Chapter 14 #2
“It’s been way too long.” I pull the novel she gave Alexander the other day from my bag. “Actually, I was wondering if you’d sign this for me?”
Avery’s eyes light up. “Of course!” A flush creeps up her cheeks, and she takes the book and uncaps a pen. Her handwriting is elegant and looping as she writes on the title page: For Olivia, who always believed in me. Love, Avery.
“There,” she says, handing it back.
“I always knew you would be an author one day.” I clutch the book to my chest. “I just never realized that this pen name was yours. I have the first book in my apartment back home.”
She ducks her head, pleased but embarrassed. “I published it right after New Year’s. I wanted to tell you, but you were going through so much.”
My smile softens. “Your mom would be proud of you. I still have all the short stories we used to write together. Does anyone else—?”
She shakes her head. “Just you and my agent.”
We fall into comfortable conversation as she shows me around the shop, pointing out new arrivals and her favorite recent additions. I browse the shelves, picking up a few books for my friends back in the city.
“So,” I say casually as I flip through a hardcover. “What about you? Any interesting developments in your love life?”
Avery snorts. “You know I’m not exactly great with people. I tried dating, but it doesn’t really stick.”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugs, running her fingers along a row of spines. “I don’t know. I go on dates, and they’re fine, but... nothing clicks. I always feel like I’m performing instead of just being myself. And then I come back here to the shop, and I’m so much happier with my books and my cats.”
“Maybe you just haven’t met the right person yet.”
“Maybe.” She doesn’t sound convinced. “Or maybe I’m just one of those people who’s meant to be alone. And honestly? I’m okay with that.” I want to argue, but I can see the contentment in her expression. She’s not lonely—she’s genuinely happy with her life the way it is.
“Well, if that changes, you know I’m here to be your wingwoman,” I say, and she laughs.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
After I’ve made my purchases, we decide to grab lunch.
“Where’s your crutch?” I ask as we bundle up.
“Noah said I don’t need it anymore. But we’ll have to walk a bit slowly.”
“Sure.” I nod, and we head down Main Street to Maggie’s Diner, the cold air biting at our cheeks.
The diner is warm and bustling, the smell of burgers and pie making my mouth water all over again despite the pancakes I ate this morning. We slide into a booth by the window, and I order a turkey club while Avery gets the lunch special.
“So,” Avery says, leaning forward with a mischievous glint in her eye. “How’s Alexander treating you?”
I nearly choke on my water. “He’s... good. Great. Really great.”
“You’re blushing.”
“I am not.”
“You absolutely are,” she laughs. “Come on, spill. When did you guys get together? I knew you thought he was attractive, but you always told me he was kind of a stick in the mud. Cold, aloof… So how did you end up dating Mr. Cold and Aloof.”
Cold and aloof? If she only knew the words this man whispered in my ear while his cock drove me to the edge of my sanity.
“He’s...” I search for words that won’t give too much away. “He’s nothing like I thought. We’ve spent six years working side by side, but I never knew him the way I do now. He’s warm and caring, and he makes me so happy.” As I utter the words, I know they’re true, and my heart trembles.
“You look happy, Olivia.” Avery smiles at me. “I’ve never seen you like this before. The way you look at him. The way he looks at you. It’s like you’re his everything.”
My mouth turns dry, but I choose not to comment on it. Avery’s smile broadens at my silence, but she doesn’t say anything further on the subject.
Our food arrives, and we eat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Avery says, “You know, a lot of our friends were disgusted by Chase’s attitude.”
I pause mid-bite, looking at her.
“But...” She hesitates. “No one reached out because they didn’t know what to say. Especially since most of them are still hanging out with Chase. And now that Amber’s part of the group... it’s been uncomfortable.”
A bitter taste fills my mouth. “It’s fine. I should’ve also reached out and not expected it from others.”
“You’re here now,” Avery says firmly. “That’s what matters.”
She leans forward, eyes bright. “Hey, did you know this year there’s a huge event just before the Winter Wonderland thing?”
I’m surprised. “What event?”
“I don’t know exactly, but apparently Tessa’s handling the arrangements. And she hired Wyatt Boone to build some structures for it.”
I remember Wyatt—the gruff carpenter who lives on the edge of town. “How is he? I heard his wife passed away last March.”
Avery’s expression softens. “He’s okay. Elaine was already sick for years, so... Wyatt’s dealing with it better than I thought he would.”
“That’s good.”
“I sometimes go to check on him,” she admits. “Bring him books to read. He always reads them and returns them. He’s a little scary, but he’s sweet.”
“You were always very kind, Avery,” I say softly. “It’s good you’re looking out for him.”
She shrugs. “Wyatt has no family now. I know how that is.” I feel a tinge of sympathy for her. Her mother was the only family she had, and with her gone… I can understand Avery empathizing with Wyatt.
We chat for a while longer, catching up on town gossip and old friends. Then Avery’s gaze shifts to the window. “I think your boyfriend is here to pick you up.”
I turn, and sure enough, there’s Alexander, standing outside the diner. He’s on his phone and smiles at me. He’s wearing a dark coat and a gray scarf, snowflakes catching in his hair, and my heart flutters.
When his call ends, he heads inside, bringing a blast of cold air with him.
“I didn’t want to disturb you,” he says, his eyes finding mine. “You weren’t at the house when I came back, so I came looking for you.”
“I actually have to go now anyway,” Avery says, standing. “I have to open the shop again.”
She reaches for her wallet, but Alexander waves her off. “It’s on me. I’m glad Olivia was able to reconnect with an old friend.”
Avery beams at him. “Thanks. I’ll see you later, Olivia!” Giving me a quick hug, she pulls on her jacket, and slips out into the cold.
I watch her go, then turn to Alexander. “How did you know where I was?”
“I stopped by the bookstore first. The guy selling crepes down the street pointed me in the right direction.” Of course he did. Small towns.
Alexander glances at my empty plate, then signals the waitress. When she brings the check, he pulls out his wallet before I can even reach for mine.
“I’ve got it,” he says, his tone leaving no room for argument. He pays, leaving a generous tip that makes the waitress beam, and we gather our things. I pull on my coat while he holds my shopping bags, ever the gentleman, and then we step out into the cold together.
The weather has turned brutal, snowflakes swirling around us as we make our way down Main Street.
My teeth are chattering by the time we reach the huge Christmas tree in the town square.
Alexander stops at the base of the display, and I climb up onto one of the wide stone steps to get a better look at the ornaments.
From this vantage point, I’m slightly above him, and when I turn back, we’re nearly eye level.
He reaches up, his hands catching the ends of my scarf that have come loose. “Did you have a good time?” he asks, rewrapping it more securely around my neck. His fingers brush against my throat, warm despite the cold.
“I did.” I let him fuss with the scarf, my chest tight as I watch his focused expression. “How was grocery shopping with my dad?”
“We got chicken, and then he wanted to look at some car supplies for the truck. Then I had noticed the television in the living room was on its last leg, so I got a new one—”
“Alexander.” My voice is quiet, but something in my tone makes his hands still. I reach up, covering them with mine. “What are you doing?”
His hands are still on my scarf, his eyes locked on mine. “I don’t understand the question.”
“This was supposed to be fake.” My voice comes out smaller than I intend, and I hate how vulnerable I sound. How exposed. “A business arrangement. But now... things are changing.”
He studies me for a long moment, his expression unreadable in that maddening way of his. The way that used to drive me crazy in the office when I couldn’t tell if he was pleased or disappointed with my work. But now it just makes my stomach twist into knots.
Then, quietly: “Do you dislike the changes?”
I open my mouth. Close it. The truth lodges in my throat like a stone.
I don’t know what I feel. I’m terrified and exhilarated and confused all at once, and standing here on these steps with snow falling around us, I feel like I’m teetering on the edge of something that will either save me or destroy me.
“I don’t know,” I finally admit, and the words taste like failure. “I don’t know what you’re looking for here.”
“What if I want everything?”
My breath catches. Everything. The word is too big, too much. I repeat it slowly, testing the weight of it on my tongue, trying to understand what he means. “Everything.”
He nods, and there’s something raw in his eyes that I’ve never seen before. Something that makes my chest tight and my eyes burn with the threat of tears.
“What if I told you,” he says carefully, each word measured, “that this was never fake for me?”
The world tilts.
I suck in a breath, the cold air burning my lungs, and suddenly I can’t get enough oxygen. My mind races back to the airport, to that moment when he’d appeared like some kind of Christmas miracle when I’d been at my lowest. Had that been—had he—
“That day at the airport.” My voice shakes. “Were you there on purpose?”