“I was fired from my last job because I couldn’t control what an asset said on social media.”Perhaps his confusion showed because she said, “Did you see the recent controversy about what Aria Simpson said on social media?”
“Who?”
Her laughter rang through the kitchen and curled around his heart.“Thank you.It’s good to remember not everyone is obsessed with who is hot right now.”
He shrugged, not at all self-conscious.“I don’t have any social media accounts.”
Her eyes widened.“That explains why I never found you.”
“You looked for me?”The little hitch in his heart needed to stop.
She nodded, her cheeks turning red.“After I finished university.I wanted to see how you were doing, but I couldn’t find anything.”
He had no words.She’d looked him up even after he’d hurt her.“Where are you working now?”
“I’m between jobs.The controversy with Aria Simpson happened last week.”
She’d come to Lilydale to escape.It would have made seeing the garden even more traumatic.“I’m sorry.”
Chelsea pursed her lips.“I’m not.Not anymore.”She sipped her coffee, a slight furrow on her forehead telling him she was debating whether she should confide in him.
“Why?”he prodded.
“Because it brought me home.”
He waited, knowing she had more to say.She opened her mouth and then took a sip of her coffee rather than speaking.
It hurt more than he wanted to admit, but she’d always been slow to trust others with her feelings.He needed to let her work up to it.“How was your dinner with Lauren?”
A smile.“Great.It was so much fun catching up with her.”She glanced at her laptop.“I’m helping her promote the Honeybrook Fair.You’ll have noticed how many shops are closed in town.”
He nodded.
“Lauren said the town is dying.They need to bring people back.Lilydale used to attract many people.”A smile tugged on her lips.
All at once he knew.“You’re going to restore Lilydale.”
Her eyes widened, and she nodded.“I went through Aunt Maggie’s accounts last night.She made a decent income from the property.If I can restore the gardens, refresh the cabins, and spend time on advertising, I should be able to attract people to town.”
“Will you be staying to run the place?”Something akin to hope blossomed in his chest.
“I haven’t decided yet,” she admitted.“I still need to call Mum and run it past her.She’ll need to agree to it, as it’s her property.”
That reminded him of his call with Dobby.“Is there still the acreage at the back?”
“What acreage?”
“Aunt Maggie once mentioned she had farmland adjoining the property.Her fiancé was a farmer, and he was going to manage the farm while she did the garden.”
“I never knew.”Chelsea pulled out her phone.“Let me call Mum now.The kids will be at school.”
“Kids?”Whose kids?
“My half-brother and sister.”
Relief filled him.Not Chelsea’s.“How old are they?”
“Ten and eight.”She held up a hand to stop him from talking and said, “Hey, Mum.”
