Which is why, when he came to me with his proposal, I said yes. It’s why I convinced the new fire captain, Everette Page, and the Chief, Maverick Walker, to accept his offer. He’d put up all the initial funding for the event—whatever we came up with—and all the money raised would be ours for the house.
Normally, it would be open house at the station; a barbecue set up out front, kids jumping on the truck, bake sale curated by the moms of Willow Ridge with a mini petting zoo from Holloway Farm.
But that doesn’t raise big dollars, and we can’t convince the powers that be to let us have free rein over the station.
I scrub a hand down my face in frustration, a heavy breath falling from my lips.
“Come on, Dad. Just look at it,” Opal says, staring at the paper. “Please. It sounds like so much fun. I swear, the old folks willlove it. And if you get your single friends involved, it’ll go really well. Uncle Finn would so be down.”
Opening my eyes, I frown at my daughter. I will admit I hadn’t even bothered readingSylvie’sidea. My interactions with the young event planner have been very few; years ago, after the fire, she helped set up the memorials and paid off the hospital bills for my guys.
Even though her ideas at the time had seemed more big city than small town, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how kind and invested she’d been at the time.
I can’t deny the excitement dancing in Opal’s eyes. With another sigh, I grab the page and read it over. It’s a detailed plan, better than the others that’ve crossed my desk. It has figures, charts, and examples.
But the idea itself?
It’s insane.
I look up and meet Opal’s eyes. “No.”
Another pout crosses her lips with the candy cane still dangling from them. “Why not? It’s what you want!”
I shake my head, chuckling at how absurd it—and my daughter—are. “This will never work.”
“Yes, it will,” she says. “Because who doesn’t lovelovein Willow Ridge? And a chance to play matchmaker with some of the most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes in this town? It’ll have everyone showing up! Half the guys at the station are lonely hearts looking for love—and so are you—so why not take advantage of that? You and I both know it’ll have people from all over showing up.Andit’ll raise the money they need for the fire station. Come on, Dad. Live a little. See the magic in this! Also, it’s so much quicker to set up than a fair, which we’ll need to wait until spring or summer to do. All it takes is renting town hall, working with a few vendors, you know, easy stuff.”
I run a hand down my face, releasing a harsh breath as I do. My gaze strays to the proposal. Opal is right. Everything about it is easy—easy set-up, easy contracts, easy reward. It can be done as soon as next week, and the house needs the money—sooner rather than later. If this winter and the raging storms have taught us anything, it’s that we need to be better prepared. We can’t just rely on the mountain rescue team, especially when they have enough on their plates.
I might not be the fire captain anymore, but I do still care.
Looking from the page to my daughter, I watch her expression closely. Her jab at me being one of the lonely hearts isn’t one I’ll forget, because she’s been trying to play matchmaker with not just me, but my two brothers, too. After a week volunteering at the old folk’s home in town, she’s been on some romance kick. I don’t know if it has anything to do with her mother, but I’ve been monitoring it.
“Please?” she says, taking a step towards me, hands pressed together. “It would be so cool. Just think about it. Or better yet, go talk to Sylvie!”
My eyes narrow as I watch her. “You haven’t been talking to that woman, have you?”
Opal rolls her eyes, dropping her hands to her hips. “No,” she states. “And when would I have the time? Between school, and helping you, and being here on the damn mountain, and?—”
“Okay.” This time, I hold my hands up in defence. “Got it.”
Opal licks the candy cane and pops it into her mouth. “Stop being such a grump. She’s cool. And she wants to help. You offered Mr. Abernathy help, and he brought her here to do just that. It’s not like you can act surprised she has cool ideas.”
“I am not a grump,” I grumble, shaking my head. But I grab the proposal, flip through it again, and can’t help but agree. “It’s not very firefighter-like.”
“And the naked man chest calendars are?” Opal asks, popping her hip. “Seriously, Dad. Anyway, you guys do that every year, and it doesn’t raise nearly enough for the volunteers. What’s so bad about an auction?”
“Other than it being for dates withrealpeople?” I reply, looking at her. “It could go south quickly.”
“Not here in Willow Ridge,” she says, stepping back. “In the town oflove.”
My daughter walks off humming to herself, but my attention is drawn to the paper—and the woman who put it together.
Because Sylvie Madden is a force I can’t escape.
TWO
SYLVIE
