The three waved as they exited the stage, with Grant heading over to Peli to talk with Reed Planet directly, something he’d asked Wyatt if he could do. “Hell yeah,” had been Wyatt’s response. Prompting Chey to pick up Dom’s empty coffee mug and proclaim it their temporary swear jar. Everyone had laughed and agreed they’d need something bigger than a mug.
Wyatt turned to the crowd while Grant worked his Hollywood magic with the Reed Planet followers. “So,” Wyatt said to the crowd, “what did you think?”
The cheering was loud and unified and left him with no doubt that the Blue Hollow Falls town council was going to have its hands full sticking to their Hammond-proposed deal. He’d thought about contacting Hammond, giving him a heads-up on what they were going to propose. Maybe they could all come to an agreement to work together and not even have to make the council pick a side. Vivi had dissuaded him from doing that, saying it would just give Hammond time to build his defenses.
It was impossible Hammond and the council wouldn’t hear about it anyway. Wyatt had filled an amphitheater to talk about it, for God’s sake. It was hardly a secret. Still, Addie Pearl had posted a few of the guild members at the entry points to the mill and music center, just so they’d have a heads-up if Hammond or any of the council had decided to show up at the festivities. Fortunately, that hadn’t happened.
“Now, before I head out to show off your beautiful mountain paradise to those few friends of mine I told you about earlier, I was thinking, you know, since we’re all out here enjoying this beautiful spring day together, sitting in an amphitheater that was built to showcase the music born in these hills, maybe we should celebrate that tradition.” He smiled. “And maybe music from a bit farther abroad as well. Like . . . Ireland?”
A hush had fallen over the crowd, then murmurs swelled in anticipation, finally bursting into thunderous applause as Pippa walked out on stage, waving her bow to the crowd. They clearly adored her. She was joined on stage by Jake, and Jake’s father, Will, along with a few other local musicians who played and taught classes at the mill.
Peli moved to cover the musical performance for the stream and Wyatt slipped off stage behind the curtain once more.
“I can’t believe you put all this together in less than a week,” Chey said, having to lean close so he could hear her above the music and the whole crowd singing along quite exuberantly with Pippa and Jake.
“Everyone wants this to work,” Wyatt said. “It really all fell together. I just played ringmaster.”
“You’re quite good at it.” She looked on stage at the musicians playing, then out to the spectators, all on their feet dancing and singing. Then to the mountains beyond. “It’s a really special place. I’m glad I can share it with you.”
He moved behind her and slid his arms around her waist, and they watched together. “Very special,” he murmured against her hair, and smiled as she settled back against him.
“Do you think this is going to work?” she asked, so quietly he almost didn’t hear her. He wondered if she’d meant to ask it out loud at all.
He didn’t know whether she meant their alternative plans for the resort, or whether she meant the two of them being together, so he answered both at the same time. “Yes,” he said. “This has too much going for it not to work. Might take some figuring out, but all things worth having are worth a bit of grit and ingenuity, don’t you think?”
She turned in his arms and looped hers around his neck. She searched his eyes and he thought maybe she was hoping he was talking about them, too.
He bent his head, kissed her, then whispered in her ear, “This is going to work, Cheyenne. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. If you want me, I’m all in.”
She shifted to look at him, her eyes full of so much want and need and hope, he spared a second to wonder if he could live up to all that. He knew he would die trying. “I want,” she said.
From behind them, Dom said, “Sorry, man,” and Wyatt turned, sliding his hand into Chey’s as she moved next to him. Dom smiled. “We’re going to have to come up with a new schedule if you two are going to do this together.”
Wyatt laughed and Chey blushed, but laughed, too. “I’m getting out of here now. I promise. I’ve got to get back to the farm. The guys are coming to work on the gift shop addition, and I’ve got to get them started. Vivi and Grant are driving Bryan to the airport, so I agreed to ferry Tory, Jake, and Bailey over to the lake for the big barbeque after you finish up streaming from there. Seth and Addie Pearl will get to the lake early, along with Hudson—a chef at the mill—to start grilling.” She looked at Dom. “So, you should have smooth sailing with your emcee here,” she said, then leaned closer to Dom and added, “We all know it’s really you running this gig.”
Dom, who was shorter than Chey by a good half foot, and a half dozen years younger as well, adopted a reverent expression. He pulled off his black beanie, then took her hand, leaned down and kissed the back of it. He looked to Wyatt, the hand clutching his beanie still over his heart. “See, I knew it, bro. She gets me. She totally gets me.”
Charmed, Chey laughed and Wyatt shook his head. “How easily they abandon me.”
“I’m pretty sure Dom here will come running the minute we actually need to have someone in front of the camera.” Chey nudged Wyatt. “Somebody has to put the Reed in Reed Planet.”
“Well, if you insist,” Wyatt said with an air of modest humility.
“Oh boy,” Chey said wryly, and kissed his cheek. Then she looked around and her smile was one of excitement. “One week till the town hall. Looks like we’ve got a running start. Thank you.” She looked at Dom. “Thank you all.”
Dom buffed his fingertips on his T-shirt, then nodded, put his phone to his ear, and mouthed “call me” before Wyatt pretended to boot him away. Chey was still laughing as she walked further backstage toward the rear exit.
Jon was signaling to Wyatt to come and post a few comments before the set was finished, but Dom put his hand on Wyatt’s arm as he turned. “Man, I don’t like to tell anyone his business, but don’t screw that up, you dig?” He nodded toward the exit door, which was just now closing behind Chey. When Dom looked back at Wyatt, all trace of teasing was gone, and in its place was the old-soul gaze that had led Wyatt to hire Dom in the first place.
The guy might be only partway into his second decade in life, but Wyatt was pretty sure this wasn’t Dom’s first go around on the planet. “I’m working on it.”
“Yeah, we’ll be happy to help with that,” Dom said. “I’ll talk to the crew, see who can relocate where. Whatever. Be happy. Okay? Otherwise, what are we doing this for?”
Wyatt was caught off guard by Dom’s serious declaration. “To make the world a better place?”
“Yeah, well, she makes your world a better place.”
Wyatt didn’t disagree. “You’ve been around her for like a half a minute.”
“Oh, dude,” Dom said, shaking his head with a pitying look. “We knew about five minutes after you got here. Before we’d even met her. Like, the first time you checked in. Seeing it in person is just confirmation, bro.” He nodded for Wyatt to get over to Jon. “They’re on the last song of the set,” he said.