And as soon asLeland and I reach our destination, wherever it is, I’m going to goafter one more thing I want: him.
“I’mglad I get to be part of your full circle, Stella.” Before I canrespond, he says, “Felicity texted me when I went to ask Sylvieabout taking that picture. Apparently there’s some emergency at thestore that she needs my help with. I’d put her off until tomorrow,but she seemed pretty frazzled. Do you mind if we stop there andthen we can go for dinner somewhere? Doesn’t seem right for thisnight to end so early. Plus it really would be a shame for you toonly get to wear that amazing outfit for an hour ortwo.”
I stopmyself from telling him I’d go anywhere with him, although I don’tbother trying to fight the giddy grin that overtakes my face. Iremember what Leland said to Nelle about taking me out because Ilook phenomenal.Phenomenal!That’s not a word I ever thought anyone wouldassociate with me, but I love it.
“I’myours for the whole evening,” I tell him.
Leland keeps hiseyes on the road, but I don’t miss the small smile that playsaround the corners of his mouth.
Attending thereunion may have felt like closure, but I hope this night will alsobe one of new beginnings.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
We leave Cravingswith a tray of takeout cups of hot chocolate. Felicity textedLeland when we arrived and asked us to pick up drinks on our way toFandomTown. The Village is packed tonight and, when I spot a giantevergreen lit with what looks like a million twinkly lights, I’mreminded that tonight was the official tree lighting ceremony. TheVillage has slowly been transforming into Christmas mode, but withthe lighting of the main tree, the holiday season has trulybegun.
The warm fuzziesI’ve been feeling since we were in the car fade slightly whenLeland says, “Well, we pulled it off, Stella. Are you ready forlife to go back to normal now?”
This is what I wasafraid of: that once the reunion was over, our scheme would come toa natural conclusion. When we agreed to pretend to date, there wasno way I could have known I’d develop such strong and fast feelingsfor Leland. He’s slotted into my life as if he’s always been here,and now I can’t imagine not hanging out with him, getting randomtexts from him, and having picnics with him. Those are all thingsthat would likely continue since we’ll be coworkers and willobviously remain friends, but can I ever go back to ‘normal’knowing what his hand feels like in mine? Or the way his warmbreath feels against my face right before he kisses me? Will thosenervous, excited butterflies I get at the very thought of him stickaround as a reminder of what could have been?
I’m terrified ofLeland rejecting me. It would be a blow to my heart and, I can’tlie, my ego as well. I was thrown straight back to my teen yearstonight when Nelle made that comment about me snagging a guy likeLeland. In high school, I never would have allowed myself toimagine a guy like him could want me. I certainly wasn’t the onlyone who considered Leland ‘out of my league’. There were otherpeople like that over the years before I got married; people Icrushed on who seemed unattainable for whatever reason.
I’m not thatperson anymore, though. I’m stronger now. Braver. More willing totake a leap, knowing that as much as failure may hurt in the momentand may even continue to sting for a while, I’m strong enough tosurvive it. And here’s a wonderful thought: What if I don’t have tofeel that hurt at all? Going after what I want has worked out wellfor me lately, so what if this is no different? I’ll never knowunless I try.
“Whatexactlyisnormal?” I ask. “My whole life has been turned upside down inthe last few months, and yours has too.”
“You’reright. That actually leads to what I wanted to talk to you about…”He trails off, reaching inside his coat pocket to pull out hisbuzzing phone. “Sorry. Can you just give me a minute?”
“Ofcourse, go ahead.”
He shoots me adistracted smile as he paces away from me, his eyes trained on hisphone. His fingers fly across the screen, his expressionunreadable. A minute later, he returns to me, tucking the phoneback in his pocket.
“Sorryabout that,” he says as we continue walking.
“Noproblem. You were saying?”
“Oh,yeah, right. Can we talk about it later? I shouldn’t have even saidanything. This is definitely a conversation that’ll take longerthan the two minutes we have before we reach the store.”
“Sure,no problem,” I say faintly. If Leland is going to tell me he thinksit’s time we end our charade, I should enjoy my last few minutes ofour time together as a faux couple before things turn potentiallyawkward. As if reading my thoughts, Leland takes my hand, lacinghis fingers with mine.
We go around tothe back entrance of the store and Leland knocks on the door. “Eventhough the Village is safe and has its own security, I suggested wekeep this door locked at all times, just to be safe,” he explains.When Felicity doesn’t answer, he digs around in his pockets andpulls out his key. “She must be busy with something.”
Inside, the storeis dark. The only light comes from the tiny spaces between thebrown paper covering the front windows.
I jump when Lelandtakes my hand again. “Maybe she went out to run an errand. Shouldyou call her?”
The lights come onsuddenly, followed by a shouted chorus of, “Surprise!”
I jump again andthis time it’s accompanied by a scream. When my eyes adjust to thelight and I see a room full of people in front of me, I double overlaughing. I’m vaguely aware of Leland’s hand settling on the smallof my back as people crowd around me, and I’m pulled into a grouphug with my three best friends.
“I’dsay that was a successful surprise,” Evie says, kissing mycheek.
“Considering you just shaved a year or more off my life, I’dhave to agree.” I swipe at my watering eyes. The next few minutesare a flurry of hugs, kisses, and birthday wishes. My brother andparents are here, along with Felicity, Fergus, Willow and herfiancé Jasper, Evie’s parents, Leland’s mom, and—
Sylvie steps infront of me. “I heard this was the place to be tonight.”
I letout a delighted laugh. “You’re here?Howare you here? How did you arrivebefore us?”
“Lelandmentioned the surprise party when he came to ask about that photohe took,” she explains. “He said I should come if I could get awayfrom the reunion on time. I didn’t plan to stay there long anyway,so I slipped out when everyone was gathered aroundAndy.”
