Chapter 24
Hattie
I ran inside the cabin to gather up the rest of my toiletries and stuffed them into a duffle bag. My clothes were already packed in the truck.
A few more seconds and I'd be gone. Rowan wouldn't have to worry about running into me at home.
I hadn't fully processed his words or the clear dismissal. But I felt the pain in my chest from his words. It felt like he'd taken a knife and carved out my insides.
I opened the truck door and threw the bag inside.
"You can't leave," Clara cried as she ran up to me.
I turned to face her. "Why not?"
"Beck asked me to stop you. To tell you that Rowan needs to talk to you."
I crossed my arms over my chest. "He told me to leave. That I was making everything worse."
"Please stay. Don't run away."
I felt a twinge at that because I wanted to escape. "I don't know."
"Beck said Rowan wanted me to get you back."
"Why couldn't he come himself?" I knew he was busy with the brewery, but I wanted to come first just once.
Clara's phone buzzed. "He's giving his speech now. I don't know why, but Beck thinks you need to hear it."
I didn't want to go. The pain of Rowan's dismissal was still fresh in my mind, but I couldn't say no to Clara either.
I closed the door and clicked the locks.
"Come on. Hurry," Clara said as she stumbled in her heels along the path strewn with sticks and the occasional rock.
This whole thing was my fault, and if being present helped, then it was the least I could do.
When we walked inside, Rowan stood at the podium, and everyone was gathered around to hear him.
Clara placed a hand over her heart. "Aw. He's talking about how Beck and I fell in love in this very room before it was renovated."
That was sweet, but I couldn't bring myself to feel good about someone else falling in love.
Clara hooked her hand through my elbow and maneuvered us closer to the stage. When we were within a few feet, Beck beckoned for her.
He smiled when he saw her and pulled her into his side.
Now I was standing alone, and Rowan's gaze was on me.
My cheeks flushed pink. How did I know it was Rowan that requested my presence and not Beck or Clara who'd orchestrated this?
"When Jane, the reporter from The Telluride Times said she was planning on holding a contest where single women could win a bath with me, I panicked.
Hattie Collins was standing at her hot-cocoa table, and all I could think about was how much I missed our childhood friendship.
And maybe this was my chance to find out why she stopped talking to me all those years ago. "
The other people in the room fell away until it was just us.
"So I told Jane that I was engaged to Hattie."
A twitter went through the crowd.
"It wasn't true obviously. I hadn't spoken to Hattie in years. But I wanted to. I wanted to find out why we stopped being friends."
A woman near me said, "How sweet," to her friend.
"I convinced Hattie to agree to pretend to be my fiancée until the brewery opened.
When her apartment was declared uninhabitable, I asked her to move in with me.
It was what any good boyfriend would do.
We spent more time together, and I found out why she stopped talking to me all those years ago.
It killed me, because she blocked me out of a time in her life when I would have wanted to be there for her.
But that's Hattie, strong and independent to the core.
She doesn't let anyone in. But over time, it started to feel like she was letting me in.
With every story from her past, every vulnerability she shared, I fell more in love with her. " His tone was affectionate.
Tears stung my eyes.
"So, yes, it might have started out as something pretend.
But it got real fast, and I fell all the way in love with Hattie.
Tonight, I was planning on telling her how I felt.
" Then he looked from me to the crowd. "Not like this of course.
It was going to be somewhere private where it was just us.
I'd tell her that I loved her and give her another charm for her bracelet. "
I felt everyone's gaze on me, and everyone shifted to the side so that there was no one between us anymore. If he wanted to walk off the stage, there was nothing stopping him from getting to me.
His gaze flickered from me to the other people in the crowd.
"My only concern was that she didn't return my feelings.
That she hadn't fallen in love with me. But now I know it doesn't matter if she felt the same way, because she changed me forever.
I'll always love her. I'll always be here for her. No matter what."
Then he moved away from the microphone and hopped off the stage. In a few strides, he was standing in front of me. "I love you, Hattie Collins."
"I love you too." It was the easiest thing to say because it was true. Then I laughed shakily. "I've been holding that inside forever."
He crushed me to him and kissed me hard. It wasn't a question. He wasn't asking me anything. He was telling me that I was his now. This wasn't pretend. It was finally my reality.
Cheers erupted around us, but all I could feel was him.
He picked me up and swung me around. When he finally set me down, he touched my cheek. "I can't believe you're here. That you love me."
I smiled up at him, feeling lighter than I had in a long time. It felt good to be honest with him. To let someone in. I touched his wrist. "This is real."
He kissed me again. Then he reached for my wrist, and secured a red heart charm on my bracelet.
Jane appeared next to us. "Is the engagement still a sham?"
Rowan grinned. "I have no intention of asking for the ring back. It's right where it's supposed to be."
With a sigh, Jane drifted away. There wasn't a story anymore. Unless it was the one where Rowan fell in love with me, and I loved him right back.
Rowan dipped his head so that he was talking in my ear and no one else could hear. "I might ask you again. Recreate that night on the rooftop when I messed up so badly. I was worried that you didn't feel the same way, and I wanted to give you an out if you didn't."
I blinked away the tears. "It felt so real."
He ran a thumb over my jaw. "Because it was real. I was telling you how I felt. Maybe this engagement was too soon. But this is where we were going. I don't want you to move out. I don't want you to leave. I want you to stay."
"I want to stay too."
"Do you forgive me for being a jerk? For jumping to conclusions and blaming you when you had every right to tell your mother the truth?"
"Of course I forgive you." This was what relationships were about. They weren't perfect. But you worked together when you messed up. You forgave each other. You worked hard to keep the relationship. This wasn't going to be easy, but I wasn't going anywhere.
"I hear congratulations are in order," Mom said, and I gasped.
"Mom, what are you doing here?"
She smiled, and it was the first genuine smile I'd seen in a long time. "I came here to support you and Rowan. I know you said your relationship wasn't real, but I know when my daughter is in love."
I sucked in a breath. I thought Mom was too preoccupied with her own feelings, but she saw me. I hugged her. "Turns out you were right."
After I pulled away, Rowan hugged her too. "I'm so happy you could be here, Mrs. Collins."
"You can call me Trista. Now I'm going to mingle while you two have your moment together."
Mom moved away, and Rowan asked, "Would you like to try one of the brews or maybe even some hot chocolate?"
"A hot cocoa stand?" I asked as he led us to the side of the tasting room where Jovie was standing at a table with a sign, Hattie's Hot Cocoa. "What's this?"
"I thought we could use more options than just beer and root beer. We needed something sweet."
"I can't believe you did this," I said as Jovie handed us two hot cocoas with a smile.
He put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his side.
"I think it's perfect. You'll have to talk to Mom and Dad about adding hot chocolate to the inn's dining room.
But first, I want you to know that we're bigger than any story in a small-town newspaper.
They can print whatever they want, but it's not our truth. "
"I like that." I loved that idea that we were writing the story. Not a reporter or even our families. It was up to us to take it from here.
He cupped my cheek and kissed me.
This was what it felt like to be loved and supported.
By the end of the night, only Rowan's family was sitting in the tasting room.
Judy and Raymond stood at the front of the room where Rowan had given his speech earlier. He hadn't stopped touching me the rest of the night. Now his arm rested over the back of my chair, and he occasionally leaned in to kiss my cheek or to whisper something into my ear.
I'd never felt happier. For the first time, I felt settled. As if everything was going to work out for me.
"We're thrilled with the opening of the restaurant and now the brewery,” Raymond began.
“But we want to ensure that the inn is keeping up with the changes,” Judy continued.
Rowan and Boone exchanged an uneasy look across the table.
Raymond nodded. "So we've hired a hospitality interior designer to evaluate the inn and give us advice on updates. Ms. Barnes an expert on profitability and guest trends."
Malcolm's brow furrowed. "Since when do we need someone on the outside giving an opinion on our business?"
"Isn't that what you did when you asked Beck to consult on the brewery?" Raymond asked him.
"This is different. Beck was a friend. We don't know anything about this woman."
"She came highly recommended. She'll be staying on the property to get a feel for the customer experience, and she'll be visiting the restaurant and the brewery, maybe even going for a hike or two, and touring local tourist destinations," Judy said.
Raymond nodded. "It would be ideal if one of you could be her guide while she's here."
"I was thinking Boone would be perfect for this."
Boone raised a brow. "Me?"
"You've been asking to design furniture for the inn for years. Now's your chance to see if it's feasible," Raymond said.
"I'd prefer to hang out in my woodshop all day, not spend time with some city girl who has opinions about how we do things here," Boone grumbled.
"We want to ensure that the inn is set up when we retire. We don't want to make a wrong decision and waste time and money."
"If it makes Mom and Dad feel better about retirement—" Rowan began.
"So we don't have a say in this?" Malcolm interrupted.
"She's a consultant. We don't have to do anything she recommends if we don't want to. As always, we'll vote as a family on her suggestions," Raymond said reasonably.
"But I want you to take her seriously. She came highly recommended, and she knows what she's talking about," Judy added.
Malcolm shook his head. "I don't like this."
"There's not much you do like around here," Callum shot back.
Raymond cleared his throat. "I thought it would be a good idea to get a fresh perspective. She's an outsider, so she won't have any preconceived notions on how things should be done."
It was clear that Judy and Raymond had already made their decision. But it seemed like most of the brothers were uncomfortable with an outsider evaluating the business.
"We want you to feel comfortable about retiring. And if this is what you need, then we'll support you," Rowan said.
Boone scowled. "You're just saying that because you're in love with Hattie."
Rowan touched my shoulder. "I am happy. And I want what's best for the business. If bringing in an outside consultant is what makes Mom and Dad comfortable, then why not?"
I smiled encouragingly at him. I wanted to support him in whatever he decided.
Judy and Raymond stepped down from the stage.
Boone leaned closer to Rowan. "Mom and Dad were finally going to give me free rein to design new furniture for the inn. Do you think this city designer is going to be okay with homemade furniture?"
I winced. "Probably not."
"She'll want to modernize everything with sleek, cheap furniture. The whole thing will be a waste of my time. My furniture will never be in the inn now. She's going to ruin everything," Boone stood abruptly, his chair teetering on two legs before it finally settled.
Then he was gone, pushing through the front door and into the cold night.
"Will he be okay?" I asked Rowan.
"I know how much he wanted to make his mark on the inn, but this is what Mom and Dad want," Rowan said.
I hoped he was right. I didn't want to see Boone's dreams crushed. Not after I'd just gotten everything I'd ever wanted.