by Olivia Miles
She’d given up on Pete once before. But this time she wouldn’t walk away quite so easily.
Chapter Twelve
Pete checked his watch and walked over to the trailer window. Sure enough, just as with the day before, Hailey had sent her assistant over to sell the hot chocolate.
He pulled the blinds closed with a rattle and walked back to the laminate table where his laptop was still open, his response to the land developer drafted, the cursor hovering over the button that would send it off, seal the deal.
They could keep the house this way, he told himself. That would at least be something.
The trailer door swung open, sending a gust of cold air through the small room. “Shut the door, will you?” Pete said to Mike.
Mike shrugged and obliged. “I see that Mandy is here again.”
Pete dragged his eyes over to his cousin and held them there. He knew where Mike was leading, and he didn’t want to go there. Didn’t want to think about it. “How are the sales this morning?”
Like it mattered at this point. With the sale of the farm, they’d be financially sound, even after they’d paid off the loan. But somehow knowing this was the last Christmas he’d be selling trees made him more determined than ever to make it a good one.
“Steady.” Mike didn’t give any intention of moving. “What happened with Hailey?”
Pete frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, Mandy’s been coming over all week with that hot chocolate, and you’ve been looking like crap.” Before Pete could protest, Mike cocked an eyebrow. “Trust me, Pete. You look like you haven’t slept in days.”
He hadn’t. Not with the weight of breaking more than one heart on his shoulders. He’d already let Hailey down. Next, he’d have to break bad news to his mother.
“There’s nothing going on between me and Hailey.” Not anymore. Never again. He swallowed hard, pushed the hair back from his forehead, and walked over to the coffee machine to start a new pot.
“But there was. Mandy told me you guys knew each other back in college.”
“Since when are you so chummy with Mandy?” Pete asked.
“Don’t go changing the subject,” Mike shot back. “She said you and Hailey used to be friends.”
Pete turned to see Mike smirking. Friends, huh? That’s what Hailey had told her assistant? Here he’d assumed she’d have a much less favorable description of him after last weekend.
“We were friends.” He pulled a filter from the stack and filled it with ground coffee. “We dated for a while.”
Now Mike’s grin was positively wicked. “I knew it. A guy like you doesn’t do one-night stands.”
Pete shook his head. “No. I don’t.”
“And from what I’ve seen, you don’t date at all either. And we all know there’s plenty of women in Timber Valley just hoping you’ll ask them to dinner sometime.”
Pete looked his cousin square in the eye. “So?”
“So, you tell me you dated her. Now, after all these years of playing the lonely bachelor, you spend the night with her. Laid out a romantic picnic and everything.”
Sure enough. Mike would never let him forget that one.
“Now I see that she’s not coming around anymore. And you’re looking—”
“Like crap. I know, I know.” Pete held up a hand. “If you must know, I ended things. We’re not meant to be. Things are the same now as they were then. She’s set on staying in Chicago, and I’m going back to Timber Valley.”
“And what if you weren’t?”
The coffee machine beeped, signaling it was finished brewing, but Pete made no motion to reach for a mug. “What’s that supposed to mean? Of course I’m going back to Timber Valley.”
“What for? The farm?” Mike’s expression turned serious.
“No. For…Look, my dad just died. I’m not about to leave my mother now.” Especially now, when something else was about to be taken away from her too. That farm was more than a family business. It was a way of life.
“What if I told you that your mom told my mom she was hoping to move to Florida now that your dad is gone? That she hates the cold and was only sticking it out because it was his dream.”
Pete blinked. “She said that?”
Mike nodded. “Seems she was afraid of how you’d take it, seeing as you sacrificed so much for that farm.”
Pete tried to process what his cousin was saying, what this meant. “I did sacrifice a lot for that farm,” he said, his mind drifting to Hailey. But even now, with everything that had happened, he knew he’d had no other choice, and looking back, he wouldn’t have done things differently. “That farm meant everything to my father. He…needed me.”
“And you were there for him. But that was his dream, Pete. Not your mother’s. Not yours.”
Pete pulled in a breath. “The farm is going to be sold, Mike. My dad took a big loan out years ago during a dry spell, and a lien on the house.”
“Yeah, but you don’t really need that house anymore, do you?”
Pete opened his mouth to say something and then stopped. He loved that house. Knew every turn, every detail, couldn’t walk into a single room without being met with a memory. But maybe that’s all it was now. Part of his past. Not his future.
“Your mom was planning to sell, Pete.” Mike took a step forward. “So, the way I see it, you could let the damn bank have that house.”
“And the farm?” Pete asked.
Mike slapped a hand on Pete’s shoulder. “You leave the farm to me.”
***
Hailey dragged her grocery bags up the long flight of stairs to the landing she shared with a neighbor she never saw, and fished the key from her bag. The building was quiet, even for a weekday afternoon, but Hailey didn’t mind. It had been a long, busy day at the café, but her mind had been elsewhere. Tonight she hoped to do a bit more research for her long-term plan and then…She hoisted the grocery bags in her arm, closed her front door with the toe of her boots, and dropped the bags on the counter in her kitchen.
She couldn’t think about what she’d do next. Or how her idea would be received. For now she just had to focus on getting back on track with her life, in every possible way.
She unloaded the groceries, and, after considering her options for dinner, poured herself a bowl of cereal, knowing just how sad that seemed. A few months ago, she shared most of her meals with her friends Lila or Mary or her cousin Claire. But they were all paired off now.
She tried not to let this sadden her as she finished her dinner standing in her kitchen, and then walked into the bedroom to change into flannel pajamas, resigned to her lack of social life and her decision to stay in for the night.
She was just sitting down on her favorite armchair with her notes in hand, when her buzzer rang. She frowned, wondering if Claire was stopping by on her way home from work and, thinking of the bottle of white wine she had chilling in the fridge, eagerly crossed to the door and pressed the button to unlock the front door of the building.
Heavy pounding could be heard, and another sound, one she didn’t recognize, as if something was being dragged along the carpeted stairs. She pressed one eye to the peephole, and then recoiled on instinct. Sweet Mother. It wasn’t Claire at all. It was Pete.
She looked down at her pajama pants and then frantically around the room, wondering if she could hide, but knowing it was too late. She’d let him into the building, after all. And now she’d have to face him.
She opened the door before he could knock and looked him steadily in the eye, even though her heart was doing jumping jacks at how handsome he looked. His eyes were darker than usual, his hair unkempt and wet from snow, but it was the sheepish grin that was her undoing. She swallowed back the pain that pulled in her chest, wishing so badly that things could be different, hoping in a way that they still could, but knowing it wasn’t entirely up to her, was it?
“Pete.” She blinked, unable to say anything more. Her mouth felt dry
and she worried she might cry.
“Hope you don’t mind me stopping by like this. I wasn’t sure you’d see me if I called first.” His grin slipped a little and damn it if that didn’t make her feel the space between them all the more. She wanted to reach out, kiss his mouth, taste his familiar lips. Instead, she looked at the tree he was holding, feeling her spirit deflate.
“How did you know where I lived?”
“Mandy told me. When I told her I wanted to bring you over a tree, she was all too happy to assist. She told me to go with the medium one. Said you had plenty of room for it.”
Hailey pursed her lips, shaking her head. “Of course.” So he wasn’t here to apologize, wasn’t here to make things right. He was here to deliver a tree.
Seeing no other choice, she took a step back to let him pass. “The living room is just through the hall.” She hurried to keep up with him, to close the notebook that had kept her going these past few days. Her silly plans.
“Does here in front of the bay window work?” Pete called over his shoulder as Hailey shoved her notes under a couch cushion.
“Sure,” Hailey said, for lack of anything else. She didn’t want the tree in her apartment anymore than she wanted Pete here. Not when he was just planning on leaving again. She frowned at him as he crouched down to adjust the tree stand he’d also brought with him. “Why are you doing this?”
He looked up in surprise, but when he saw her expression, his smile faded to reveal a sadness that almost matched her own. “It’s Christmas, and you didn’t have a tree. And, well, I needed an excuse to see you again.”
Her breath caught. “To see me again? Why?”
He finished adjusting the tree stand. The spruce—or fir, she didn’t know the difference but would never admit it, given that she could have learned something the other night and chose to just watch his beautiful mouth move instead—veered far to the left, but Pete stood anyway.
“I didn’t like the way we left things off the other day. It was never the outcome I wanted. Not then. Not now.”
She bit her lip, trying to keep her wits about her, but she was dangerously close to letting out all the emotions she’d been holding in all week. “It’s not what I ever wanted either. Pete, I—” She went to reach for the notes that she’d shoved under the cushion, but he wasn’t finished talking.
“I didn’t want you to give up on your dreams eight years ago. I wasn’t going to ask you to do it this time.”
“But don’t you see?” She shook her head, smiling. “My dreams have changed.”
“Mine haven’t,” he said, taking her by surprise. “All those things I wanted back then. Law school. My family’s security. You. I want it all.”
“You can have it all!” she said excitedly, reaching down to pull out her notebook. She handed it to him, pushing it forward until he was forced to take it.
“What is this?” He frowned and flipped to the first page.
“It’s research I’ve done on Timber Valley. There’s a few storefronts for rent in town, and they don’t have a café, just a diner.”
He looked up at her in wonder. “You put all this together?”
“I don’t know if I can get a loan right now.” She probably couldn’t, given her lack of a savings account or collateral. “But I could help on the farm. Save up.”
“And give up everything you worked so hard to create here.” Pete shook his head and set the notebook down.
“But—” She stared up at him, wondering what he was trying to tell her. If he’d just come to let her down again, to say good-bye. But there would be no good-bye this time. She’d followed her dream for eight lonely years. Now she was ready to follow her heart.
“I’m going to reapply to law school,” he said. “Here. In Chicago.”
She blinked, too shocked to even know what to say first. A hundred thoughts ran through her mind, but above them all she could hear one, resounding thought. Chicago. He was choosing to stay. “You don’t have to.”
“I want to,” he said.
“And the farm?” She couldn’t bear the thought of him losing it now, when he’d sacrificed so much to keep it going.
“Mike’s going to handle the day to day running of the farm. He’s better suited for that type of thing.” He grinned. “I’m going to oversee the business end from here, while I go to school.”
“You’re sure that’s what you want?”
He took a step closer, wrapping two arms around her waist as he pulled her in close. He looked down, deep into her eyes, as he brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “I finally have a chance of having everything I ever wanted.”
“A chance?” She frowned.
“There’s still one question.”
“What’s that?” she asked, feeling the beating of his heart against her chest. She held her breath, waiting for him to just kiss her already, but knowing that nothing was certain until he’d had his final say.
He grinned. “What do you want for Christmas?”
Hailey smiled through the salty tears that blurred her vision. “You. Just you.”
Epilogue
Sweet Hailey’s opened on New Year’s Day, a fitting date indeed, Hailey thought, as she looked up at the brown and white striped awning that flapped in the wind. Hauling the old wrought iron sign inside the shop, she carried it past the line of people who were lined up for hot chocolate—no longer just Christmas hot chocolate—and a complimentary brownie, and into the kitchen.
Pete snatched his hand back from the mixing bowl when he saw her. “Want me to carry that out to the alley for you?”
Hailey bit back a smile. “I think I’ll hold onto it for a while. It’s good to remember your dreams,” she said, even if she knew that sometimes you had to take the long route to make them come true. She carried the sign over to the storage closet and only once she was a fair distance away did she remark, “And don’t go stealing any more of that batter. There’s raw eggs in there, you know.”
“What? It was just the empty bowl and I hated to let any of that delicious chocolate go to waste.” Pete looked the picture of innocence when Hailey marched back into the room, hands on her hips.
“Fine. But give me a taste, too.” She nudged him with her hip as she came to stand next to him. The entire room smelled of chocolate, and she felt a ripple of butterflies in her stomach when she realized they would reopen their doors in exactly thirty-five minutes.
“You nervous?” Pete asked, but he already knew the answer, of course. She’d been pacing around all morning.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” she admitted on a sigh, thinking of how much had changed since that first week in December. “But it’s exciting.”
“This is going to be a big success,” Pete said, pushing aside the brownie batter to look her squarely in the eye.
“How can you sound so certain?” she asked, wishing she had his confidence.
“Because…you are doing what you love.” Pete looked pensive. “Do you realize the first time we met was because of this very hot chocolate? If that isn’t a good omen, I don’t know what is.”
Hailey grinned. “How about a cup now? For good luck?”
“I’ll toast to that,” Pete said, as she walked to the stove to ladle them each a small mug. Pete took a long sip, dramatically rolling his eyes back as he swallowed. “What do I have to do for you to share this secret ingredient with me?”
Hailey shrugged and joked, “I don’t know. Marry me?”
Pete gave her a slow smile as he set his mug down on the counter. “Is that a question?”
“What?” Hailey’s cheeks flamed. “No. I mean, no, of course not.” Embarrassed, she awkwardly took a swig of her hot chocolate, nearly burning her mouth.
“Relax, honey,” Pete laughed as he came over to take the mug from her. He set it next to his, his smile turning knowing. “You know I could never accept your marriage proposal.”
Now Hailey’s brows shot together. “You…couldn’t?”
“Of course not.” He took her hands, squeezing them tight. “Everyone knows the man’s supposed to do the asking.”
Hailey laughed, her earlier panic now gone, but her heart started to pound as before her, Pete dropped to one knee, his hands still holding hers, warm and tender, and just firm enough so she knew that this time, he was never letting go.
Also by Olivia Miles
Grand Central Publishing/Forever
Mistletoe on Main Street
A Match Made on Main Street
Hope Springs on Main Street
Love Blooms on Main Street
Christmas Comes to Main Street
Harlequin Special Edition
‘Twas the Week Before Christmas
Recipe for Romance
Sweeter in the City Series
Sweeter in the Summer
Sweeter Than Sunshine
No Sweeter Love
One Sweet Christmas
About the Author
Olivia Miles is a bestselling author of contemporary romance published by Harlequin and Grand Central Publishing. A city girl with a fondness for small town charm, Olivia enjoys highlighting both ways of life in her stories. She currently resides just outside Chicago with her husband, daughter, and two ridiculously pampered pups. Olivia loves connecting with readers. Visit her website at www.OliviaMilesBooks.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 Megan Leavell
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