I took a sip of the beer that I was nursing and shook my head. “Not as much as I thought I would.”
“There’s something magical about this little town.”
“It’s not the town… it’s the people.” A lump had lodged in my throat, and my chest felt tight.
Dad’s gaze had shifted to me. Though I wasn’t looking at him, I could see him staring from the corner of my eye. “What?”
“You’re in love.”
I snorted and shook my head. “Please. I’ve only known her a few days.” And had only been with her one night.
I was met with silence. Finally, with a roll of my eyes, I looked over at my dad and he slowly replied. “I didn’t say with whom you were in love.” His brows were lifted; his cheeks were rosy, and his beard, although not entirely white as snow, was turning more and more gray every year. Damn, but he really did look like Santa Claus… even while balanced on crutches. “But I sure had hoped it would be Avery.”
What? “You mean… did you set this up?”
He laughed. “Not exactly. I had hoped you two would hit it off. She’s a great girl.”
Excitement churned in my gut. This whole time I thought for sure we would have to deal with the consequences of our relationship and explain ourselves to my parents. “Aren’t you worried about me dating someone who works for us?”
The crutches clicked against the hardwood floor as he shifted to face me. “Well, that would be hypocritical, wouldn’t it? Considering I met your mother when she was my boss when we were just teenagers.”
“I forgot about that.” Mom’s family had owned a department store… where Dad had gotten his first job. “I actually wanted to ask you about Avery. A work thing; not a personal thing.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Before we… she and I…” Ah, hell. This was not going as planned. I had wanted to bring this up outside of the context of me and Avery as a couple. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I had this idea before I became romantic with Avery, but I wanted to run it by you. I want to nominate her as an official board member.”
Dad nodded, but remained silent.
“She knows the company better than half of our board,” I said, dropping my voice to nearly a whisper. “Her ideas are incredible. And… I think she should head our nonprofit and charity department.”
Dad leaned onto his crutches and reached for his mug of hot chocolate which was resting on the fireplace mantle. “We don’t have a nonprofit and charity department.”
I pointed at him. “Exactly. But we should. Christmas is about giving back to our communities and if StoryBook is truly about the spirit of Christmas… this is something we should be doing.”
“That’s an awful lot of work for one person. She’ll be joining the board, running the charities for the company, and managing the flagship store?”
I swallowed, that lump growing thicker. “That’s why I thought I’d stay here in Maple Grove. She and I can share the duties of the store and the nonprofit. As long as Avery agrees, of course.” This plan depended on Avery, too… provided she wanted these positions. And wanted to share them with me. My stomach roiled at the thought that she might not want me here with her.
Dad smiled and placed a hand on my arm, giving it a squeeze. “It’s a brilliant idea. Let’s propose it after your presentation for the expansion.”
I grinned at my dad, and in that moment, I saw myself a few decades in the future. It had never before occurred to me how alike we looked. “Avery’s presenting the expansion. More than half the ideas were hers anyway.”
“You look happy, son. Happier than you ever seemed with that witch of an ex of yours.”
My face twisted. “Helena?” My words faded. “What we had wasn’t real. It bruised my ego that she cheated on me so publicly. But I never really loved her.”
“I knew that,” Dad said simply.
I exhaled a quiet laugh and shook my head. “You did, did you?”
He nodded. “I did. Just like I know you love Avery. That girl is something else. Don’t screw it up.”
“I’ll try not to.” But something told me I already had screwed up. I just hoped it wasn’t beyond fixing.
Chapter 19
Avery
As Chris’s house filled with people, I grew more and more nervous. It didn’t seem to matter that I’d already met most of the people in this room. But those meetings were different. Jack had brought me in once or twice as a courtesy… to show me plans in motion and see if there was anything I would adjust or change.
He never brought me in to pitch to the board… I’d only ever pitched directly to Jack and Cecilia.
“Hi, Avery.” I spun around to find Mallery standing behind me. Someone I know! Someone I don’t have to make small talk with! I swear it took everything I had not to grab her and pull her into a bear hug.
“Mallery, thank God you’re here. I wasn’t sure you’d make it this year.”
“Are you kidding?” She took a sip of her champagne and looked around the room. “These holiday meetings are always the best. The board consists mostly of my cousins and extended family. Our ‘meetings’ are almost indistinguishable from holiday parties. Basically, on the board, we get a few holiday parties… not just the big one all our employees see.” She rocked back on her heels and took a sip of her champagne. “Unsurprisingly, at these events, inevitably some juicy drama that arises after everyone’s had a few. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” She brushed her hands through her glossy dark brown waves and smoothed her black dress down over her slender hips. Technically, Mallery was in business attire… her black dress was simple and chic and sleek. But somehow, she and I looked completely different, even though we were dressed similarly.
I gulped, looking around the crowded room, filled with trust-fund socialites who weren’t only born into their wealth… but they had earned their positions, too. These were smart people with MBAs and Ivy League degrees to support them.
“Did Max come?” I asked, desperate to stop my thoughts from spiraling. I glanced around, looking for her husband.
“Oh yeah,” she smiled and gestured toward a small group in the kitchen. They were leaning against the very counter where Chris and I had had our first kiss. “They’re over there talking sports or something. We’ll probably have to sneak upstairs to Facetime the kids to say goodnight soon.” She paused, tilting her head and examining me. “Hey—are you okay?”
My throat felt tight and a sheen of sweat was breaking out along my forehead and palms. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just… nervous, I think.”
Her expression shifted, concerned. “You look pale. Wait right here. I’ll grab Chris—”
“No!” I coughed into my fist and lowered my voice. The last thing I needed was Chris running over here, thinking I was helpless at my first big board event. “I-I just need a little fresh air, I think.”
I backed up until I felt the knob of the kitchen door hit my lower back. Reaching around, I quickly spun and rushed outside without even bothering to put my coat on. Steam lifted from my flesh as the warmth of my body collided with the cold temperature outside.