With a huff, I wrench open the gate and hurry through.I’ve just stepped onto the sidewalk in front of the pizzeria when a woman calls my name.Assuming it’s one of the mothers from the park chasing me down to berate me, I suck in a breath and whip around.“I said I was sorry.I promise to stay far away from the park from now on.”
Aneesha stands a few feet away, holding up her hands in defense the way Nathan did a few moments ago.
“Oh god, Aneesha, I’m sorry.I thought you were...”I wave a hand toward the park and shake my head.“Never mind, it doesn’t matter.I’m an idiot whose big mouth keeps getting her in trouble.”
Aneesha gives me a quick smile, which instantly puts me at ease.“I don’t know about the getting in trouble part, but you’re far from an idiot.”She hefts her purse up on her shoulder and points toward a cherry-red Beetle parked at the curb.“My shift at the café is over, so I’m heading home.I was hoping to catch you before I left.”
I glance at my watch and realize I’ve been gone longer than intended.“Is my mum okay?”
“Oh, yeah, she’s fine.I stopped in her office on my way out and left her a plate of cookies.I actually just wanted to see if maybe you’d like to do something together sometime.You know, two town outcasts hanging out, doing whatever it is outcasts do.Like...not giving a shit what everyone else in this town thinks?”
Mrs.Fleming, a retired high school teacher, walks by just then.The old woman narrows her eyes and tuts at Aneesha, who smiles sweetly until Mrs.Fleming has passed, and then she shrugs at me and rolls her eyes.I sense a kindred spirit in Aneesha, and god knows I could use that right now, especially with Mila and most of my other friends being scattered around the world.
“I’d love that,” I tell her.“I’m free any time.”
CHAPTER EIGHT ~ NATHAN
Honeywell Hollow has been taken over by a film crew overnight.Well, I guess ‘taken over’ is a bit of an exaggeration, but in all the years I’ve lived here, the only time I remember there being a traffic jam downtown was when a flock of Canada geese thought the middle of Front Street was a great place to convene, causing cars to line up in both directions.
As I turn into the detour lane, I catch sight of Joss.I pull over and stop in front of one of the newly-erected barricades.A panicked-looking crew member with a headset and a giant tablet dashes in my direction, waving at me to move on.The motion catches Joss’s attention, and she smiles brightly when she sees me.
“It’s okay, Jesse, he’s a friend of mine,” she tells the harried tablet-wielder.He scurries away, and Joss strides over to my truck, popping her head in the open window to kiss my cheek.
“Are you the one to blame for all this?”I ask, gesturing toward various large pieces of equipment and the people erecting roadblocks.
“I think you meanthankfor all this,” she says.
Joss came to Honeywell last November to escape the press after a nasty divorce, and to hide out for the holiday season.What was supposed to be a fling with Liam turned into much more, and she now splits her time between Toronto and Honeywell.Dubbed the ‘Queen of Christmas’ by her fans for the holiday romcoms she’s become famous for over the last decade, Joss was asked last year to co-star in an indie film, and she suggested Honeywell as the filming location.After several delays, shooting is finally set to start this week.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she says before I can say anything else.“This movie could put Honeywell on the map, andyoudon’twantHoneywell on the map.”
“I really don’t.The whole quiet, small-town thing is part of Honeywell’s appeal.”
Joss opens her mouth to speak, but I hold up a hand to stop her, already knowing what she’s going to say.“It’ll be good for the local economy, I get that.”Liam and I are working on a project at the B&B, and they’re fully booked with cast and crew.The shops, eateries, and other businesses in town will benefit too.“I just…don’t want Honeywell to lose its heart.If we’re constantly flooded with tourists, it’ll change things.”
“Spoken like a true Taurus,” Joss says, patting my cheek.
I roll my eyes, but I can’t help the quiet laugh that comes with it.“I may grumble, and I’m sure elements of this whole production will get under my skin over the next few months, but I hope you know I’m proud of you.And if all of this means you get to be in town instead of hours away or even halfway across the world, I’ll suck it up.”
Her bottom lip juts out, and she grips my arm where it rests on the window frame.“Nathan Holbrook, I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
I huff out another laugh.“I’d say don’t get used to it, but…” I sober, remembering what Liam said to me the day Fiona got home, about how Murph was so open with his emotions and didn’t shy away from telling the people he loved how much they meant to him.There are only a handful of people I’ve ever said ‘I love you’ to, and that includes the Murphys, Liam, Rex…and Fiona.
“But?”Joss asks, her eyes dancing as they search my face.“Are we about to have a mushy moment here, Nathan?”
I groan and drop my head back, running a hand over my face.When Joss first came to town, I was wary of her, which made me standoffish.She’s a celebrity in her own right, but she was also married to a famous actor, which made her a walking target for the press after their divorce.She was clear from the beginning that her stay in Honeywell was temporary while she started to heal and figure some things out.Liam fell for her hard and fast—and Rex formed a quick attachment to her too—so I was worried she’d unintentionally break their hearts, along with the hearts of the Murphys, who welcomed her into their lives from the start.
I’m not often wrong about people, but I’ll freely admit I was wrong about Joss.Liam has never been happier, and after everything he’s been through, especially in the last year—his sister going to rehab, looking after Rex, Murph’s illness and death—he deserves happiness and peace.Joss also brightened Murph’s life and was a big help through the last months of his illness.And I can’t deny she’s been a good friend to me too.She’s the type of person who goes all in with her relationships, and she’s dug deep with me, despite the walls I sometimes keep up.There have been times after we’ve talked when I’ve joked about paying her because it felt so much like a therapy session.
“I already said I’m proud of you and that I’m glad you’re in town.Can we leave it at that?”
She gives me that megawatt smile of hers, although it’s not the one thousands of people around the world have seen and fallen in love with over the course of her career.No, this is the one she saves for the people she loves.The ‘real’ Joss isn’t much different from her celebrity persona, but it’s moments like this when I realize how lucky I am to know the real her.
“We can leave it at that for now, yeah.”She drums her fingertips against the door and glances around, waving at someone across the street and calling a greeting to someone else nearby.Her tone is oh-so-casual when she says, “Speaking of people you won’t admit you love, have you seen much of Fiona lately?”
“Josslyn.”Instead of putting her off, my warning tone only makes her grin once more.
“Nathan,” she says, attempting to imitate my growl-like tone, but it makes her voice crack, which in turn makes her giggle.
