At Legend's End (The Teacup Novellas - Book Four)

by Diane Moody

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t you rather just have some girl time or whatever?”

  “No. No, we’d love to have you join us, Trevor.” Pause. “Please?”

  The slight quake in her voice was all it took. She needed him, so he would go.

  Now, as he approached the inn, he took a deep breath and opened the door.

  “Good morning, Trevor,” Michelle said.

  “Hello, Michelle.”

  “Olivia told us you’d be coming for breakfast. The girls are in the dining area. Come on, I’ll walk you back.”

  He heard them chatting before he and Michelle entered the dining room. He locked eyes with Olivia and noted the instant relief in her eyes. He tossed her a quick wink just before Ellen turned around.

  “Look who I found at the door,” Michelle teased.

  Trevor gave them his best smile. “Good morning, ladies.”

  Olivia reached for his hand. “Good morning, Trevor. I want you to meet my best friend, Ellen Thatcher. Ellen, this is Trevor Bass.”

  He gave her a firm handshake. “How nice to meet you, Ellen. Olivia’s told me so much about you.”

  “Nice to meet you too, Trevor.”

  The smile on her attractive face was strained at best. As she let go of his hand, he glanced at Olivia, noticing the unmistakable pleading in her eyes.

  “Well, then.” He rubbed his hands together. “I’m starving. What do you say we have a seat and see what Trig has in store for us.”

  Right on cue, Trig and Michelle showed up with colorful plates of assorted fruits and a basket of orange cranberry muffins. “We’ll let you get started with these while we finish the frittatas,” Trig said. Michelle poured each of them a cup of coffee then disappeared into the kitchen behind her husband.

  As they unfolded their cloth napkins, a thought occurred to Trevor. “May I?” he asked, reaching for both of their hands.

  A wave of gratitude relaxed Olivia’s countenance. “Of course. Thank you, Trevor.” She squeezed his hand as they bowed their heads.

  He uttered a quick silent prayer, trusting God to give him the right words. “Lord, thank You for a beautiful morning. Thank you for allowing us to have this time together. Bless our conversation. And thank You for this meal and the hands that prepared it. Amen.”

  The moisture in Olivia’s eyes matched her uneasy smile.

  Ellen gently blew on her coffee. “Thank you, Trevor.”

  “Olivia tells me you gave her quite a shock when she got in last night,” Trevor began.

  Ellen sipped her coffee then set it back down and smiled. “Yes, but actually I’m the one who was shocked last night. That’s quite a room full of flowers upstairs.”

  Trevor chuckled. “I can’t imagine what you must have thought. A little over the top, I suppose.”

  “Yes, but it sounds as if it paid off.” She looked at him with expectation.

  Olivia glanced toward the kitchen then back at Trevor. “I told you I wanted to tell Ellen our news face to face,” she said, her voice hushed. “I just didn’t know I’d be telling her last night!”

  “Oh, that’s right,” Ellen half-whispered. “It’s all a big secret, isn’t it? Mum’s the word and all that?”

  He reached for Olivia’s hand. “It was important to Olivia that you hear it first, so I’m glad you came. But we’d rather give it some time before we tell the folks here. That will give us some time to make our plans without all of Caden Cove chiming in.”

  “It’s definitely a small town,” Olivia added. “Word travels around here at warp speed.”

  “I’m sure it does. Whatever happened about that whole legend thing you told me about?”

  Olivia looked at Trevor. Trevor looked at Ellen. Ellen looked back and forth between them.

  “A bunch of silliness, nothing more,” Trevor said. “Though it occurred to me last night that our marriage might finally put the crazy thing to rest.”

  “I hadn’t realized that either, but you’re right,” Olivia said. “Who knew you and I would be the ones to ‘break the curse’?”

  Trig and Michelle returned with their food. “Who’s going to break the curse?” Michelle asked, eyeing them with curiosity.

  “Oh, nothing.” Olivia shrugged. “I’d told Ellen about the legend of the Catherine Room, and we were‌—‍”

  “—just joking around,” Trevor teased, hoping to change the subject. “This smells and looks heavenly. You two have outdone yourselves.”

  “These muffins are amazing, Trig,” Olivia added. “The burst of orange, the tartness of cranberries . . . so good. And I love the light sugar crust on top, don’t you, Ellen?”

  Ellen nodded with a tight smile as she finished a bite.

  “Good!” Trig said, wiping his hands on his apron. “The frittatas are right out of the oven, so let them cool just a sec. Let us know if you need anything, okay? Otherwise, enjoy!” he said, following his wife out of the room.

  Ellen wiped her mouth with her napkin then placed it back in her lap. “Trevor, I have to admit I was stunned at Olivia’s news. And I have to be completely honest with you in that I’m concerned. She told me you’ve never been married?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “And why is that?”

  He looked at Olivia then back to Ellen. “For the same reason Olivia never married. The right person never came along.” He smiled back at Olivia. “Until now.”

  “I get that. I do,” Ellen said, buttering half of her muffin. “I’m just curious why, after all these years, in a matter of just a few days, you meet Olivia and suddenly decide she’s the one. May I ask you a rather personal question?”

  “Sure. I have no secrets. Ask away.”

  “What is your financial status?”

  “Ellen!” Olivia coughed. “That’s really none of your business. Why would you‌—‍”

  “He said I could ask him.”

  Trevor waved his hand. “It’s okay. Really, Olivia. She’s your best friend. She’s looking out for you. If your father were still living, I’d expect the same kind of questions from him. And I’m sure if I were in Ellen’s shoes, I’d be concerned as well.”

  He gave her his full attention. “I’m quite comfortable, financially. My home is paid for. I have a quite lucrative income from my real estate ventures. My bookstore does well during the season, and I also invest in rare books. So to answer your question, my financial status is good. I should be able to provide for Olivia just fine.”

  Olivia glared at her friend then stabbed at a strawberry and ate it.

  “That’s good to know. And thank you for understanding why I asked. I’m assuming she’s told you about the m‌—‍”

  “Ellen!” Olivia snapped, dropping her fork on her plate with a loud clatter.

  Ellen raised her hands in innocence. “What? I just wanted to make sure he wasn’t marrying you for your‌—‍”

  “Stop!” Olivia scoffed a nervous laughter. “Who are you, my mother? Why are you being so rude?”

  Ellen glared at her. “Because I need to know.”

  Silence.

  Trevor held his breath, wishing he could slip from the room unnoticed and let the two of them duke it out. Instead, he folded his napkin and placed it beside his plate. “I’m sorry, but am I missing something here?”

  “You mean you don’t know?”

  “Know what?”

  Ellen turned to Olivia. “Surely you told him about‌—‍”

  “Ellen!” she growled in a low whisper.

  “You mean‌—‍”

  “Yes.”

  “He doesn’t‌—‍”

  “No.”

  Both women went silent again. Olivia closed her eyes, shaking her head. Ellen, on the other hand, looked at him‌—‌differently. The steely glare seemed to be melting away before his eyes, her features softening. She covered her mouth for a moment then quietly reached over and grabbed his hand.

  “Oh, Trevor, forgive me. I’m . . . I just thought that . . . I am so, so
sorry.”

  “For what?”

  Ellen shielded her face with her other hand. “Ohmigosh, I’m such a jerk.”

  Olivia rolled her eyes and offered him a sad smile.

  Trevor leaned back in his chair. “Ladies, I have no clue what you’re talking about. Could someone please tell me what’s going on?”

  Ellen sat up, pulling her hand free to push her hair out of her face. “Trevor, I’ve been completely out of line, and I am so embarrassed. The thing is, Olivia is family to me. And last night when she told me she’d accepted your proposal, I thought she’d lost her mind. She came up here to‌—‌well, never mind that now. To be honest, I think I’m the one who’s lost her mind. I couldn’t believe, after all these years, she’d finally met someone and fallen in love! But for reasons we won’t get into just now, I was afraid you couldn’t possibly be right for her. As if I had to approve of whomever she gave her heart to! I know that sounds silly, but quite clearly I’m just a selfish shrew who thinks the world should rotate the way I say it should.”

  Trevor laughed quietly. “Somehow I doubt you’re a selfish shrew. Sounds to me as if you were simply looking out for a dear friend. And I find that quite admirable.”

  Olivia wiped away new tears. “Hush, Trevor. Let her grovel.”

  Ellen started to laugh, but a sob caught in her throat. “I’m a horrible, horrible person. Olivia, I’m so sorry.” She stood up and grabbed Olivia, lifting her into a hug. A moment later she motioned for Trevor to join them. “Group hug. I need to know you both forgive me, or I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”

  Trevor joined them in the awkward three-way hug.

  “There now. All better,” Ellen quipped, sniffling.

  As they took their seats again, Trevor cleared his throat. “I’m not sure what all Olivia has told you, Ellen, but there’s something I think you need to know.” He reached for Olivia’s hand again. “When this beautiful lady walked into my bookstore a couple weeks ago, I had no idea how my life was about to change. She was charming and funny, and not in the least put off by my gruff and sometimes arrogant manner.”

  “Sometimes?” Olivia asked.

  He laughed. “Very funny.”

  “I thought so. But please. Continue.”

  “What I’m trying to tell you is that Olivia broke through a barrier I’d carefully constructed around my heart. And what makes that even more astounding is that she wasn’t even aware she was doing it. Suddenly, I found myself thinking about her constantly and wanting to be with her. But even more important, wanting to be worthy of her.” He reached for Olivia’s hand.

  “But I’m a stubborn man, set in my ways. And after our rather nasty ‘bumping of the heads’ on the way back from Boston, I thought perhaps I’d just saved myself a lifetime of frustration by putting an end to it. Instead, I was miserable. I couldn’t eat or sleep. I couldn’t even think straight. I was a mess. And I realized I could never go back to being that pathetic man I used to be. I wanted to be worthy of her. Whatever it takes.”

  He started, then stopped and took a moment to compose himself.

  “Before I knew it, I found myself on my knees, asking God to give me one more chance with her,” he continued. “I hadn’t been on my knees in prayer like that since I was just a kid. And it was as if . . . somehow, in the process, the Lord did something to my heart. He changed me. And for the first time, I realized I wanted nothing more than to surrender my life to Him.”

  By now, his tears streamed down his face, but he didn’t care. “Ellen, it’s so important to me that you know how much I love Olivia. And how incredibly honored I am that she’s agreed to marry me. And that you never need worry about my devotion to her. Ever. It would mean the world to me‌—‌to us‌—‌if you’d give us your blessing.”

  By then, Ellen wasn’t just crying, she was sobbing. She jumped up, waved him up as well, then bear-hugged him again. “Yes, oh yes.” She pulled back then took his face in her hands. “You have my blessing, Trevor.” She kissed his cheek then dove for a hug into Olivia’s open arms.

  “My goodness, was it something you ate?”

  They turned to find Michelle joining them with a carafe of coffee.

  “No, nothing like that,” Olivia said, wiping her eyes. “Just one of those moments in time you know you’ll never forget.”

  “I’ll have to tell Trig his frittata was over the top. It’ll make his day!” She refilled all their coffees, then cleared away their dishes and headed for the kitchen.

  “I have a wonderful idea,” Trevor said, wrapping his hands around the warm mug. “As soon as we finish here, why don’t we go to my house. We can introduce Ellen to Charlie and‌—‍”

  “Charlie? She’s your King Charles Cavalier, right?”

  “Yes, but how do you know about Charlie?”

  “I might have mentioned her a few times to Ellen over the phone,” Olivia teased.

  “I see. What other things have you told Ellen? Anything I should know?”

  “In good time, Trevor. In good time.”

  Chapter 21

  After two fun-filled days with Ellen, Olivia and Trevor drove her to the airport in Boston. The three of them talked non-stop until Ellen said her tearful goodbyes and disappeared into Logan International. On the way back, Trevor released Olivia’s hand only when they stopped at the toll gates.

  And not once did they butt heads about Trevor’s driving.

  Progress.

  “Trevor, this is probably as good a time as any. The other morning at breakfast, Ellen alluded to something I haven’t yet told you.”

  “I wondered what that was all about.”

  “I know. But it’s something I needed to tell you one-on-one.”

  “Sounds serious.”

  “It is. But in a good way. Something rather extraordinary happened to me not long before I came up here. Years ago when I first started my job as a loan officer at my bank, a young man came to see me one day . . .”

  Olivia told him the story of John Emerson Winthrop, the young man she’d given a small loan to years ago. She told him of the letter she received from Winthrop’s attorney, their meeting the next day, and the check he’d handed her at Winthrop’s request.

  She paused, unsure how to go on.

  “Don’t leave me hanging. How much was the check for?”

  She cleared her throat. “Five million.”

  His head jerked toward her. “What?!”

  “Eyes on the road, mister.” She laughed and gently nudged his jaw toward the front. “Don’t make me have to take the wheel from you. We don’t want to go there again, right?”

  His bewildered eyes tore away from her as his mouth fell open.

  “I know. It’s a lot to comprehend, isn’t it?”

  He nodded slowly curling his fingers around the steering wheel. “Five million dollars?”

  “Yes. Five million. Granston put it in an interest-earning account for me until I decide what to do. Which is why I came to Caden Cove in the first place. I needed to get away and think about it. Decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Then I met you and everyone else, and I put all those thoughts on hold. Until now.”

  “Olivia, why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “I wanted to. I thought about it. But it never seemed like the right time, and I didn’t know how to tell you. Then you proposed, and I didn’t want to spoil the moment. I just wasn’t sure how you’d respond. But I would have told you, Trevor. And long before we said our vows. Just so you know.”

  “Then along came Ellen.”

  Olivia laughed. “Yes, along came Ellen. But you know what? I’m glad. Her impromptu diatribe at breakfast the other day was just the push I needed. Obviously. And here we are now, finally talking about it.”

  “Wow.” He kept his eyes on the road, his head slowly nodding.

  “It’s okay if you want to talk about it. I would never want this to be a problem between us. I’d just as soon give it all away than have th
at happen.”

  “You would?”

  “In a heartbeat. I’ve always heard about people who win the lottery, and then it ruins their lives. I don’t want to be one of them.”

  “I think I need some time to process it. Don’t get me wrong‌—‌it’s not a bad thing. It’s just quite . . . surreal. If that makes sense.”

  “Trust me. I understand completely.”

  They drove in silence for several miles. As they neared Caden Cove, he reached for her hand. “A subject change, if that’s all right with you.”

  “By all means.”

  “I didn’t want to bring it up while Ellen was here, but tomorrow I need to drive up to the Sullivan estate near Bangor to get the books I won on the auction. I was actually supposed to go yesterday, but I asked if they could reschedule me for tomorrow. It’s the last day the estate is open, so I’ve got to go. If you’d still like to come, I’d love to have you join me.”

  “I’d love to! Is it a day trip or will we‌—‍”

  “It’s about a two-hour drive, but we talked previously about making a day of it. I could stop by the inn for breakfast with you, then afterward get on the road. My appointment is at 1:00, so we’d have plenty of time to drive up to Bangor. There are some nice art galleries there and some historic sites you might enjoy. Then if we’re hungry, we could grab a bite before heading down to the estate which is twenty miles south. It shouldn’t take more than half an hour to settle my account and pack up the books, then we can head back. How does that sound?”

  “Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

  The next morning, Olivia was putting on her earrings when Trevor called.

  “Olivia, I’m afraid we have a change of plans. When the wind blows hard like this, I often lose my power, which is what happened about an hour ago. It wouldn’t be a problem except that Charlie is acting a bit strange. In all the excitement lately, I’d simply lost track of her due date, which isn’t until next week at the earliest. I remember Celeste‌—‌our veterinarian‌—‌telling me that small breeds like Charlie can sometimes go into labor early, but . . .”

  “What do you need me to do, Trevor? How can I help?”