34. Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Four
Dallas
M y hands are shaking as I grab the phone, jump from the sofa, and flee to my bedroom. I glance back at Beck before I reach the door. “I won’t be long.”
His eyes are kind, yet there’s tension in the set of his shoulders. “No worries. Take your time.”
I answer the phone just as I reach the door. “Hey, Shoshana,” I say, proud that I don’t sound like a scared little baby.
“Dallas, I apologize about calling you on a Sunday, but there have been some new developments.” Her voice is tired. Strained.
“It’s fine. I was going to reach out to you and explain all that’s happened.” I swallow hard. “I’m sure you heard about the…um…llama incident?”
Shoshana laughs, which is not a common occurrence.
Weird.
I brace myself. Maybe she’ll tell me to hang up my hat. That I might as well go out with a bang and find a different career because nothing could ever make up for that.
“Martha told me all about it,” Shoshana says. “I cannot believe that happened. What are the odds? A llama on the beach sashaying during a wedding. Never heard of that before.” She seems oddly relaxed about it.
“It was epic, that’s for sure,” I say, my voice threatening to wobble.
“Well, that’s not why I’m calling.”
“It’s not?”
“Come back to Atlanta,” Shoshana says. “ASAP.”
Not what I was expecting her to say. I sink down onto my bed. “What do you mean? What about the Clancys and the Bozzellis?” I scratch my head. “And the planner that took my job, GiGi?”
“Dallas, I had to fire GiGi. I can’t say much except it’s a financial matter and the police were involved.”
My throat grows thick. That’s insane. I remind myself to breathe. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll come back. I trust Kaia to keep things going for the next couple of weeks. She can fill in for GiGi for a bit. I know you don’t want to leave Willow Cove high and dry, so if you need some time to pass things onto someone else, we can wait a little while.”
“What about my reputation? I don’t want to jeopardize Amore—”
“The Clancys are suddenly moving to Dubai.” She huffs a laugh. “No idea why. But she was the one who was so upset about everything. With the Clancys gone, I’m confident Mrs. Bozzelli won’t care if you’re back.”
“I—” I concentrate hard so I can swallow the ball lodged in my throat. Going back to Atlanta was all I could think about when I came here. It was not a question of if but when.
Old me. Atlanta me would have been booking my flight back to my five-year plan on my phone before Shoshana even finished talking.
But do I want to return to the old me? Yes, old me had much better nails and, arguably, cuter shoes. Possibly.
Old me had the peace of mind knowing that nothing could derail me, even though Holden tried, from what was virtually inevitable: that I would run Amore until I die, or possibly until I retire at the sprightly age of sixty-five.
But old me didn’t have Willow Cove, Portia, or Elliot. Or Willow Wood, sea turtles, or Ace.
Old me didn’t have Beck.
“Dallas?” Shoshana prompts.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m going to have to decline.” All the blood rushes from my face and suddenly, my mouth is wooden and dry. I can’t believe I just said that.
“Dallas?” Shoshana says again, this time in a more rage-filled tone. “What do you mean? Is this a joke?”
“It’s not a joke. I’ve decided to stay in Willow Cove.” I let out a breath and realize my lungs and throat are cooler—less restricted now.
There’s a long pause. Finally, Shoshana huffs. “I…wow. I have no response to that.”
“Thank you for mentoring me all these years and for believing in me, Shoshana. I will miss you and Amore.”
Have I ever said those words before? Have I ever allowed myself to be sentimental in Shoshana’s presence? To be grateful? I don’t think so. But it feels good. It feels…right.
She hesitates. “Thanks. But Kaia’s going to bust some people up when she hears this.”
I hiss in a breath at the thought. Poor Kaia. I won’t say this to Shoshana right now, but maybe I can convince her to come to Willow Cove for next year’s wedding season. If she’ll ever talk to me again. And actually, this might position Kaia to move from assistant to planner. She’s already been working on her certification.
When we finish the call a moment later, I lie back on the bed, the cool bedspread soft against my skin.
I just told Shoshana no. I’ve taken a blowtorch to my five-year plan. And yet, it’s okay. I understand so much more than I ever did before. That I’m still valuable whether I pull off a successful wedding or not. I’m valuable without my heels and owning that I’m five foot two. And it’s okay to breathe and take things at a slower pace whenever I need to.
I spring from my bed and throw open the door. Explaining to Beck what just happened can’t come soon enough.
Except, when I reach the living room, he’s on the phone. “Thanks for calling, Mayor Dobbs. I appreciate it.”
He hangs up and my heart stutters a moment. “Was that about the Prom dinner?”
Beck nods, but one side of his mouth curves in a smile. “She was letting us know that, as she’s had time to think about it, she’s not upset. Apparently, Lila forgot to tell her that I’d asked her last week about them having their dinner there. It slipped Lila’s mind because—”
I interrupt. “Because she was a week away from her wedding.”
“Exactly. And the mayor said that as the inspection had happened that morning, it was no longer a construction zone. Rosie explained to her at the reception last night that Leo and his friends told her they’d insisted you and I hang out upstairs. That we weren’t negligent. They were responsible for what happened.”
“Wow. That’s mature of Leo.”
Beck’s eyes soften. “He’s such a great kid. Anyway, the mayor also apologized about being, in her words, ‘harsh’ with you. She let the stresses of the day get to her in that moment. She said she’d be calling to apologize to you personally as well.”
“That’s not necessary.” I pause. “I know how much her endorsement of your proposal to the YMCA board would mean to you.”
“She can’t really say anything about that to me, for ethical reasons, of course. But I’ve done my best. I feel I’ve shown her I can get the job done right and hopefully that will bode well. I can’t really worry about it at this point.”
He shrugs, but then stiffens away from me. His chin drops to his chest. He turns to the side, shakes out his hands, and mutters something under his breath. Then he walks over to my window, wheels around, and walks the length of the room.
Is he pacing?
“Beck?” I say.
He stops and gives me a crooked grin, then rushes to me, taking my hands in his.
“Dallas, I have something to say.” His brows crawl up his forehead, his chocolate eyes taking me in.
“Okay?” I squeal a little, from uncertainty and excitement—all of it.
“Whatever Shoshana had to say to you, whatever you decide to do, wherever you go and whenever you go there, I want to be by your side.” He takes a moment to breathe in and out. “I called a buddy of mine in Duluth this morning and he says I can go work for him. He’s got an industrial construction company and he’d love the help. Eventually, I can take Integrity Construction to the Atlanta area—” Beck shakes his head. “But that can all be figured out later. The point is, your dream is in Atlanta. And my dream is to be with you. Once I figured that out, everything else was an easy decision.”
My mouth sea-basses. I know it’s happening, but I can’t control it. Finally, I let go of his hand to cover my mouth and that’s when I find the words.
“Shoshana asked me to come back ASAP,” I say through my fingers. “There have been changes and—”
“Great. Several of my foremen are equipped to take over. It might take me a couple weeks to sort everything out here, but then I’m there. With bells on!” He pauses, sweeping his gaze over my face, lingering on my lips before his own tip up in a smile. “Dallas, when Chloe told me she was leaving, it never even occurred to me to go with her—”
“Beck,” I interrupt, but he keeps going.
“--And that’s because it wasn’t the right thing to do. We weren’t right for each other. Now? I’m happy to. I love Willow Cove. But I love you more, Dallas Olivia.”
“Beck, wait.” I have to shout. “I told Shoshana no. I want to stay here.”
It takes him a second to process. “What? Why would you do that? You’ve got to get back to Amore. It’s what you’ve always wanted.”
I shake my head. “Not anymore. I want you. I want Willow Cove. I can feel free to be me now. Here.” My words start tumbling out in a jumbled mess. “And since I can step into the idea of being myself here, I can try it anywhere, too. Except I want to be here. I’ve never felt so free or so happy. I could do without any more run-ins with Prince Harry, but if it happens, so what? I’m—”
Beck crushes me in a hug, lifting me off the ground in a hearty laugh. I circle his neck with my arms and kiss him. It’s urgent and sweet. It’s real.
It’s right.
He wraps his arms under me and hefts me closer to him. He even does a little spin, so I hook my legs around him to keep from falling.
“Dallas,” he says, softly kissing my temple, my cheek, my earlobe. “I don’t care what you want to do, I just want to be part of your plans. I love you.”
My bottom lip trembles. “And I love you. Not a single plan of mine makes sense if you’re not a part of them.”
He holds me, kissing me thoroughly for a long time, putting those construction-built arms to very, very good use.