Chapter 28
PIPER
“Honey, can you run to Making Whoopie for me?” Mom asks.
It’s mid-afternoon, and we haven’t stopped since we arrived at the town hall community building this morning. Brody, my brothers, and Dad are still out clearing the fallen tree, and we have no idea when they’ll be back because there’s no cell service in that area.
I finish clipping a festive paper tablecloth to a trestle table, and stand. “Sure, what can I get?”
Mom pushes a fifty-dollar bill into my hand. “Whatever Audrey’s got left. We just need a pick-me-up to get through the next hour or so.”
I nod. It’s always down to the wire getting the main room ready, but without half my family and Brody pitching in, it’s taken even longer.
The tree is decorated, and thousands of feet of string lights hang across the ceiling.
Evergreen garlands line the middle of the tables and are attached above the doors and along the bottom of the windows.
However, the band is still performing a sound check, the food and drinks haven’t arrived, and there’s a mess everywhere.
Throwing on my coat and scarf, I make my way out of the building, hang a right, then turn left when I reach Main Street.
It’s chilly, and the light is fading fast, but I’m glad to be outside, the crisp air clearing my foggy head.
When Brody left, I threw myself into getting the main room ready, not wanting a moment of peace to reflect on the double bombshells dropped this morning.
But now, as I cross the road and join the line outside the bakery, reality settles on me like gently falling snow. I’ve been given a choice to make. Not by Brody, but by the universe, God, a higher power, destiny, or whatever label I want to use.
Colin’s call this morning offered me everything I thought I ever wanted: stability, security, and knowing that I had a clear career path. But is that really what my soul desires?
The other path before me is the one less travelled. A chance to turn my artistic passion into a new career, even though the risk is so much higher. I need the courage to try something new, believe in myself, and be proud of what I draw.
And, much as I hate to admit it, Mom and Mia are right. My heart isn’t in advertising staplers and office chairs.
I’ve loved my time in Brooklyn, but I’ve also been lonely. If I follow Brody to New Zealand, we’ll be together and happy, and I’ll have plenty of time to look for online design jobs while also working on my art.
My skin tingles as I make my decision, and the further my mind travels in this new direction, the more I know it’s the right one for me. I’m scared, but in an excited way, like the feeling you get on a roller coaster as it cranks its way up to the first drop.
And Brody? He’s going to be by my side as I create a new future for myself.
Making Whoopie is my favorite bakery in Hideaway Harbor, and on a Friday afternoon, everyone else in town seems to share the same opinion. I stamp my feet to keep warm as the line slowly shortens, then take out my phone to see if there’s anything from Brody.
Still nothing.
I go to my socials, my mind boggling at the number of new followers, likes, and comments. It’s too much to take in, let alone reply to, so I check my email to see if any more commissions have come through.
My gaze snags on a name I don’t recognize and a subject header that doesn’t immediately make sense.
I open it and read the contents.
Then read it again.
Is this a joke? A prank? A mistake?
My heart is racing, and I’m burning up under my layers. The email has an attachment, and I click to open it, terrified it contains a virus that’s about to drain what little is left in my bank account.
But it’s just more text, pages and pages of it that I don’t have the expertise to understand.
I call Brody again, but once more it goes to voicemail.
Glancing around the street, as if the answer lies nearby, I recognize someone inside Making Whoopie—Jack Lourd, Amanda Willis’s agent.
“Excuse me, excuse me,” I say as I cut to the front of the line and enter the bakery.
Jack’s standing behind the counter, and I suddenly don’t know what to say.
“Help!” I shout, then cringe as everyone stops what they’re doing to stare at me.
“I need your help,” I say to Jack.
He glances behind him, then points at himself. “Me?”
“Yes, it’s an emergency.”
I tug my hat off as sweat trickles down the back of my neck. I’m creating a scene in my hometown that’s going to keep the gossips going for days.
“I’m not a first-responder, you know.” He leans in as if sharing a secret. “I’m a lawyer.”
“Yes.” I nod. “That’s exactly what I need.”
Smoothing my hands down the sides of my red satin dress, I scan the crowds. For the past hour, I’ve been two people in one body—the smiling, chatty daughter of Mayor Locke on the outside, and someone freaking the fuck out on the inside.
Where is he?
It’s now seven o’clock, and the town dance is in full swing. Christmas tunes play over the excited chatter, and people are enjoying drinks before digging into the food.
Everything’s picture-perfect, but I’m a bundle of nerves and excitement. Mom keeps reassuring me that everyone’s all right, but she doesn’t know what’s on my mind. No one except Jack Lourd does.
Mia’s set up a photo booth with a snowy backdrop and holiday-themed props so she can take fun pictures of people as they arrive. Harper’s admiring the Christmas tree with Martha, and Mom and Eileen are introducing Marv to people like he’s a debutante in his first season.
Every second feels like an hour as I wait, constantly moving to get the best view of the door.
Then, just as I’m about to push through the crowds and go out onto the street, Brody enters the main room. Dressed in black tie, he’s so devastatingly handsome, I have a mini-orgasm on the spot.
His eyes are searching the room, his forehead furrowed, but when his gaze catches on mine, the tension in his face dissolves.
Brody. My Brody.
My feet move me forward without any input from my brain, and we meet in the middle of the floor under the sparkling lights, holding each other’s arms as if we’re lost at sea.
I can’t stop smiling, and neither can he. There’s a lightness in his expression, a relief, as if he’s just unloaded a heavy burden from his shoulders.
For a moment, we just stand there, grinning like fools. Then he takes me in his arms and holds me tight. I can feel the love pouring off him. I’ve never felt so cherished before. This is a hug of heart and soul, of the past, present, and the future. It’s a promise, and it’s home.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs in my ear. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” I reply, then pull back. “And I need to talk to you.”
“Me too.” His forehead creases again. “I’m not taking the job.”
“What? No! You have to!”
He shakes his head and smiles. “I don’t. I’ve just spent the last few hours hauling wood, and that was too much time away from you. We could have been together for the last twelve years, and now that I’ve finally got you, I don’t want to spend another minute away from your side if I can help it.”
“But—”
“It’s just a job. Nothing is more important than you. Nothing.”
Panic has its claws in my chest. “Have you told Marv yet?”
“Not yet.” He glances around the crowded space. “Have you seen him? I’ll tell him now.”
“You’ll do no such thing!” I hiss, dragging him away to put more distance between us and Marv.
“I’ve made up my mind,” Brody says calmly.
“Well, you’ve got to unmake it. Because I’m coming with you.”
He stops. “You can’t give up your career just to follow me. It’s not fair.”
“I’m not giving up anything! I’m getting more than I ever imagined!”
“Is your company letting you work remotely?”
“No. I’m quitting!”
“But—”
“I got another job, in New Zealand!”
He blinks, then glances around us. “How have you managed to do that in the last few hours while handling all this?”
I’m bouncing on the balls of my feet, excitement bubbling inside me. “I got an email from the showrunners of The Chronicles of the Sword and the Flame. They want to hire me as a concept artist for the series!”
“What?”
“After all the fans went crazy for my drawings, the showrunners said they want me to work with the production team on art to promote the series. They even sent me a provisional contract, which I signed a couple of hours ago!”
Brody’s staring at me like I just told him I met Santa and accepted a six-month contract to work at the North Pole.
“You signed something?”
“Yep!”
He rubs his forehead. “I feel like a total asshole right now, but do you even know if it’s legit? There are so many sophisticated scams out there. And you should never sign anything without an entertainment lawyer looking it over first.”
“I did.”
“Did what?”
“Got an entertainment lawyer to review it. He called the showrunners, requested a few amendments, which they made and emailed back before I signed.”
“Who? Marv?”
“Jack Lourd.”
“Amanda Willis’s agent?”
“Uh-huh. And he’s my agent now, too. I’m not sure how to break the news to Marv that I’m not going with him.”
Brody’s still staring at me. “Is this for real?”
I nod, my cheeks hurting from smiling so much. “Jack was amazing. He went through every paragraph, every clause, every word. And he knows one of the showrunners anyway, so it was easy to get the changes done right then and there.”
There’s a beat, then Brody’s blank expression breaks, and he pulls me into the tightest hug. “Oh my God, Piper, I love you. I’m so fucking proud of you. You’re coming with me. We’re doing this together.”
I don’t get a chance to reply, because he’s kissing me like his life depends on it, like I’m the oxygen keeping him alive.
My body instantly responds, electricity crackling across my skin and liquid fire pooling deep in my abdomen. I love him and need him, and nothing can keep us apart now.
“Not in front of the children!” Mia yells, and we slowly break the kiss.
She holds up her camera. “Now let’s get a family-friendly version.”
I tuck into Brody’s side and smile for the photo.
Mia snaps a couple, then looks at the back screen and snorts. “That’s the picture of the night.”
Turning it around, she shows us the last one she took. We’ve got cheesy grins on our faces, our hair is sticking up in all directions, and my lipstick is smeared around both our mouths.
I burst out laughing. “That’s terrible!”
“It’s perfect,” Brody says. “Absolutely perfect.”
“Not so fake anymore, then?” Mia asks with a smirk, wagging her finger back and forth between us.
Brody’s eyes meet mine. “It was never fake for me.”
“Me neither,” I say as I smile up at him, my heart bursting with happiness.
“Well, no shit,” Mia says. “I just wish I could’ve bet on this outcome. I would’ve won big.”
“Aunt Mia!” Martha cries as she runs over. “Daddy, Grandpa, and Uncle Hudson are here!”
“That’s great, sweetie,” Mia replies, running a hand over Martha’s blonde curls.
Martha raises her eyebrows at Brody and me. “Have you been kissing?”
“I’m afraid so,” I reply.
“Why are you afraid?”
I laugh. “It’s just—”
She waves her little hands, cutting me off. “Grandma will have a handkerchief in her purse. You need to clean up, because you both look silly.”
Brody chuckles beside me, then flattens his hair back down. “Any better?”
Martha purses her lips. “You still look like a clown. But a handsome one.” She turns back to Mia. “Uncle Hudson is wearing a suit, like Uncle Brody. He looks like a mighty fine piece of ass.”
“What the f—heck?” Mia splutters as Brody and I crack up. “Where did you hear that?”
Martha shrugs. “Some ladies were talking about him. Do you think Hudson is a mighty fine piece of ass, Aunt Mia?”
My best friend’s cheeks flush scarlet. “You can’t say that.”
“Why not? Should I say he’s a mighty fine piece of bottom instead?”
Brody and I collapse with laughter, and Martha gazes crossly at us.
“How do I know what’s right or wrong if you just keep laughing?”
“Sorry, sweetheart,” I manage.
She throws her hands in the air. “Is he a mighty fine piece of tush?”
Hudson chooses that moment to weave through the crowd behind Mia. For a second, his gaze burns hot as it flicks down and back up Mia’s body. Then the fire disappears as if it was never there, and he pulls a face at me.
“You look like you’re auditioning for the circus,” he says as he approaches.
“That’s what I thought, Uncle Hudson,” Martha says. “They look like clowns.”
Hudson chuckles deeply, and Mia takes a step back.
“But you look like a mighty fine piece of—”
“Martha!” Mia, Brody, and I interrupt quickly.
Hudson has a wicked glint in his eye as he slowly rotates like he’s on stage at a bachelor auction.
Yes, he’s my brother, so automatically gross, but I know he’s handsome, and tonight, in a tux, he looks like a Navy SEAL turned model.
“What do you think, Mia?” he asks. “The finest piece of butt in the room?”
“Butt head, more like,” Mia mutters, her eyes on her camera as she fiddles with it.
“Want to put your name down for a dance later?” Hudson continues. “My card is almost full, but I can save a space for you.”
Mia doesn’t reply, and something subtle shifts in the air between them. But before I can question it, a handkerchief appears in my face.
“Oh, honey, the two of you need to save all that for snuggle time!” Mom exclaims as she dabs around my mouth.
“Mom!”
She grabs Brody by the ear like a schoolboy and tugs him down. “Come here, young man.”
The corner of his mouth twitches as he lets her wipe lipstick from his face, then she lets him go.
“There, much better. Now, how about some food? John and Harper have saved us a table. Come on, everyone.”
She takes Martha’s hand, and we follow them across the floor to the buffet.
“When do you want to tell them?” Brody asks me.
“Tomorrow. At the Christmas Eve dinner, when everyone’s there. I just want to keep it between us tonight.”
“It still hasn’t really sunk in.”
“I know. I can’t believe it!”
He stops to kiss me softly. “I can’t wait to get you alone,” he murmurs.
An excited shiver ripples through me. “Can we leave early?”
He nods. “Food, one dance, then back for snuggle time?”
I grin. “And would you like a surprise gift as well?”
An eyebrow arches. “What is it?”
My face heats. “Well, to be honest, I’ve got no idea. I just thought we could see what’s in the gift bag we got from The Perfect Package.”
His eyes flash, and a spark of heat pulses between my legs.
“Oh yes,” he rumbles. “I like the sound of that.”