Chapter 26
DARCY
SUMMER ANGEL-FEST ON THE FOURTH OF JULY
I’m folding up a big quilt that Michael told me is perfect for the Fourth of July picnic when I hear J.B.’s light footsteps on the stairs.
“Hey,” she says, flopping unceremoniously onto the bed. “Dad said he’s packing healthy snacks?”
“Don’t worry,” I tell her with a smile. “I’m bringing money to buy real ones.”
“I wonder what Angel-Fest will be like,” she says, staring up at the ceiling fan that’s revolving lazily over the bed. “I’ve never been here in the summer before.”
“Oh, I’m sure it will be fun,” I tell her. “This town has a sense of humor. And anyway, it’s for a good cause.”
“You sound like one of them,” she says thoughtfully.
I guess I do. They sure made me feel like part of the community at the wedding in January.
Derek and I got a license as quickly as we could.
J.B. stood by my side and Michael stood by Derek’s when we got married in the little town church.
We only planned to have a nice meal at the lodge when it was done.
A big wedding wasn’t the point, after all.
What we really wanted was to be a family officially.
But as we left, Michael asked Derek to drive over to the community center for a quick errand and when we stepped in, there was… well, everyone.
Bronson and the crew from the lodge were there, as were so many new faces who are friends now—old friends of Derek’s from childhood, and people we see everywhere we go, from the library staff to the volunteers at the Lenni Lenape Museum and everyone in between.
As a special surprise for me, my sister and brother-in-law were there, along with Johnny and George, and I’ve never cried harder than when my toddler nephews ran to me and hugged me hard.
Mandy pulled me aside to let me know that Derek told her he would fly us to each other any time we want. They’re already planning to spend next Christmas on the mountain with us.
Maddie, Jake, and Dylan Stone were at the center too.
I hope we’ll see them again today. Baby Seraphina arrived on Valentine’s Day, and she’s the sweetest little thing with her dimples and her daddy’s eyes.
Everyone adores her, but no one loves her more than her big brother, Dylan.
I know their fun sibling adventures will begin as soon as she’s big enough to follow him around.
After the wedding, Derek surprised our whole family with a little box that held a key on a red ribbon.
It was the key to the front door of our new house. Derek had rented it for a month with an option to buy, and he told us all that if we liked it, he would make it our permanent home. And now it is, and it’s just perfect.
When Michael realized that he was included in that offer, he had tears in his eyes.
It’s one of the chalets on the mountain, and though it’s not the biggest or the fanciest, it’s the nicest place I’ve ever lived.
It’s also the best because it’s the one just above the property owned by the lodge, which means that Michael can walk down and spend his mornings sipping coffee by the fireplace in the lounge and connecting with all his old friends. He’s even taken it upon himself to help train the new doorman.
The surgery was a resounding success, and we hope we’ll have many more years to spend with him, thanks to Dr. Nasar’s skilled work.
But Michael decided to retire anyway, so that he could have more time with his granddaughter. He has certainly earned that privilege, and I’ve never seen Derek happier than when his grandfather shared the news.
But the most shocking news is that he’s not the only one retiring.
Derek decided to step back from the business so that he could homeschool J.B. while he prepares for his next act—opening a science academy for high school students right here on Angel Mountain.
It turns out that all those things on J.B.’s list weren’t ever intended to be used to look for a school for her to transfer into. They were the building blocks for a brand-new high school that Derek is building and funding himself.
“It’s not going to take all our assets,” he told me quietly, the night he decided to let me in on his dream. “But we’ll definitely take a big hit.”
“Is it what you want?” I asked him, still not used to the idea of all that money being called our assets.
He nodded and the look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know.
“I can work to support us,” I told him. “As long as we don’t mind living simply. And I still have the big ring. We could sell it.”
I had been wondering what to do with it for a while and thinking that I might end up donating it or maybe passing it along to my sister to use for a college fund for the twins.
“Oh, Darcy,” he said, chuckling. “Things won’t get to that point. We’ll still have enough to live better than most people, and you’ll never need to work.”
I knew I should be relieved, but something in me wilted a little at the thought. Our time on Angel Mountain this year so far had been both restful and exhilarating at the same time as we finally started to get used to our new family unit and home.
But I was starting to get the itch to use my other skills again. I’ve never been the type to sit around for long.
“I love working,” I heard myself admit quietly.
“I know you do,” he told me, taking my chin in his hand.
“And it’s nothing to be ashamed of. People were built to work.
And it’s up to you where you do it. You could volunteer for the Mountain Angels Fund, or pick up a job with a local business, or even keep working remotely for the company in Manhattan if you want.
I’m sure my successor could use the help. ”
I nodded, thinking it over.
“Or…” he said.
“Or?”
“Or you could run the business side of the school for me,” he said softly. “And then I could focus on teaching.”
“What’s the business side?” I heard myself ask.
“Recruiting and managing staff,” he said. “And maybe doing some fundraising, PR, community outreach, and whatever else inspires you.”
“Oh,” I said. “Oh, wow.”
“Listen,” he said. “I get it, you might not want to work with me all the time. You might want to spread your wings…”
I told him that I would love to. And it was true.
I can’t think of any better way to use my organizational skills than to help my husband and stepdaughter achieve their dreams, doing something all three of us believed in.
It’s a dream job. But I had to ask if he was really sure that I was up for that kind of challenge.
“Very sure,” he said. “You practically ran my international company and this is just a country school. And if you realize there are any extra skills you want to pick up then we’ll just get you training, or bring in an expert to lend a hand.
It’s your big heart and quick brains I want running things. Everything else is just details.”
Those words eased my mind. And I know to my bones that he meant them. This isn’t just a pity offering to his wife. He really believes I have something to offer. And so do I.
Honestly, he’s always made me feel that way, like I’m important to him, like there’s nothing I can’t do.
“Everybody ready for Angel-Fest?” his voice booms from downstairs, snapping me back to the present.
I have to smile—he just sounds happy, in a way he never did in the city.
“Yes, Dad,” J.B. yells. “Just one more second.”
She turns to me, the confident expression she’s been wearing more and more lately faltering a little.
“I wanted to ask you something,” she says, looking down at her hands.
“Sure,” I say, sitting on the bed and feeling curious.
She’s at an age where it could be anything. Maybe the teen parenting books I’ve been secretly reading on my phone are about to pay off.
“There’s a mother-daughter dance competition at the thing today,” she says, still looking at her hands. “It’s onstage at the park. Would you, um… Would you want to do it with me?”
“Yes,” I say so quickly and loudly she looks up at me in surprise. “But just a warning, I’m not the most elegant dancer.”
“That’s why I asked you,” she says, with a wicked little smile.
“Wow,” I say, shaking my head in mock defeat. “You’re lucky I love you.”
“Hey, Darcy,” she says softly, somehow looking worried again.
She just convinced me to dance publicly using basically no pressure whatsoever. I don’t know what she thinks she’s going to ask me that would make me say no.
“Yeah?” I say.
“What do you think about me calling you Mom?”
Her words hang in the air for a moment, while I try to gather myself. But it’s no use because the next thing I know I’m crying too hard to answer.
“Oh,” she says. “Oh, wow.”
“Ohhh, J-J-Judi-Bloom,” I manage. “I’d l-like that so m-much.”
“Awesome,” she says, giving me a friendly little thump on the back. “Come on, then, Mom. Time to boogie.”
By the time we get to the park, she’s called me Mom about twenty times and it still hits me right in the chest. At this point, I think she’s doing it on purpose, and I don’t care.
I can tell it’s making Derek happy, and that’s a relief. I’ve told him many times that I would never try to take her mother’s place in either of their hearts. But I’m so proud to be her second mom now. And this wonderful kid clearly has plenty of room in that big heart of hers for us both.
When we arrive, we get lots of waves and greetings. It’s funny, when we came to the Angel Mountain Christmas Mingle, all anyone could do was congratulate us on our engagement, and it wasn’t even real.
And now we’re really newlyweds, but that’s already old news. Everyone just wants to talk with us about our plans for the school.
A light breeze moves through the trees, making the leaves come alive with whispering, and I take in the gentle beauty of this place all over again.
Angel Mountain was hauntingly lovely under the snow. Now it’s lush and warm, painted in a thousand shades of green. Fresh breezes filter through the shade trees of the mountainside, keeping the warm summer day comfortable enough that I’m really looking forward to being outside for all of it.