Chapter 3
Joy
“And she didn’t say anything about where she was when you talked to her?” Mom asks again, pacing the quiet conference room with a small Christmas tree in the corner. Half of the lights are glowing too brightly, a sure sign they’re about to burn out.
The Christmas party is in full swing. Biker Santa arrived. That’s what everyone calls Rogue behind his back.
Two years ago, he stomped out of the Christmas party, put a curvy woman dressed as an elf on the back of his bike, and kidnapped her. Actually, they knew each other and the elf was in love with him, so I’m not so sure that it counts as kidnapping. Still, it’s always struck me as kind of romantic.
“No, she didn’t,” I answer, sipping my fizzy champagne and trying not to grimace.
The two of us are back here because Bobby’s parents wanted to chat with us. His life is so carefully structured by them that I’m surprised he doesn’t have to ask for permission every time he blows his nose.
I know that’s an ungracious thought, but sometimes, I can’t help wondering if it ever makes him crazy.
He’s in his twenties. Doesn’t he want to rebel against them?
What would be Bobby’s idea of rebelling–combing his hair in the wrong direction?
Not saying “thank you” to the cashier after a purchase?
Mom picks invisible lint from her jacket, and my heart twists when I see the slight shake of her fingers.
“I told her,” I whisper. “I told her that he was going to propose. I don’t think she’s lost.”
Mom’s shoulders relax away from her ears for half a second. She presses her lips together as Bobby’s parents enter the room with all the regal grace of two people who have been born into generational wealth. Pretty sure his great-great-great grandparents owned a castle. A real one with a moat.
His parents exchange their silly little air kisses with mom. Heaven forbid that actual affection should be shown by anyone in Bobby’s family. Physical displays of affection must be reserved for commoners and crude moments that demand a new heir be produced.
Mom fixes them with an apologetic smile. “I just talked to Holly. She’s come down with the flu.”
She tells the lie with such ease because it can’t be questioned. This is a hospital filled with immunocompromised children. Who’s going to berate Holly for not showing up?
I listen idly as they offer their sympathies and plan the next proposal as easily as if they were ordering a meal from a menu.
One bride with curves and a reluctant groom who’s content to be bossed around by his parents for the rest of his life.
Hold the public affection. Grandbabies within five years, please.
When they finally leave, mom slumps exhausted into one of the chairs. She taps a red fingernail on the table for a long moment then nods to herself, having come to a decision. “We’ll give her a few days, and if she doesn’t come home, we’ll go get her.”
Three days later, I climb into the passenger seat of my mom’s rental car. We haven’t heard from Holly yet, which is strange. She’s never done something like this before. She’s never disappeared without a word.
I thought about calling the police then decided against it. Clutching my phone to my chest, I tell Mom, “I have her coordinates.”
“I bet she’s staying at a charming inn in a very cozy town,” Mom answers as if that explains the sudden radio silence after years of living in Holly’s hip pocket. “She’s probably met a kind young man. He’s a lumberjack and calls his parents every Sunday afternoon.”
This is my mom. She imagines stories that are turned into movies that make my family a lot of money.
Still, I play along because she’s worried, and Holly should have called by now.
“He owns an apple orchard that’s about to fall into the hands of the money-hungry businessman until the plucky heroine figures out a way to bottle his family’s secret apple cider recipe that’s been handed down from generation to generation. “
She drums her nails on the steering wheel as she drives. “It’s not bad. Let’s throw in a child in a wheelchair and an injured puppy.”
“He saved them both from a burning building. Off screen, so it’s not too scary,” I answer, digging in my purse for snacks. “He helps his grandma knit mittens for those in need at the soup kitchen where he volunteers on weekends.”
We continue brainstorming ideas for upcoming movies while she drives deeper into the backroads of North Carolina. When we pass the sign welcoming us to Courage County, my stomach hurts. What are the odds she’d be in the small town where my boss lives?
“I think this is it,” I murmur as she pulls off one road. About fifteen miles from here, up on the craggy mountaintop, there’s a cabin where Ford lives. I swear he chose the spot, so he could scowl down on the rest of the world.
Mom glances around the thick forest. “Are you sure her phone hasn’t pinged you again?”
“The tank is nearly full. Let’s go a bit further. If we can’t find her rental after a few minutes, we’ll go back down the mountain and talk to the police department.”
We continue forward on the path and just when we’re about to leave, we spot it at the same time. A beautiful snow-covered cabin with a woman standing on top of the roof. Even from this distance, I recognize my sister. She’s got her hands on her hips, and she’s scowling at a man on the ground.
He climbs up the ladder, and the two of them start kissing. This is not the casual, safe-for-TV peck that my sister normally gives Bobby. No, this is a passionate embrace that looks like they can’t get close enough to each other. Would Ford ever kiss me with that kind of passion?
“Roast my chestnuts,” my mom says, having given up the habit of swearing decades ago.
We scramble out of the car just as she climbs down the ladder. Holly runs to mom, and two of them hug like she’s been at war for years. I join the hug, the three of us all talking over each other.
I can barely tell what we’re saying, but I manage to understand the cell towers were down, and Holly was stranded here with this mountain man.
After a long moment, the mountain man joins us on the ground, and my knees go weak. Suddenly, I remember what Ford said during our last conversation. It was my brother, the brilliant writer who has won countless awards.
“Whoa,” I whisper.
She takes his hand, squeezing it gently. “This is my boyfriend, Hunter. Hunter, this is my mom and sister.”
Everything else fades into the background. The conversation Mom and Holly are having. The way this man is staring at my sister like she personally invented the concept of sunshine. Even the cold air that’s stinging my cheeks.
Hunter offers to show my mom around, and the two of them start up the walk to the cozy cabin. She’s busy telling him that his cabin would make the perfect location for the company’s upcoming movie.
Holly shakes her head, looking like she doesn’t know whether to sigh or laugh. She turns her attention to me. “How did you find me? There are so many backroads around these parts.”
“He has a brother,” I whisper, the knowledge finally sinking in.
“How do you know that?” She asks.
“Because I work for him. Hunter’s brother is my boss. They look so much alike.” I shake my head. They might look alike, but Ford’s gaze is different, darker and more haunted. Like every day, he goes to war with demons no one else can see. “This has got to be the craziest December to ever December.”
The rest of the afternoon passes in a blur as Hunter shows off his cabin and feeds us delicious homemade pizza. He and Holly move around the place effortlessly, and I don’t miss the way he keeps staring at my sister when he thinks she isn’t looking. Like she’s his personal ray of sunshine.
Finally, I sneak away to the back porch to get some fresh air. I’m so happy for my sister, it feels like my heart could burst. This is what she’s been missing, what she never had with Bobby.
As I stare out at the snow-capped mountains, I think about Ford. I wonder if he’s staring at this same view right now. Is he thinking about me? Is he–?
I don’t let myself finish the thought. The longer I stayed in Hunter’s cabin, the more obvious it became that I’ve been stupid. All this time I’ve been hanging around, waiting for Ford to make a move. I kept thinking that he’d want me at some point.
The door opens behind me, and I quickly brush away the silly tear that slipped down my face while I was pining for a man who never thinks about me.
“It’s warm in there,” Hunter says softly. “Much better out here.”
“You really shouldn’t have come out here. They’re probably going to name all of your future babies while you’re gone,” I tell him, my throat tight.
“As long as Holly is happy, I don’t care about anything else,” he says and steps forward, leaning against the porch rail. He holds out a soda to me.
I accept the cold can, popping the top. I take a long swig and wish it were stronger.
When I’ve drained half of it, I set it on the railing and focus on Hunter.
“She doesn’t like mornings or apricots or sad books.
She’s always had a soft spot for animals, and dogs are her favorite.
She stepped up after our dad died. She became the rock of the family and kept us going. ”
I pause there, letting my words sink in before I continue on. “If you ever hurt her, I will bludgeon you and bury you on this beautiful mountain. I’ll make it slow too because my sister is the most special person in the whole world, and she deserves a man who loves her with everything in him.”
Hunter regards me for a long moment. “Joy?”
I swipe at my wet face. “Yeah?”
“I am that man.”
“OK, I didn’t want to like you, but I kind of do now. My threat still stands. It will always stand.” I put my hands on my hips and do my best to glare at him.
“Bludgeoned and buried. Got it. I’ll never give you a reason. She’s everything to me. These last three days have been the happiest of my life. I knew the moment I met her she was meant to be mine forever.”
He met Holly, and he knew instantly. Meanwhile, I’ve been desperate for Ford to notice me for six months. I swallow hard, managing to croak out, “Good. Take care of her now and always.”
Maybe I need to take Marsha’s invitation and find a handsome stranger to hook up with. Maybe then I can finally get over my unrequited feelings for Ford.