Somehow, the words didn’t make him feel any better.
“You might change your mind once you talk to Carrie,” he said, flicking a glance toward the gallery.
“I already have.” Mary Ellen’s smile was sad. “She wouldn’t say exactly what had happened between the two of you, but I know you both look equally miserable. I gave her an extra chocolate croissant for the flight and—”
“What flight?” he interrupted, his fingers curling harder around the edge of the bag.
“She took off for New York City,” Mary Ellen told him. “Going to meet some big-wig art gallery owner who saw photos of her work. It’s gonna be a sad day for this town if Carrie moves away, but that girl deserves her shot at success.”
“Yeah,” Dylan muttered even as his mind tried to process the news. Carrie in New York. His chest clenched as he thought of her discovering the city and its energy for the first time.
Damn, he wished he could be there with her.
Would she love it? Would she decide to stay?
He hadn’t even come to terms with not having her a part of his life. The thought of her leaving Magnolia at the same time was almost too much to stand.
“Honey, are you okay?” Mary Ellen placed a hand on his arm. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
“It could be the ghost of Christmas future,” he said numbly.
“Sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone,” she said. “So maybe you want to rethink paving paradise?”
His brow furrowed. “That’s a Joni Mitchell reference. Carrie used to listen to her songs all the time.”
The older woman smiled. “Good taste, that girl.”
“I might be the exception.” Dylan shook his head. “Is it possible to lose something I never had?”
“You know she loves you.”
“Past tense. I screwed it up.” He massaged a hand over his face. “Again.”
As if sensing his darkening mood, Daisy pressed nearer to him. Ever since Christmas Eve night, the dog had been sticking close to Dylan’s side as if she were trying to offer some bit of canine comfort. She still startled at loud noises and remained wary of strangers and indifferent toward the kibble they poured into her bowl at night. But the dog had become part of their motley family. The animal’s attention one more reminder that most of the things Dylan had tried to do for Sam had ended up just as much a benefit for him.
Like the move from Boston.
Like embracing the spirit of Christmas.
Like opening his heart to Carrie.
“Do you know what you need?” Mary Ellen glanced down the main street.
“Tell me.” Dylan held his breath. At this point it felt as though he needed—
“A miracle,” the woman whispered.
He laughed without humor. Right. A miracle. Like something out of a perfect holiday movie.
“Too bad I’m fresh out of miracles,” he murmured.
Her gaze sharpened. “That’s where you’re mistaken, Dylan. Miracles are always waiting for you. You just have to recognize them.”
He thought about the unspeakable tragedy that had changed everything in his life and all the tiny miracles that had led him to this point. Out of so much sorrow, he’d found a happiness he hadn’t expected. One that had scared him so badly that he’d sabotaged it instead of risking his heart to claim a future he hadn’t even realized he wanted.
He cleared his throat. “Will you help me?” The words felt strange on his tongue, but he forced himself to meet Mary Ellen’s too-knowing gaze. If he was going to produce a post-Christmas miracle, he understood he couldn’t do it alone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“YOU DIDN’T NEED to pick me up.” Carrie settled against the soft leather of Avery’s Lexus sedan. “I could have hired Jack and his shuttle service again. I think he liked making the money.” Capitalizing on the influx of visitors to town, one of the local mechanics, Jack Grage, had started a car service between Magnolia and the Raleigh airport as well as around the town to popular tourist spots. Nothing as formal as Uber, but it worked for Magnolia.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Avery reached across the console and patted Carrie’s jeans-clad knee. “We want to hear all about New York.”
“And spending time with your mom,” Meredith said with a small laugh from the backseat. “She’s all kinds of intimidating.”
Carrie shook her head. She and her mom had flown back from the city together after three amazing days touring Manhattan. “What you saw in the airport was her trying to be extra friendly,” she reported.
Avery threw her a look. “That’s terrifying.”
“We actually had a lovely time.” Carrie felt a smile curve her lips. “She led the way because she knows the city, and it was good to be with her in a neutral location. Magnolia has too many memories and I feel weird when I’m at her hotel, like everyone knows I don’t belong there. Don’t get me wrong. There were plenty of awkward moments. I’m not sure either of us knows how our mother-daughter dynamic is supposed to go when we’ve had so little interaction since the divorce. But we’re figuring it out. I’m figuring out a lot of things lately.”
“What did you think of the gallery owner?” Avery asked.
“He was intimidating, larger-than-life and asked questions about my paintings and the process I use to create them that made me think he really understood me.” She bit down on her lip then added, “He respected my talent.”
“As well he should,” Meredith said with a sniff. “Did the subject of Niall come up?”
“Yes,” Carrie answered. “I expected it. The art world might have eviscerated him critically, but no one could deny that he was a force. Max, the gallery owner, is around the same age and had actually met him years ago. Said he was a pompous ass.”
Both her sisters laughed. “I like Max already,” Meredith said.
“He took my mom and me to a reception for one of his long-time clients. Even I could tell it was a who’s who of important people in the New York art community. Niall certainly didn’t have the market cornered on being pompous.”
“Or an ass, I’d imagine,” Avery added.
“True, but I met people who were quite lovely, as well. It’s a vibrant community and an amazing city. I can understand why so many artists are drawn there.”
Carrie pressed her fingers against the car’s cool window, watching condensation spread around her fingertips from the warmth of her touch. The day was gray and blustery, as if a storm might blow in at any moment. The turbulent weather was a direct contrast to her mood. Her trip to New York City had grounded her in some way, given her a glimpse into the life she thought she’d wanted and could still claim if she chose.
Only being there made her realize that dream belonged to the girl who’d felt trapped by her overbearing father and the expectations he placed on her.
The woman she’d become understood that Magnolia was her home and no matter what direction the town took for the future, she wanted to be part of it. Her life here with her sisters and the friends she was finally allowing herself to let in made her feel complete, despite her broken heart.
Silence stretched out in the sedan’s interior, as if her sisters were waiting for her to say more.
“I’m staying in Magnolia,” she told them, the four simple words a sliver of sound in the quiet. But they felt monumental as she spoke them.
Avery and Meredith let out cheers and squeals of delight, startling Carrie and making her heart thrum in her chest. Or maybe that was the relief from the sense of claiming her life. Truly claiming what she wanted. Most of it anyway.
As they continued to talk, Avery and Meredith avoided the topic of Dylan and his plans to develop the properties he owned in town. Carrie didn’t bring up the subject, either. The trip had given her a different perspective on her hometown. A small
dot on the map along the coast of North Carolina didn’t have much in common with a big city, but the diversity of people and neighborhoods she’d seen on her trip had impressed her and given her hope for Magnolia. An influx of luxury properties and upscale businesses wouldn’t wipe out the quiet charm she loved.
Dylan could do whatever he felt like he needed to for his cousin’s legacy or for Sam or whatever he wanted to call it. She wouldn’t let that stop her from making it her home, as well.
As if he knew she’d been thinking about him, a text from him came through at that moment.
“Everything okay?” Avery asked as she pulled off the highway and onto the two-lane road toward Carrie’s house.
“Can you drop me off at the gallery?” Carrie typed in a quick response and hit Send before she lost her nerve.
“You bet,” Avery answered. “What’s going on at the gallery?”
“I’m not sure.” Carrie bit down on her lower lip then said, “Dylan asked me to meet him there.” She waited for the protests from both her sisters, but neither of them said a word.
She turned in her seat to eye Meredith, who was suddenly busy staring out the window at the houses she’d probably passed hundreds of times over the years like they were the eighth wonder of the world.
“You have nothing to say to that?”
Meredith shrugged. “What do you think he wants?”
“Did you talk to him while you were in New York?” Avery asked, flicking a curious glance toward Carrie.
“I don’t know what he wants,” she said to Meredith then studied Avery. “I haven’t spoken to Dylan since Christmas Eve dinner.”
Avery lifted a brow. “But you’re willing to meet him now?”
“I’m staying in Magnolia and unless something changes, so is he. I’m not exactly the gunslinger ‘this town ain’t big enough for the two of us’ type,” she admitted. “I tried that when he first returned, and it got me nothing but a ticket to a broken heart.”
“You don’t sound angry anymore,” Meredith said. “Have you forgiven him?”
“No,” Carrie answered then shook her head. “Maybe. I don’t even know if he needs my forgiveness. He didn’t do what I wanted...” She darted a glance between the two of them. “What all of us wanted. But I’m not sure it was fair of me to expect him to. He gets to do whatever he wants with the real estate he owns. I still think we can turn Magnolia around and into a town that attracts younger residents and visitors from all over.”
“We’re already talking about a Valentine’s Day campaign,” Avery told her. “Plans haven’t gone too far without you and your amazing ability to organize everything but—”
“You should go forward without me,” Carrie told her sister on a rush of breath. “I want to focus on the gallery and my art. Being in New York inspired me, and not just to paint more. I want to bring other artists from around the state and show their work at The Reed Gallery. We could host an art co-op in the space and make it a hub for artists in the region.”
“Okay,” Avery said slowly. “What about the paint-and-sip parties?”
Carrie shook her head even as nerves made her flush with heat. “I’ll finish the bookings, but that’s it. I know we need immediate money to pay off Niall’s debts, but I don’t want to teach those classes. When the estate gets through probate, I’d like to buy the gallery.”
“It’s already yours,” Avery told her.
“That place has always belonged to you,” Meredith added, leaning forward to pat Carrie’s shoulder.
“I appreciate that, but it’s not true yet. I need to make it true. And we need to put Dad’s house on the market as soon as we can. It’s our best chance to get the money to ensure both the properties downtown and Last Acre are secure.”
Avery parked the car across the street from the gallery and turned in her seat to face Carrie. “Are you sure? We thought you might eventually want to move back there.”
As she glanced between Avery and Meredith, Carrie understood her sisters hadn’t brought up the issue of Niall’s house because they didn’t want to upset her.
“I’m positive,” she assured them. “That house is part of the past. I’m looking toward my future.”
Meredith hitched a shoulder toward the gallery. “Could Dylan still be a part of that?”
“We don’t want the same things.” Carrie ran a hand through her hair, feeling suddenly exhausted from her trip. “But I don’t want to be his enemy, either.”
“I guess you should go see what he wants,” Avery told her with an odd smile. “Who knows with that man.”
“He did adopt a dog and a kitten this month.” Meredith sighed. “I suppose he can’t be totally evil.”
Carrie raised an eyebrow at her younger sister. “That’s high praise coming from you.”
“Just make sure you take care of yourself,” Meredith answered cryptically. “And know we have your back no matter what.”
It felt like there was some deeper meaning in her sister’s words, but for the life of her Carrie couldn’t decipher what it could be.
“I’ll drop your suitcase at your house on my way home,” Avery promised then did a little shooing motion with her fingers. “Stop dawdling.”
“I’m not dawdling.” Carrie sniffed but dug around her purse for a tube of lip gloss. Of course she was delaying seeing Dylan. Just the thought of it made her stomach hurt. She could tell herself all day long that she simply wanted to make peace with him, but that wasn’t the truth. What she wanted was to throw herself into his arms and share every detail about her trip.
She should hate him, but her heart hadn’t quite gotten that memo. Despite being on different sides with regard to the town’s future, she truly believed he was on her side as far as supporting her personal goals.
“Here goes everything,” she whispered and exited the car.
She winced when Avery honked as she pulled away from the curb and watched the taillights disappear around the next corner.
For a moment she looked around the town where she’d spent her entire life, trying to see the old buildings with new eyes.
She and her sisters really had done a lot to transform things in Magnolia over the past few months. Main Street was quiet, as she’d expected for a Wednesday afternoon, but the shops and businesses looked welcoming and cheerful in a way she couldn’t have dreamt of last year at this time.
Glancing behind her, she could see a few tables filled within Il Rigatone. Vinnie Guilardi stood next to one booth, his arms outstretched and his face animated. She could imagine the stories he was telling the family who waited for their food. The man had never met a stranger.
Carrie drew in a deep breath and considered the ideas that had bloomed in her mind as she toured New York City with her mother. There was still a vacant storefront on the far corner of the block in one of the buildings her father had owned. If her paintings actually sold in the way Max anticipated, she might be able to qualify for a loan and help the Guilardis relocate their restaurant.
That would put her back into direct competition with Dylan, a thought she didn’t relish. But she remained determined to focus on the positive. She’d find a way to muddle along with him in town, even if he wasn’t a part of her life in the way her heart craved.
A movement from across the street caught her attention and she started forward as Dylan appeared in the doorway of the gallery.
She liked seeing him there, more than she should, and reminded herself that this wasn’t a reconciliation. At best, she hoped for a truce. A way to move past what came before.
“Thanks for meeting me,” he said as she approached, looking annoyingly handsome as ever in a navy fleece and faded jeans, stubble shadowing his jaw. “How was New York?”
“Good.” She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Okay, this might have been a mistake. When she’d thought about seeing him aga
in, she hadn’t counted on her heart’s reaction or feeling the heat that always seemed to radiate from him or the way he smelled like a mix of mint and spice and how she’d want to throw herself into his arms.
She definitely couldn’t throw herself into his arms. Instead, she clenched her fists and kept a firm grip on her purse, like he was a potential mugger.
His mouth tugged up one side, but it wasn’t a smile of happiness.
Did he feel the loss of her in anywhere near the same way she missed him?
“Is Sam here, too?” she asked, hoping for some kind of a buffer in this moment.
Dylan shook his head. “He went with a friend to the trampoline place in Raleigh for the day.”
“Fun,” she said, wondering if the word sounded as lame to his ears at it did to hers.
“Actually, it sounds like torture, but he was excited,” Dylan said with a forced laugh.
“Why are we here?” she blurted. She gestured to the gallery window. “And why are the lights out inside? Lindy should have—”
“I sent Lindy home,” Dylan told her, running a nervous hand through his hair. “I needed to talk to you in private.”
“You don’t own the gallery,” she reminded him, her temper simmering. “You don’t get to give instructions to our employee.”
“Avery and Meredith actually approved it.”
“Excuse me?” Carrie took a step back. Her sisters had known about this? She couldn’t understand what was going on right now.
“I’m sorry,” Dylan said on a rush of breath. “For a lot of things. Right now I’m sorry that I’m messing up this moment. Will you come into the gallery with me?” He took a step toward the door, regret and something that looked like fear flashing in his gaze when she didn’t follow. “Please, Carrie.”
Oh, she would have words with her sisters about this.
She followed him into the space, somehow feeling like she was entering it for the first time. Then he flipped on the light to the main room, and her breath caught in her throat.
The Merriest Magnolia Page 26