by Deanna Chase
Clay put his daughter on her feet and crouched down just as Abby had. “I missed you, bug.”
Olive’s lips curved into a whisper of a smile. “I missed you, too.”
He nodded and hugged her again. “When did you two get back into town?”
“Last night.”
“Last night?” His eyebrows shot up his forehead. “Where did you stay?”
“The Book and Stone. Mommy said it was too late to go home.”
Clay ground his teeth, clearly annoyed, but he didn’t say anything. He just nodded and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go tell her goodbye, okay?”
Olive’s face took on the same stormy expression Clay had worn just a few moments ago as she crossed her arms over her chest.
He narrowed his eyes. “What happened, bug?”
Her gaze shifted to the purple cupcake on the ground, but again just like her father, she didn’t say anything.
What a pair they are, Abby thought. Both trying to shield the other from Olive’s mother’s behavior.
“What happened, Abby?” Clay asked.
Way to put me on the spot, Clay. Abby glanced once at Miss Maple then back at Clay. “There was a cupcake incident. I think Olive’s mom didn’t think it was a good idea.”
Miss Maple snorted. “She definitely didn’t approve.”
Clay’s gaze went to the cupcake still on the ground. His body tensed, and his face pinched with pain as he clearly put two and two together. He brushed one of her curls behind Olive’s ear. “What do you say we make your favorite pie when we get home?”
Olive shook her head. “It’s okay, Dad. I’m not supposed to be eating sweets anyway.”
Her tone was so flat and emotionless it made Abby’s heart nearly break. Before her mother showed up, Olive had been full of pure joy. Her mom had sucked the life right out of her daughter.
Miss Maple shook her head. “Now that’s where I have to disagree, little lady. Where do you think the sweetness inside here comes from?” She pressed her palm to her heart as she glanced up at Clay and winked. “I’m going to have to insist you at least take a cookie.”
Olive hesitated then looked to her dad for approval.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Go ahead,” he said.
That exuberant smile broke out on her face again, and she reached for the cookie. As her fingers brushed over Miss Maple’s, a tiny spark of magic flittered over her fingers.
Olive let out a giggle. “That tickled.”
Miss Maple crooked her finger at her, indicating for Olive to lean in, and then whispered something in her ear.
Olive’s giggle turned into a gasp, and she stared at Miss Maple with wide, excited eyes. “Really?”
Miss Maple nodded. “Really. Enjoy, Olive. Come see me next week, okay?”
“I will.” She flashed her dimples and grabbed her dad’s hand as she took a big bite of the cookie.
“Thank you, Miss Maple,” Clay said then he turned to Abby. “You, too, Abs.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she said. “No need to thank me.”
He paused, holding her gaze for a beat. “Yes, you did. Thanks.”
Emotion rose up and clogged her throat. She swallowed and said, “Anytime, Clay.” Smiling at Olive she put her hand out. “We didn’t get a chance to meet. I’m Abby.”
“Olive,” Clay’s daughter said around another mouthful of cookie and quickly shook Abby’s hand.
“Nice to meet you, Olive. See you around.”
Olive waved and then tugged on Clay’s hand, her steps bouncy as she led him away from the booth.
Abby watched them go, her heart aching for all that could’ve been had she stayed in Keating Hollow ten years ago.
“He’s not lost, you know,” Miss Maple said.
“Huh?”
“Clay. He’s been through a lot, but so have you. With time comes wisdom, but you have to be open enough to put yourself out there.”
Abby shook her head, her insides churning with regret. “I appreciate what you’re trying to say, but that’s not going to happen. It can’t.”
Miss Maple tilted her head to the side and studied Abby. “Why not? No path is predetermined.”
“Because I can’t stay,” Abby blurted. She already knew if she started dating Clay, she’d fall head-over-heels for him again. Leaving him again would kill her. Then there was Olive. Clay’s situation had suddenly become all too real. He had a daughter he obviously adored, and that little girl already had a grip on Abby’s heart after five minutes. She couldn’t get attached to them and then walk out of their lives. But more importantly, it wasn’t fair to Clay or Olive.
“I see,” Miss Maple said. “Have you ever asked yourself why you keep running, Abby?”
“I don’t need to,” Abby said hotly.
Miss Maple raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure about that?”
“I’m sure.”
Miss Maple nodded, but sadness crept into her hazel eyes. “I understand why you left. Pain is a powerful motivator, but you can’t keep it locked away forever. Running doesn’t make it go away; it only helps it fester.”
Abby’s entire body went cold as she remembered Charlotte’s still body lying in her shed, her unseeing eyes staring at nothing. The memory made Abby blanch, and she quickly shook her head. “I’m not keeping it locked away. It’s always right here.” Abby pointed to her heart. “So please, I know you’re trying to help, but I’m not running. I’m just trying to survive.”
Miss Maple reached out. “Abby—”
“No.” Abby jerked back. “I have to go. It was nice to see you again.” Then she turned and ran out of the market, tears streaming silently down her face.
Chapter 12
Olive pointed to the sleek Mercedes rental car parked at the far end of the parking lot. “It’s that one.”
Of course it is, Clay thought. His ex-wife always did have a taste for the finer things in life, and he’d had the credit card bills to prove it. Budgeting wasn’t one of her strong suits. Clay tightened his grip on his daughter’s hand and walked up to the car.
Val, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, put her hand up, indicating for him to wait. Her mouth was moving and he guessed she was on a call. Her laugh tinkled through the window, and he rolled his eyes. That fake laugh never failed to get his hackles up. He’d heard it far too many times when she was trying to manipulate her way into something.
“Daddy, look!” Olive called from a few feet away. His daughter was bent at the knees, inspecting something on the ground.
“What is it, sweet girl?” he asked, moving toward her, his irritation fading into the background. Olive never failed to lift his spirits. She was curious, kindhearted, and rambunctious enough to keep him on his toes. Life with her was always going to be an adventure.
“It’s a penny.” She sat down and crossed her legs as she held it up with two fingers. “I bet it’s magical. Make a wish.”
Clay smiled down at her. “You know, I bet you’re right. But why don’t you do the honors? You’re the one who found it.”
She beamed, squeezed her eyes closed, and moved her lips in a silent request. He could guess what she was wishing for. It was the same thing she always wished for—a puppy. Clay had been trying to hold out until her birthday, but that was over two months away. He wasn’t sure he was going to make it.
When Olive opened her eyes, they were sparkling, and she said, “I’m going to name her Endora.”
“From Bewitched?” Clay asked. “I thought you were leaning toward Sabrina.”
“I was, but Endora makes me laugh.” She shrugged. “Do you think the puppy would mind blue eyeshadow?”
“Olive, you can’t put makeup on a dog,” Val said disapprovingly from behind them. “Now get up. You’re getting your clothes dirty.”
Clay held out a hand for his daughter, helping her to her feet. He couldn’t help but notice his playful, outgoing daughter had vanished and was at once replaced with one who was sullen and would
n’t look at her mother. He squeezed her hand, silently giving her support.
“Look at what you did to those new pants. Olive, how many times have I told you, you have to take care of your things?”
“I’m sorry, Mommy,” Olive said, sounding more like she was four or five instead of eight.
“You should be. I can’t take you to bookings looking like that.”
“About that,” Clay said, narrowing his eyes at his ex. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for Olive to be involved in any more shoots until she gets a little older.”
“Clay.” Val shook her head. “It’s not up to you to decide what she does while we’re together.”
“The hell it isn’t,” he said, swallowing the urge to yell at her. “If Olive is going to work in Hollywood, it’s absolutely something we should be discussing.” He glanced down at his daughter. “Want to tell me about the shoot you just had?”
Olive shrugged one shoulder but didn’t say anything.
That wasn’t a good sign. Olive never held back when she enjoyed something. Her exuberance came in the form of nonstop talking and scheming about when she’d be able to do it again. It was obvious whatever had happened down in Palm Springs, Olive wasn’t a fan.
“Val?” he asked. “What did you and Olive do these last couple of weeks?”
“I told you already, Clay. We had a shoot. A commercial. They wanted Olive to play a birthday girl. I thought it’d be fun. Why not? And besides, it’s a great way to get her started. The more she learns about filming, the better it will be during pilot season.”
“Pilot season? Now wait just—”
“I have to go, Clay,” she said and opened her arms for Olive. “Give me a hug, sweetheart.”
Olive did as her mother asked, and although she hugged Val tightly, Clay couldn’t help noticing she let go quickly and attached herself to his side, holding on as if he was her lifeline.
“I’ll see you next week, Olive. And remember, no sweets.”
Olive stiffened and held on tighter to Clay.
“Next week?” Clay asked, rubbing his hand on Olive’s shoulder. “What do you mean by that? Her next school break isn’t until the winter solstice.”
“We have an audition, Clay. I already got her a ticket. All you have to do is put her on the plane. I’ll be there at LAX to pick her up. It’s just a quick four days then she’ll be back. You can get her homework from her teachers.”
Clay blinked at her. Then he shook his head. “No, Val. I’m not going to allow her to miss school for some Hollywood dream that she doesn’t even want.”
Val took a step forward. “You don’t know what she wants. You haven’t even asked her. And I’m not gonna let you take away her dreams just because you don’t like that I chose to have a career over you.”
Clay’s mouth dropped open in surprise as he took in her words. Was she being serious? Judging by the indignant expression on her face, she was dead serious. He cleared his throat. “I think it would be best if we talk about this later after we’ve both had some time to think it over.”
“You can talk all you want to, Clay, but you’re not stopping our daughter from doing this. Doors are opening for her, and I won’t let you tank her shot. Put her on the plane. I’ll email you her ticket.”
“No.” Clay stood his ground. He wasn’t putting his eight-year-old daughter on a plane by herself.
Val’s eyes narrowed. “You will, or I’ll sue for custody.”
Anger coiled through him as he stared at his ex. He knew she wasn’t bluffing, and to be honest it scared the hell out of him. But he also knew without even asking that Olive wasn’t interested in whatever her mother was trying to push on her, and he wouldn’t let Val force Olive into a life she didn’t want. “Do what you have to do, Val. We’ll let the lawyers sort it out.”
“You’ll regret this, Clay.” Val sent him a venomous look then slammed the Mercedes into gear and sped out of the parking lot.
“I probably will,” he muttered as he watched the sleek black car disappear around a corner.
“Dad?”
He glanced down at Olive. “Yes, love?”
“I can go with mom if she wants,” she said meekly. “I can do better next time.”
He kneeled in front of his daughter. “What do you mean ‘do better next time?’”
She let out a sigh, and her face flushed pink as she glanced away.
“Olive?” He reached up and gently turned her face so that she was forced to look at him. “Please tell me what happened.”
Tears sprang in her big brown eyes and she sniffed. “Mom wanted to go to an audition and instead of staying with her smelly neighbor, I begged to go along.”
“Because you wanted to be in it?” Clay asked, trying to figure out when his daughter had decided acting was her passion.
Olive shook her head. “I didn’t want to stay with the smelly neighbor. Her apartment always smells like rotting fish.”
Clay wrinkled his nose. “Can’t say I blame you.”
She rewarded him with a shy smile. “It was really boring.”
“I bet. How did you end up in the shoot?”
She shrugged. “They asked me to audition and Mom wanted me to, so I did. Then they cast me, but not her.” Olive chewed on her lower lip. “I think Mom was mad at me.”
He didn’t doubt for a minute that was true. For Val, the idea of someone, much less her daughter, stealing the spotlight was unthinkable. Her jealousy was probably eating her from the inside out. “Mom was probably just disappointed you both weren’t chosen, sweetheart.”
She shrugged, clearly not buying his crap.
“Well, did you have fun at least?” he asked.
“No. It was cold.”
Getting information from her was like squeezing juice from a raisin. “I thought you were in Palm Springs. Isn’t it warm there right now?”
She nodded, her eyes glazing over as her voice shook. “But it’s cold at night in the pool.”
Dammit. Clay wanted to hit something. They’d made her go in the pool. How could Val have put her daughter through that? No wonder Olive hadn’t enjoyed herself. She was afraid of water and had been ever since she’d slipped off a rock at the beach and gotten sucked under by the waves. Clay had been right there, diving in to save her. But the churn had been strong, and Olive had hit her head on the rock, causing her to black out. She’d been terrified ever since. “That doesn’t sound like fun at all,” he said, trying his best to not feed her fear.
She shook her head.
“Listen, Olive. I need you to tell me something. Are you interested in doing commercials with your mom? Do you like acting?”
His girl’s eyes filled with tears as she slowly shook her head.
“It’s okay, baby,” he said gently. “You don’t have to do them ever again if you don’t want to.”
“But M—Mom will b—be mad,” she stuttered, her little body shaking with her sobs.
He couldn’t hate Val. She was the mother of his child, the child who was the center of his world. But in that moment, he wished she’d walk back out of their lives. She’d hurt Olive either way, he was sure of it, but at least he’d be able keep his girl safe from the world Val was determined to live in. “She’ll be fine,” he said, stroking her hair. “I’ll talk to her. You don’t need to worry about anything.”
“Do I h—have to go b—back next week?” She sounded so dejected it nearly broke Clay’s heart. “I want to stay h—here.”
“No. You don’t have to go. You have school, and that’s important.” He held her for a few more minutes until she calmed down. Then he pulled back and wiped her tears just as Abby had done earlier when he’d spotted them together. “How about we go get some lunch?”
“Can we have ice cream after?” she asked, her eyes lighting up.
“Didn’t you already have a cookie?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“That wasn’t dessert. It was a Happy Cookie.”
H
e squinted at her. “What’s a Happy Cookie?”
She grinned and clapped her hands. Suddenly she was holding a yellow frosted sugar cookie just like the one Miss Maple had given her earlier. “This. Miss Maple said they’re magic.”
They certainly were. Clay hadn’t missed the spark of magic Miss Maple had bestowed upon his little girl, and now he knew their secret. She’d given Olive the ability to summon her cookies at will. He chuckled to himself, knowing Val would lose her mind. He grinned. “If you’re going to stuff yourself with cookies, I don’t think you’re going to have room for ice cream.”
“No, silly.” She giggled and pressed it into his hand. “It’s for you. It’s supposed to make you happy.”
He didn’t need a cookie when he had his beautiful daughter smiling up at him, but he took a bite anyway and said, “Never been happier.”
Chapter 13
Abby sat in her dad’s truck in front of Charming Herbals, her hands still gripping the steering wheel. She was shaken from the memory of Charlotte’s death. It was an event she never let herself think about, and the reason she rarely stepped foot in Keating Hollow. She knew Miss Maple was just trying to help, but it wasn’t help she could use.
Charlotte’s death wasn’t anything Abby was running from. She took full responsibility and would live with what had happened forever, but she couldn’t live with the memory in the forefront of her mind day in and day out. Not on a regular basis anyway. Three months was the deal she’d made with herself. She’d stay for three months until her dad was out of the woods, and then she’d go back to New Orleans. If her dad wasn’t out of the woods, she’d get a place on the coast within driving distance so she could be available when he needed her. But staying in Keating Hollow… no. That was out of the question.
A sharp knock on the truck’s window startled her out of her thoughts, and she let out a gasp as she jumped. With her heart in her throat, she rolled the window down. “Noel. Hi.”
Noel leaned down, her red hair falling over one eye. “What are you doing just sitting here?”
“Just… taking a second before I go in.” She forced a bright smile. “You picking up a few things?”