Chapter 29 Kit
December rolled around, and it was time to make good on my promise to Aunt Rita and go home to Creekstone for the holidays.
I flew into Atlanta, and Veronica picked me up from the airport.
She let me borrow one of their cars to go up to Creekstone for a few days.
Veronica stressed that I could come back to her house at any time if I felt overwhelmed.
I knew it was a possibility that I would see William because he had kept his rented room at the house.
Aunt Rita had casually mentioned that the front room was still rented to the same person, but they worked out of town and spent most of their time traveling.
The rest of her rooms were rented, which was great news as far as covering the cost of running the house.
When I arrived, it was early evening. Whatever anxiety I had about being in Creekstone instantly melted away because of how beautiful the town looked.
Streetlamps were wrapped in garland and lights.
Wreaths hung on every storefront. Holly and poinsettias lined the windows on Main Street.
Several of the buildings had been given impressive facelifts, new paint, new windows, new shutters, and new sidewalks.
I went straight to the library. I wanted to see the Christmas trees before the library closed for the night. When I walked through the doors, I felt like I was home. The warm blast of air accompanied by the scent of library books was so familiar and comforting that I smiled.
“Kit!” Trent screamed from the circulation desk. He jumped over the desk and bounded toward me like a huge, tattooed puppy dog. “I have missed you so much.” He wrapped me up in a huge hug.
I let out a surprised laugh and said, “Buddy, I’ve missed you, too.”
“Sasha, Melissa, and Nick are going to be so fucking jazzed you’re home,” Trent said, holding me by my arms. “We should all meet at The Pub!”
“Yes!” I agreed, actually feeling excited by the thought. “But not tonight. I promised Aunt Rita I’d come home for dinner tonight. Tomorrow?”
“Yes, tomorrow for sure!” Trent said. “Hey, I gotta do my closing rounds and check all the stacks. We got about fifteen more minutes. I can’t wait to hear about D.C. tomorrow night! Enjoy the trees. Some of them are pretty good!”
“Okay, I should be out of here before closing,” I smiled.
Trent gave me the rock and roll signal with his hand and said, “Rock on, Boss Lady!”
I started wandering around the library looking at the trees.
There were more trees than last year, and they all looked great.
Some of the groups had recycled their themes from previous years, but a few had new themes.
The scouts decided to make ornaments that looked like holiday themed merit badges.
That was adorable. The high school STEM team did a Star Wars Christmas theme that I found oddly enjoyable.
The last tree was from the Creekstone Chamber of Commerce.
They’d made ceramic ornaments that looked like little replicas of buildings in Creekstone.
They had one of the courthouse, library, The Pub, The Bean, and most of the businesses.
In addition to the ornaments shaped like buildings, there were little ornaments that looked like street signs, simple lights, and tinsel on the tree.
The perfecting touch was an old-fashioned star on top of the tree.
It had a sign across it that said, ‘Welcome to Creekstone.’ Although simply done, the tree was perfect.
As I stood admiring the tree, a man walked up and stood next to me. I turned to see Mr. Braithway. It took me a second to realize it was him because he wasn’t wearing a suit and his hair was a bit longer with a full beard.
“Oh, hi,” I said, surprised to see him there.
“I think we’ve met before,” Mr. Braithway said, extending his hand for a handshake. I took it. Mr. Braithway’s hand was smooth and warm, but his handshake was firm.
I nodded. “We have met. I’m Kit Campbell.”
“Well, Kit. Do you like the Chamber’s tree?” Mr. Braithway asked.
“I do,” I admitted. “I love the Creekstone-themed ornaments. I was just admiring all the detail that went into making them.”
“William insisted,” Mr. Braithway said. “I wanted to hire a designer to decorate a tree like we used to do at the office in Atlanta, but William told me that was too impersonal and Christmas decorations were a visual expression of joy and hope. So according to William, a lot of thought had to go into them.”
I turned and looked at the tree. The mention of William’s name made my cheeks feel hot. Finally, I said, “Well, they’re very well done, and I can feel the love for Creekstone in this tree.”
“Good,” Mr. Braithway said gruffly. “The custom, hand-painted ceramic ornaments cost me an arm and leg.”
I chuckled. I turned to Mr. Braithway and said, “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing in Creekstone?”
“Well, I am building a retirement cabin just up the road, so I’m staying here in town for the holidays. Getting to know the town a bit,” Mr. Braithway said, smoothing his beard with one hand.
I licked my lips and nodded. “It’s the best place to be at Christmas, so you’re in luck.”
Mr. Braithway stood next to me for another minute, and I turned to him and said, “How’s semi-retirement?”
“Crazy,” Braithway said. He surprised me by disclosing something personal. “I decided to try dating since I was retired, and I met a woman I’m madly in love with.”
“That’s wonderful,” I said.
“I’ll tell you what it is. It’s scary,” Mr. Braithway said, almost annoyed, his mustache twitching as he looked back at the tree.
“After I lost my wife, I never thought I’d date again, but my daughters insisted I try.
It’s been almost twenty years, and I met someone who makes me feel absolutely alive. ”
I nodded and laughed. “I think that’s what they say."
Braithway looked at me and said, “William is the one who encouraged me to stick with it. He said if I found a love that made me feel this alive, I should do whatever I could to keep it.”
“That’s good advice,” I hadn’t heard from William in four months. I wondered if he’d moved on. I swallowed hard and asked, “Is William in Atlanta for the holidays?”
Braithway shook his head. “He’s spending the holidays with his mother this year. They were overdue to have a holiday together.”
Mr. Braithway shifted his weight as if he were about to leave. I realized this was my one chance to find out something that had been tormenting me for months.
I took a deep breath and said, “Mr. Braithway, I have to ask you something.” He looked at me curiously, then I blurted out, “Was William’s promotion contingent on my family selling our land to Braithway & Randall?”
Mr. Braithway tilted his head to the side and crossed his arms over his chest. He smoothed his beard with one hand.
“Not necessarily. William was given the assignment to come to Creekstone and earn the trust of the people he was working with. He was told to strike a balance between what was good for the company and what would truly help Creekstone avoid total ruin.” Braithway paused.
“I needed to know the next CEO was going to be someone who wanted to help communities. Not someone who was driven by the bottom line like Meredith, and not someone who just wanted influence and power like Charles. Both are amazing at their jobs, but we need a balance in the CEO position. I needed to know William could come to a place like Creekstone and do his job in a way that would benefit the community.”
I turned back toward the tree. “Do you think he did that?”
“Absolutely. The work he’s done here has been phenomenal.
It’s on a very small scale, but William has helped the new mayor usher in some economic changes that will totally revitalize Creekstone for generations to come.
He prioritized acquiring land that would help the community if it were developed, rather than land that would only serve narrow investment interests.
Creekstone was a dying town, and now there will be growth.
Young families will want to live here again.
William showed great instinct and demonstrated his ability to foster community engagement, but the sale of your land wasn’t left up to William.
He came to me in the spring and told me he had a conflict of interest and couldn’t represent the company in the land deal.
All my employees sign an NDA and non-compete, so I wasn’t worried that he’d double-cross the company.
He would never risk that, but that’s why I sent Charles to negotiate that deal. ”
“He did?” I asked almost in a whisper and as I tried to fight back tears. “I didn’t know that.”
Braithway’s eyebrows twitched as he examined me. “Did that have something to do with your breakup?”
I didn’t answer.
Braithway sighed. “This all makes sense now. William tried to back out of the CEO position in July. He claimed to be too broken-hearted.” Braithway didn’t look at me.
He kept his eyes on the tree. “No one knows that except for me. He came to me in July. He said he had a shift in his priorities, and he resigned. Wanted to give the job to Meredith.”
“Wha..What did you say? What happened?” I couldn’t hide my shock. I felt my heart beating faster, my face flush.
“I refused his resignation,” Braithway said as if this should be obvious. “I’ve been preparing William for this job for five years. I’ve invested quite a lot in him. We’ve created entire management structures that play to his strengths and personality. He’s going to have to tough it out.”
Tears finally broke free and streamed down my cheeks. Braithway looked a little flustered. “Was it something I said?”
“No,” I shook my head. “I just realized I jumped to conclusions because I was hurt and feeling defensive. I should have stayed and tried to work it out. I’ve really ruined everything.”