Chapter 7 #2
The carriage rolled on, taking them to the town square where all the twinkle lights just happened to be in the shape and color of golden apples.
The scent of warm apple pie filled the air, and as they passed the large Christmas tree in the center of the square, paper cups appeared out of thin air, hovering right in front of both of them.
There were two peppermint sticks poking out of the whipped cream that covered the top of her cup. Jackson’s only had one.
The image of her grandmother adding a second stick to her peppermint hot chocolate flashed in her mind, and just like that, she knew without a doubt that Jackson hadn’t planned this evening.
Her grandmother had.
She didn’t know how or why. But she did know that somehow her sweet grandmother had found a way to contact her from the other side to let her know that she was still with her. That whatever happened with the orchard, she was still there watching over Felicity.
“Jackson?” she asked, meeting his gaze.
“Yes?”
“You used to work in the business world, right? Something to do with real estate?” Her heart was pounding as she opened herself up to the man beside her.
It had been forever since she’d really started to trust someone new, but it seemed that her grandmother had used Jackson to reach her, and that was good enough for Felicity.
“Not exactly real estate, though that was involved,” he said.
“I was a VP for Snow Valley Sports. I did a lot of work on new store openings and mergers when the company took over smaller sports stores that were struggling. Once deals were reached, I dealt with the details of making sure everything went smoothly without any legal issues popping up later.”
“That’s what I thought,” she said with a nod. “So tracking down the person who holds the lien on the orchard shouldn’t be too hard for you, right?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “It really depends on what’s on the filed paperwork, but it shouldn’t be too hard. Unless it’s registered to shell company after shell company, designed to protect the identity of an individual, the name can always be found, but it sometimes takes time.”
“Time I don’t have,” she said. “But you’ll try anyway?”
“Of course. But what about your lawyer?” Jackson asked. “Doesn’t he have people on staff who can do that?”
“Staff?” Felicity let out a humorless laugh.
“Charlie has an assistant who answers his phone and files his paperwork. But she’s even older than him, and he’s nearing seventy.
While they are adept at knowing what to file to keep my business legal and up to date, they aren’t exactly investigators.
He told me he checked with the county today, and the paperwork lists an LLC that’s based in Delaware, so there’s no way to find out who owns it. At least not quickly.”
“I can definitely help you with that,” he said. “All you need to do is get me a copy of the lien as well as the foreclosure notice, and I’ll get right on it,” he said.
Relief flooded through her, and for the first time since her lawyer told her that the paperwork looked legit, she started to feel some hope.
If she could just talk to whoever was behind the loan, she might have a chance to save her family land.
“I think you’re too good to be true, Jackson Bell.
It seems that in the past thirty-six hours you’ve become a sort of knight-in-shining armor. ”
“This is just what friends do,” he said, rolling his eyes playfully at her. “I’m happy to help.”
She leaned into him again and said, “If I ever forget to tell you thank you, just know that I’m forever grateful.”
He squeezed her hand and then told the carriage to carry on.
When the carriage stopped in front of her house nearly an hour later, Felicity spied her Jeep in the driveway. “How did that get there?”
“I had Danny and Marissa bring it back for you. I figured after all the drinking, neither of us should be driving,” he said.
While she supposed that was true, neither of them had actually had that much beer, and it had been hours since their last drink.
She wasn’t in any way intoxicated. Well, not unless one counted the way she felt when she looked at Jackson.
And for once, it had nothing to do with the way he looked, though that certainly didn’t hurt.
But no, this time it was because he’d brought her something she’d been missing in her life for years.
A little bit of Christmas magic. It made her head spin a little.
She sat in the carriage looking at the small house that she shared with Clara.
The lights were out except for the twinkling tree that was in the front window.
The tree that Clara must have decorated the night before and put up by herself.
There was also a pretty homemade wreath on the front door along with a red ribbon that had been strung to make it look like the door was a present itself.
“Looks like we’re not the only ones who found a little Christmas cheer,” Jackson said.
“Clara’s been busy,” she agreed. Then Felicity laughed. “I bet Clara’s worried I’m going to be a Grinch. Like usual.”
“And will you be?” he asked, eyeing her with curiosity.
“Not tonight. Tomorrow? No promises.” She leaned in, gave him a slow gentle kiss on his lips, and then hopped out of the carriage. “Thank you for the wonderful evening, Jackson. I’ll come by your place in the morning with that paperwork you asked for.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
Felicity watched as the carriage rolled down her street, presumably taking Jackson to his house. It wasn’t until the carriage rounded the corner that she finally turned and walked into her own home, silently berating herself for not inviting him in.
Clara was already in bed, so she crept into the kitchen, smiled at the Christmas cookies her friend had made, and then grabbed a bottle of water before retreating to her bathroom, where she climbed into a hot bubble bath and smiled to herself as she closed her eyes and relaxed for what seemed like the first time in forever.