“Yep—no more Mr. Ferrari jokes.”
“Oh, I don’t think that will stop me.” She smiles into her cookie.
“I hope not,” I say, and mean it. I love when Elinor teases me. “Anyhow, you won’t need to worry about me being your landlord, since Brandon—the new park owner—has agreed topay me rent for Bumble Cottage. That way he can continue to give his park manager the perk of free housing.”
She looks up sharply, searching my face. “You thought of that too?”
I shrug a little. “I know that part bothered you.”
Something softens in her expression.
“There’s a lot more to work out,” I say. “This is no small undertaking. But we’re both excited. We have so many ideas.”
“I absolutely love this plan,” Elinor says, smiling at me before taking another bite of her cookie. She chews for a moment, thoughtful. “And I love you.”
The words hit me square in the chest.
“But Edward...” She turns toward me again, her brow furrowing. “If this whole venture fails, I’ll feel terrible.”
“You shouldn’t,” I softly kiss her forehead, grateful for her generous heart. “You might be the reason I considered this option. If we hadn’t reconnected, I probably would have continued drifting with the flow working under the tyranny of Lucinda. But, Elinor...” I reach for her hand again. “That’s part of why I love you. You make me brave enough to be my best self.”
“Really?” She looks up at me. “I think you do the same for me. My mom and sister tease that I’ve kept my heart locked in a vault—and in some ways, they’re right.” A smile spreads across her face. “But I wrote you that note. And I drove all the way to San Francisco to make sure you got it. Do you know how unlike me that is?Youmakemebrave.”
Her expression is so tender and open and full of love—a different sort of love than my family ever gave me. For the first time in a long while, I don’t feel like I’m drifting through my own life. I have direction and purpose. I want to build things instead of letting them pass me by. To show up for the people I love in ways I haven’t before. For so long, I’ve drifted whereverlife carried me. But right now, holding Elinor in my arms, I feel anchored.
And once again, we become delightfully distracted and don’t talk business for a long, long while.
***
Dinner is a celebratory event. Annie isincredibly smug when she catches Elinor and I holding hands under the dinner table.
“Admit it Edward, you fell in love with Elinor the moment you saw her painting on the trail.”
“I wouldn’t call it love at first sight,” I hedge. But why lie? “Okay, yeah, basically.”
“Thankyou!” She gives me a gratified look. “You’ve confirmed all my best beliefs about love and romance.”
“Which are?” Brandon asks from across the table.
“When I meet the love of my life, I will know the moment I see him,” Annie says grandly.
“That so?” asks a skeptical Brandon.
“That’s how it is in all the best love stories.”
“What about Darcy and Lizzy fromPride and Prejudice?” Mrs. Greenwood counters.
“Darcy definitely thought she was cute,” says Annie. “He just didn’t admit it, because, like most men, he was uncomfortable sharing his feelings.”
“What about Lizzy?” Elinor asks. “It took her a while to see that she had a good guy right in front of her.”
Annie glances up. Her eyes meet Brandon’s and she blushes. He shows no response. He’s an interesting fellow, the way he can easily wear his heart on his sleeve, or—as he’s doing right now—keep it safely hidden.
“I have some news,” I begin. The table hushes, and all eyes are on me. “My mom sold the park to a new owner.”
Annie, Mrs. Greenwood, and Pepper all talk at once.
“No!”
