Forever in Good Hope

by Kirk, Cindy

“You don’t know them because you didn’t choose to know them,” Fin shot back. “One dinner was all I could get you to agree to attend.”

  “Why would I agree to more? A small-town schoolteacher? A cop? An accountant?” He gave a little laugh. “We don’t have much in common.”

  Except me, Fin thought.

  “From now on I’ll contact you only when I have something to report.”

  As Xander continued to update her on what he’d been doing, Fin strolled to a glider under a large tree with leafy limbs and dropped down.

  “Have you convinced Lynn Chapin to change her vote?” Xander’s bluntness told Fin they’d chatted long enough. It was time to get down to business.

  “I’ve spoken with her several times since you and I last talked.”

  “And?”

  It was amazing how a single word could contain so much impatience.

  “I believe she’s considering changing her vote.” Fin kept her voice even, not allowing it to reflect her own irritation.

  The sound of a pen tapping against a hard surface sounded in her ear. “Considering isn’t good enough. I need your assurance she’ll vote for the proposal.”

  “You aren’t going to get it. Not yet, anyway.” Fin plowed ahead when he began to bluster. “If I push too hard, she’ll dig in her heels. Lynn Chapin isn’t a woman you can pressure.”

  She heard him grumble something under his breath.

  “You should understand,” Fin pointed out. “You’re very much like that yourself.”

  He expelled a reluctant chuckle. “You know me so well.”

  Do I? Fin had begun to wonder. When he’d asked her to marry him, she’d seen herself as part of a Hollywood power couple. But had she ever truly seen Xander as a friend, a husband, the father of her children?

  “Where are we with the mayor?” Xander changed tack. “If we can’t count on this board member to switch her vote, you need to focus on convincing Rakes to vote our way.”

  “I spoke with him about the issue just today.” Fin saw no need to mention she’d voiced her concerns about closing down the town. Xander would view that as the ultimate betrayal. “Jeremy is keeping an open mind.”

  “How are you two getting along?” Xander’s abruptness had her bristling.

  “Fine.”

  “Have you kissed him lately?”

  Was all this bluster because he worried she and Jeremy might be getting too close? Or was he wanting to know so he could take a swipe at her for being disloyal?

  It saddened Fin to realize she didn’t know Xander well enough to know his motivation.

  “You and I discussed the need for my engagement to Jeremy to appear real.” Fin chose her words carefully. “So, the answer to your question is yes. I have kissed Jeremy when . . .” She hesitated for an imperceptible second. “Necessary.”

  “Good.” The warm approval caught her off guard.

  “Why good?”

  “Odds are he’s falling for you.” Instead of distressed, Xander sounded pleased by the thought. “Men think with their dicks, Fin. If he’s hot for you, he’ll likely do whatever it takes to please you.”

  “You’re not like that.” The words popped out of her mouth before Fin could give them a second thought.

  “You’re right. I’m more pragmatic.”

  And calculating, Fin thought.

  “Based on what you’ve said, it’s time to up our game.”

  Fin rubbed her suddenly tight neck. “I don’t understand what else I can do.”

  “Whatever is necessary to secure the mayor’s vote.”

  “I’ve already done everything,” Fin protested. “I’ve laid out the arguments. I’ve made it clear filming would be good for the community—”

  “You weren’t listening.” Xander huffed out the accusation, annoyance mixing with impatience. “I said men think with their dicks. It’s time to use that to your advantage.”

  Everything in Fin went cold. “Are you seriously suggesting I tease Jeremy with the promise of sex?”

  “Whatever necessary, Fin.” Xander’s laugh held a harsh edge. “Sleep with him if you think it will change his mind. I’ve a lot riding on this film. I want that location secured.”

  I have. I want. Pragmatic. Calculating.

  But hadn’t she been the same? There had been no stars in her eyes. She’d seen their union as a practical one. “Is that why you proposed?”

  He should have instantly responded. It would have made the denial that came more convincing. But he hesitated. “Certainly not. Why would you think that?”

  “The timing, for one. The proposal came out of the blue.”

  “Nothing wrong with being spontaneous.”

  “There is something wrong with pimping out a woman you profess to love.” Fin’s stomach churned, forcing her to breathe through her mouth or be sick.

  “That’s not what I meant. You’re putting words in my mouth.”

  The protest sounded weak. He knew it. More importantly, she knew it.

  “I should never have accepted the ring.”

  “Sweetheart.” Xander’s voice grew soft and his tone turned persuasive. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing. We make a good team. I realize I’ve put you in a tough position, but it was for us.”

  She tuned him out. The words meant nothing. There was only one person Xander Tillman cared about, and that was himself. Perhaps the realization should have made her sad. All Fin felt was relief.

  “I’m not marrying you.” Fin felt herself settle as the rightness of the decision washed over her.

  “Relax. Enjoy this time with your family. I’ll be in touch soon.”

  Before she could respond, the call ended.

  Fin stared at the phone for a long moment before dropping it into her pocket. Moving to the dresser, she picked up the brush and, with teeth gritted, pulled it through her already smooth hair. The overhead light caught the stone and flashed.

  Fin dropped the brush, then held out her left hand. She studied the stone, wondering how something so shiny could feel so heavy.

  The mirror over the dresser captured her despair and reflected it back at her.

  “He never loved you.” She spoke calmly at her image. “And you never loved him.”

  There was power, she discovered, in speaking words aloud. In finally admitting what she hadn’t been ready to accept. Turning her back on Xander felt an awful lot like turning her back on the life she’d built in California.

  Not one and the same, she told herself as she slipped off the ring and set it on the dresser.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Delphinium.” Ruby’s voice sounded from the hall. “Gladys is here.”

  Fin hurried from the room. At the sounds of holiday music coming from the music room, her steps faltered.

  You can do this, she told herself, forcing her feet to continue forward, one step at a time.

  She stood in the doorway to the parlor for several seconds, absorbing the scene. Jeremy at the baby grand, fingers flying over the keys, Ruby and Gladys leaning over his shoulder as they sang along with a holiday classic.

  Fin wasn’t sure how long she’d stood there before Ruby glanced up. The older woman hurried across the room, hands outstretched. “There you are. There’s our girl.”

  Gladys smiled broadly, her lips a festive purple. Then she frowned. “Where’s your ring?”

  Fin glanced down, then back up. “I took it off to wash my hands. I must have forgot to put it back on.”

  Jeremy rose from the piano bench and crossed to her. He brushed a kiss across her lips as if nothing was amiss.

  “As long as it’s safe.” Ruby waved a hand, but a worried pucker had appeared between her brows.

  Gladys clapped her hands. “Let’s get started.”

  It became quickly apparent Gladys took directing this mini scene seriously. After spending several minutes reviewing what had happened in the story prior to this point, she instructed Fin where to stand in relation to Jeremy.<
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  Panic rose to claw Fin’s throat as Jeremy’s fingers returned to the keys and he began to play the familiar song. She tried to focus on his rich voice with its perfect pitch and not think about when Gladys would signal her.

  Fin opened her mouth to join in, but nothing came out. Her heart pounded like a bass drum against her ribs. Her skin turned clammy. She glanced helplessly at Jeremy, not sure she trusted her voice enough to speak.

  Jeremy rose from the piano. “Fin and I are going to take a walk. We’ll take this up again when we return.”

  When Gladys opened her mouth as if to protest, something she saw in Jeremy’s eyes had her remaining silent.

  “I made mango sun tea earlier,” Ruby told her friend. “Why don’t I pour everyone a glass?”

  “Good idea.” Jeremy kept his eyes focused on Fin. “We won’t be long.”

  Fin didn’t protest when he took her now-ice-cold hand and tugged her out of the room, then out the door. She barely felt the warmth of the sun on the clear, cloudless day, although she clung to his hand as if it were a life preserver in storm-tossed seas.

  “You don’t have any trouble singing hymns.” Jeremy tossed the comment out there as they strode down the long lane toward the road.

  “That’s different.” She’d finally found her voice, though it came out rough and scratchy.

  “How?”

  She shrugged.

  They walked for another minute without speaking. “You mentioned once that you hadn’t sang since high school.”

  Fin remained silent.

  “Would this have something to do with the show choir competition in Milwaukee?”

  The wings of a thousand hummingbirds beat against her throat. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Eliza told me how you ditched the competition to go shopping.” His blue eyes searched hers. “Something had to have happened. I know how much singing—and that competition—meant to you.”

  Tell him, a voice inside Fin urged. This is your chance.

  But the words remained stuck inside. She couldn’t force them past frozen lips.

  “Did you give up singing as a penance of sorts, because you disappointed your friends?”

  Some of the tension inside Fin eased at the realization that it was likely true, but not for the reason he thought. Singing and losing the baby in that hotel room had become linked in her mind.

  Realizing he waited for an answer, she gave a jerky nod.

  “I understand.”

  At her look of disbelief, a rueful smile tipped his lips.

  “I experienced something very similar.” He swung their clasped hands between them.

  Some of the tension gripping Fin eased and she discovered she could breathe again. “Wh-what happened?”

  “After you and I split, I didn’t go fishing for years.”

  Fin inclined her head. “Why?”

  His fingers tightened around hers.

  “Fishing and you were linked. The thought of sitting on the bank without you was . . . painful. And I felt guilty over how it had ended between us.” Jeremy cleared his throat. “But Max kept hounding me. One day I agreed just to shut him up. In time, it got easier. I was building new memories. Now the twins come with us, or Cade, or your dad, or all of them.”

  “You got over me.”

  He shook his head. “It got easier, but sometimes it’s still difficult.”

  She squeezed his hand.

  “Perhaps if you think of ‘White Christmas’ as a hymn, that might help you over the initial hurdle.” He faced her then, running his hands up and down her arms as if to warm her. “I’ll be right beside you, every step of the way. What do you think? Will you give the song another try?”

  Before she’d finished nodding, his arms were around her. She pressed her head against his chest and accepted what her heart had always known. She’d never stopped loving this man.

  They walked hand in hand to the music parlor. Jeremy had barely set his fingers on the keys when Fin’s phone buzzed.

  She was tempted to ignore it, but a tingle at the back of her neck had her pulling the phone from her pocket and checking the text. As she reread the message, her heart kicked into overdrive.

  “Is there trouble?” Ruby rose and moved to her side.

  Fin shook her head. A broad smile bloomed on her lips. “Ami’s at the hospital having the baby.”

  Jeremy was already on his feet. “I’ll get the car.”

  “I’m sorry, Gladys.”

  Fin’s apology was immediately brushed aside by the older woman.

  “Go.” Ruby made a shooing gesture. “Text us pictures and give Ami and Beck our love.”

  Fin and Jeremy made it to the hospital in Sturgeon Bay in record time. Still, they were the last of the family to reach the labor and delivery waiting room. Even Cade, who’d been on duty today, had called in a deputy so he could be with Marigold.

  “This could take hours.” Prim leaned back against Max. “First labors are unpredictable.”

  Max planted a kiss on the top of her head. “Jackie White is picking up the boys from school. She said they can spend the night if need be.”

  “I won’t leave until I know everything is okay with Ami and the baby,” Prim told her husband.

  “We’re not going anywhere,” Max assured her.

  “I think we’re all here for the duration.” Steve absently sipped at the cup of coffee in his hand.

  “How is Ami doing?” Fin glanced at Prim.

  “Ninety percent effaced and dilated to six,” Prim announced. “Oh, and her water broke on the way. That’s the latest update from ten minutes ago.”

  Prim had been through this before so she knew the lingo. In this area, Fin was barely literate. “Is that good?”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Marigold pause in her conversation with Cade, also waiting for Prim’s reply.

  “It’s excellent.” Prim smiled. “Things are moving along, which is great, since they usually want the delivery within twenty-four hours of the water breaking.”

  In an attempt to calm herself, Fin took a breath and let it out. She told herself babies were born healthy and women made it through childbirth every day without any problems.

  “Ami will be fine.” The look in Jeremy’s eyes was as steady as a clasp of his hand on her shoulder. “There’s no need to worry.”

  “I can’t seem to help myself.” Fin’s gaze lingered on her father, who’d begun to pace again. “He’s worried, too.”

  Jeremy followed the direction of her gaze. “Let’s see if we can get his mind on to something else.”

  Fin eyed her father. “The way he’s pacing, I don’t think we’ll be able to get him to slow down enough to listen.”

  “Then we’ll just have to keep up with him.”

  Fin’s gaze lingered on Jeremy’s face, and she felt the connection, this time deeper and stronger than before. Maybe because Xander was no longer between them. Does he feel it too? she wondered.

  “Lynn.”

  Fin turned at the sound of Prim’s welcome to see the blonde businesswoman enter the waiting room.

  Dressed smartly in navy pants, a white silk shirt, and heels, Lynn looked every inch the head of the Chapin banking empire. Though her smile remained warm and friendly, Fin saw the falter when it settled on Steve.

  It appeared the incident with Anita had left Lynn unsure of the reception she’d receive.

  “I didn’t want to intrude, but Ruby called me and—” Lynn stopped midsentence, as if realizing she was about to ramble. “I thought I’d stop and see how Ami is doing.”

  “All systems go,” Prim announced. “Baby Cross is on the move.”

  “That’s exciting.” Lynn’s smile appeared frozen on her lips. “Well, I think—”

  Steve crossed the waiting room to her. “I’d like it if you’d stay and wait with me.”

  Lynn’s clear blue eyes never left his as she spoke in a barely audible tone. “If you’re sure that’s what you
want.”

  Fin held her breath.

  “You’re who I want.” Her father’s tone might be low, intended for Lynn’s ears only, but standing close, Fin heard him clearly.

  Lynn glanced at the cup Steve still held in his hand. “Do you have any more of that?”

  Steve laughed. “I don’t, but I’m acquainted with the vending machine down the hall.”

  He and Lynn were stopped in the doorway by Beck’s appearance.

  Fin rushed over along with the rest of the family to gather around him.

  “Ami is well. We have a beautiful baby girl.” Beck’s soft southern drawl shook with emotion. “Her name is Sarah Rose. Eight pounds, two ounces, and twenty inches long.”

  Amid the chorus of congratulations and back slaps, Fin slipped in her question. “When can we see Ami?”

  “Once they move her up to a room, she can have visitors.” Beck, still dressed in delivery room scrubs, smiled wearily. “Her labor went fast, or at least that’s what the doctor said. I don’t know about Ami, but I feel as if I just pulled a double at the café.”

  “Congratulations.” Steve stepped forward and extended his hand. When Beck clasped it, the older man smiled. “I’m honored that you and Ami chose to name the baby after Sarah.”

  Beck’s gaze locked with his father-in-law’s. A wealth of emotion passed between the two men. “I’ll take good care of both of them.”

  “Sarah Rose Cross.” Fin glanced at her sisters. “I like it.”

  “The name is perfect,” Prim agreed.

  “I’m relieved both of them are okay.” When Marigold’s voice shook, Fin realized she wasn’t the only Bloom sister who’d been worried.

  A heartbeat later, Fin found herself embraced in a sisterly group hug.

  When Prim stepped back, her eyes held a decided sheen. “I’m happy we’re together to share this special moment.”

  If not for Xander’s request, Fin knew she’d likely be in LA, probably in a meeting. It might have been weeks before she could have arranged a long weekend back in Good Hope.

  Prim lowered her voice, resting her hand on Fin’s arm. “I hope you can be here when my baby is born.”

  Fin gave her sister another hug. “I hope so, too.”

  Jeremy had expected Fin’s excited chatter when she’d hugged her sister and the tears that filled her eyes when she’d first held Sarah Rose in her arms. He hadn’t expected her to turn quiet on the drive home.