that about yourself."
Sophie shook slightly. "I don't know. Maybe it's wrong."
"How does it feel when you say it? Does it feel like the truth?"
Sophie thought for a moment. She felt her confession settle in her stomach. "It feels like the truth. For better or worse."
Derek brought her knuckles to his lips and kissed them. The act was so tender, so gentle. Sophie's eyes filled with tears.
"Why don't you tell Randy how you feel?" Derek suggested.
Sophie's lips parted. "Close the door on his dreams? He's buying a house! He's asking his girlfriend to marry him! I don't want to interrupt that."
Derek furrowed his brow. "You said Culinary Tastings is in the black now, right?"
Sophie nodded. "For the first time in years. And we're growing."
"Why don't you let it grow?" Derek suggested. "Give Randy as many responsibilities as he can handle and assess what you really want."
Sophie's lips parted with surprise.
This plan was bizarre.
It meant loosening her tether on her baby, Culinary Tastings.
It meant looking beyond what she'd always said she wanted—and figuring out another plan.
Derek raised his hands. "I'm headed back to LA to direct another film after this," he said. "You're always welcome to fly out and join me."
"Your life is just one film after another, right?" Sophie asked, her voice breaking.
Derek's eyes were soft and kind. "The one after that isn't till next autumn," he explained. "It films in Bali."
Sophie perked up. "Bali?!"
"Have you been there?"
Sophie shook her head. Her pulse quickened. Suddenly, she imagined herself and this handsome director, hand in hand on a bright beach with turquoise waters lapping at their feet. She imagined pink cocktails and exotic music. She imagined falling asleep to the sounds of the ocean.
"I'd have to be back for the Christmas Festival," she said softly. "I have to help them plan everything."
Derek pulled her against him. "You'll be here," he promised. "We both will be. I feel it."
Sophie kissed him again as her heart pattered.
Was it really possible? Would they really weave their way through Hollywood scheduling and Culinary Tastings' new trajectory and Sophie's love for her town and her family?
Would they really manage to come together in love—despite the obstacles?
Sophie wasn't sure. But they had to try.