“Irregular or not,” Clover said, folding her arms, “You have a duty to review our nomination.”
The murmurs surged into agreement. A hundred voices hummed like ley line magic of their own.
“Let’s revote,” the woman of the panel said at last.
They conferred quietly, flipping through a worn leather-bound book, whispering among themselves while the townspeople stood tall and proud behind Honey.
Finally, the lead official stood.
“Nomination accepted,” he said. “Ms. Honey Baxter is hereby recognized as the Director of Arcane Relations of Brim’s Hollow, with full rights and protection. Therefore, the case of the Hale Family Orchard falls to her discretion.”
Honey let out a breath that trembled all the way down her spine.
It was done.
They’d won.
Ethan turned to her, his mouth slightly parted as if hewanted to say something. He looked from Honey to the crowd, then down at his daughters, who were beaming.
The reviewer adjusted her glasses. “Congratulations, Mr. Hale,” she said. “We’ll leave you and your family to celebrate.”
Leticia wrapped her arms around him. She leaned in, pressing her cheek to his and whispered something into his ear. Melly, Brooke, and Emma giggled and hugged her again. The five of them folded into each other like no time had passed at all.
And Honey stood there, still.
Still and smiling.
She clasped her hands together and nodded once to the panel.
Then, she turned on her heel.
And walked out.
Chapter 37
Honey
Honey fumbled with her phone, blinking against the tears that blurred the screen. Her fingers trembled too hard to type.
“Ruby,” she whispered, willing the message to form even though she could barely see it.Come get me. Tell me I did the right thing. Tell me this wasn’t the stupidest, most self-destructive choice I’ve ever made.
But the letters swam, dissolving into a mess of black smudges on white. She couldn’t make out a single word. All she could see was the echo of that hug in the review room. Ethan’s arms wrapped tight around Leticia. The small sound she made when he held her. The look in the girls’ eyes as if the world had snapped back into place for them.
Honey had no right to be upset, she tried to tell herself. That was their mother. Their family. Honey was the intruder here, a warm body that had been allowed to play house for a while, but never meant to belong.
Her chest ached as if someone had hollowed it out with both hands. She’d promised herself she’d do anything to right her mistake and save the Hale family, but suddenlyshe wasn’t sure she had the strength to stand in the aftermath. Saving the orchard meant tying herself to Brim’s Hollow. It meant living every day with the knowledge that she was on the outside of a door she wanted desperately to open.
She had to figure out how to let them go while still living in their world. While bumping into Ethan and Leticia on Brimrose Lane. While hearing the girls’ laughter echo down Main Street. While pretending she didn’t care every time Ethan’s eyes flickered toward the past instead of toward her.
She staggered toward the fountain, desperate for air, for space, for something that didn’t smell like apples and heartache. The stone rim swam into view through the blur of tears, but she placed one foot in front of the other anyway.
She was halfway there when?—
“Honey, wait.”
She froze mid-step. Every instinct screamed at her to keep going, to run until the ache in her chest loosened its grip, but her body betrayed her by going still. She couldn’t turn and couldn’t let herself look at him. If she did, if she saw his face, she would crumble into pieces right there in the square, and she couldn’t afford that right now. Not when she’d needed to be strong enough to let go.
“I really should get back,” she said, the words brittle. “I need to tell Mr. Aldridge about my relocation. I need to pack. I need to say goodbye to my friend.”
