Chapter 8
8
D enise strode through the woods behind the farmhouse, her boots leaving marks in the fresh snow. The weight of the snowfall bent the pine needles, forming natural arches throughout the forest. Morning sunlight illuminated the air, reflecting off the snow’s crystalline structure and transforming the quiet woods into a sparkling wonderland.
Three weeks. She’d been back in Stony Creek for three weeks, and now it looked like she’d be staying through the new year. The knowledge settled on her like the snow blanketing the countryside. Her initial plan to strong-arm Alyssa into selling had failed spectacularly. And now, she’d volunteered to help with her father’s annual Christmas event - a decision that still puzzled her.
Denise had even started venturing into town to buy her groceries and she was still blown away by the fact that people treated her as Denise Addington, Wayne’s daughter, rather than Denise Adams. There were no paparazzi. A few people had done double takes when she’d walked by, but no one had bothered her.
It was so different to her life in L.A., where every trip out in public required sunglasses, a hat, and a carefully planned escape route. Here, she’d slowly started to feel more comfortable with being in town, with being seen, without the fear of being ambushed by cameras.
She’d even had a conversation with the cashier, an older woman named Nora, who’d known her father for years. Nora had shared a story about Wayne helping her change a flat tire on a snowy night. Nora had said that he’d refused any payment beyond a cup of hot cocoa.
“Your dad was a real gentleman,” Nora said as she bagged Denise’s groceries. “Always ready to lend a hand. We sure do miss him around here. And you,” she’d added just as Denise was ready to leave. “It’s good to have you back in town.”
Denise had nodded, unsure how to respond. These glimpses into her father’s life reminded her so much of the man she’d known before she’d decided to come out to him. Then it had all changed. And she’d pushed her life here so far into a box that she’d forgotten about all the people who had known her as a child, as a teenager. People like Nora who Denise couldn’t remember but who clearly remembered her.
The silence of the woods surrounded Denise as she walked, the only sound her footsteps crunching through the snow. Despite her initial reservations about being in Stony Creek, the past three weeks hadn’t actually been bad. The discovery of Alyssa’s inheritance had completely blindesided her, but as the weeks went by, Denise found herself enjoying the break from the craziness of Hollywood.
Out here, there were no paparazzi hounding her every move, no constant pressure to maintain a perfect image. She was between projects, so her absence from Los Angeles would go largely unnoticed. Her agent had called once, just last week, wondering when she would be back, and Denise said she honestly didn’t know.
As much as Denise hated to admit it, there was a certain charm to the slower pace of life in Stony Creek. The town’s quaint storefronts and friendly faces had begun to feel less like an inconvenience and more like a welcome change of pace.
Of course, the situation with Alyssa and the tree farm still loomed over her, a constant reminder of the unfinished business that had brought her back to this place. But for now, in the stillness of the forest, Denise allowed herself to savor the unexpected peace that had come with her return to Stony Creek.
Denise’s thoughts drifted to the quiet evenings she’d spent alone in the farmhouse, curled up in front of a roaring fire with a book. The crackling flames and the warmth from the logs had become a part of her evening routine, but she had to block out any memories of her younger self sitting by that same fireplace. She couldn’t think about all of the years that had gone by. She’d always been so sure of herself, of her decision to never come back here, to ignore her father’s calls years later thinking that he was only trying to get in touch with her now that she was rich and famous.
Because maybe he had changed.
And if she’d picked up the phone, if she’d given him another chance…
Denise shook her head. When she thought about the way she was around Alyssa in those first few days… It was jealousy really. Anger, for sure. But jealousy. Alyssa had slid right into her old life, essentially replacing her.
Denise blinked back tears now as she stepped over a fallen log covered in snow. She hadn’t heard from her father in years, but she could trace that first phone call back to twelve years ago. She remembered it clearly, because she’d won her first and only Oscar the night before. She was thirty-three and at the height of her career, and her cynical mind went straight to the idea that her father was only reaching out because of her win, because if she already wasn’t one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood, she was after that win. Because while she’d been getting paid well for the five years before that, a win like that would certainly allow her to earn more.
But it had never been about that.
Alyssa had said that she’d started working at the tree farm thirteen years ago and that her father was one of the first people Alyssa had come out to. Denise hadn’t pressed her about it, but Alyssa had given her no indication that her father had had any kind of negative reaction. The opposite apparently.
And a year later, her father had tried to get in touch after all those years?
What if he’d regretted the way he’d treated her and was looking to start over?
Denise walked back to the house in a daze. She’d been trying so hard not to think about it, but it was impossible to ignore now. Not with the timing of it all.
There was nothing she could do about it now, and she’d never really know what he’d been thinking.
Denise returned to the farmhouse, her cheeks flushed from the cold. She pushed open the heavy front door, grateful for the warmth that surrounded her as she stepped inside.
Bending down, Denise unlaced her boots, peeling them off her feet one by one. Then she shrugged out of her coat, hanging it on the hooks near the door. The farmhouse was starting to feel like home again, though she still felt a twinge of guilt at the thought.
Technically, this was Alyssa’s now.
As she went over to the fireplace to get it ready for this evening, she realized that the best thing she could do was to try and help Alyssa as best as she could with this Christmas event. The longer Denise was here, the more she remembered how important her father had always been to this town. Everyone she’d met that either remembered her or maybe had heard through local gossip that she wasn’t just a famous actress in town, she was Wayne Addington’s daughter, had nothing but nice things to say about it.
The thought of him, dressed as Santa, handing out gifts, and spreading joy, was so vivid she could almost see him there.
It was a side of him she’d chosen to forget. The side that was generous and kind. She’d been so focused on her own pain, on the rejection she’d felt when she came out to him, that she’d pushed away all the good memories.
This event was a perfect example of who he was. He’d always been about giving, about making others happy. It was no surprise that he’d started this tradition, that he’d continued it year after year.
She couldn’t change the past, couldn’t go back and fix what had gone wrong between them. But she could honor his memory, could make sure his legacy lived on. And the best way to do that was to make sure this event went off without a hitch.