Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

CHARLOTTE

A fter our night together in the barn, I felt closer than ever to Teddy. I was more confident that when he moved back into his house, we’d be okay.

It was probably too good to be true, but I hoped that Rick had moved on and forgotten about me. He hadn’t showed up anywhere, but at the same time, I hadn’t left the farm.

I felt safe here. But I needed to go into town today to look for some decorations for the barn. I wanted it to look perfect, and the walls were missing something.

I had ideas of hanging velvet ribbons around the room with wreaths. Maybe toward the top of the walls. It would be a nice addition to the lights.

I drove into town and browsed the shops on Main Street, finding the ribbon and wreaths I wanted. Then I even found a beautiful snow globe of Santa in his shop. I was supposed to be shopping for the barn, but I kind of wanted it for my mantle since I didn’t have a tree.

I was so focused on the farm and painting the kitchen, I hadn’t done much in the way of holiday decorations at my house. We’d talked about cutting down a tree but had never gotten around to it.

With Christmas in a couple of days, I needed to decorate the cottage. I might not be living there for long, but it should have the warm and cozy feel like the barn did the other night. I wanted to recreate that night on Christmas Eve.

I practically bounced through my shopping with the knowledge that Teddy was in love with me. This big, grumpy man that never let himself go with anyone loved me .

I wanted to share my excitement with someone, and Teddy was working. I decided to text Fiona and invited her to lunch.

Charlotte: You up for lunch?

Fiona: If you can come to the inn. I’m swamped.

Recently, Fiona expanded the kitchen and hired cooks to provide a more substantial lunch and dinner menu for their guests.

Charlotte: Be there in twenty.

It felt good to be doing something besides working on the farm. I liked it, but I missed my friend too.

I parked at the historic inn, always awed by the columns and classic Christmas decorations. Inside the foyer, I couldn’t help but remember one of the last times I worked here, and Rick showed up.

When Fiona appeared in the foyer with a bright smile, I put Rick out of my mind. I wouldn’t let him ruin my good mood.

Fiona hugged me tightly. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me too,” I said as I pulled away and followed her into the dining room. “I love this new addition.”

“We are booked solid now that we have a restaurant and the bar. It was a risk, but I think it will pay off.” We sat, and Fiona waved for a waitress.

We put in our drink and salad orders.

“You’ll love the wedge salad. It’s amazing.”

“It must be nice to be the owner of a business.” Technically, it was Aiden’s family’s business. But now that they were married, they were co-owners.

“You’ll get your business off the ground. I’ve heard about the improvements to the farm, and everyone’s raving about the holiday festival.”

“I’m pleased with how it worked out, and your family should be able to make it an annual thing. I might continue to consult with them on the festival and run the social media pages for them. We’ll see.” Teddy had said we’ll see about me consulting but now that we were dating it only made sense that I’d be involved.

“But how are you?”

I looked around the room at the smiling couples and friends. “I’m so happy.”

“Tell me everything. What’s it like living on the farm with Teddy as your closest neighbor?”

I sucked in a breath, not quite believing she’d cut straight to the heart of my happiness.

Fiona’s eyes widened as realization sunk in. “Wow. Okay. Is there something going on there?”

“At first, he wasn’t happy I was living in the cottage. He doesn’t trust easily. We spent a lot of time together and really got to know each other better.” I couldn’t believe so much had changed in my life since I first moved in a few weeks ago.

Fiona wiggled her brows. “And you two fucked like?—”

I held up a hand. “Don’t finish that sentence. Since when are you so crass?”

Fiona looked around, then leaned in to say, “I run an inn. Most people here are already in a relationship. They aren’t looking for one. I’d found the love of my life at seventeen, so I have to live vicariously through you.”

“Your love life wasn’t without drama.” She and Aiden only reconnected when she had visited for the holidays and rented a room in the inn. She had no idea he was discharged from the military and running it. “So I’m not sure my life is pure entertainment for you.”

Fiona nodded, then waved a hand to continue. “Trust me. It is. Now start talking.”

“One night, we were in the barn?—”

Fiona leaned in eagerly. “Oh, I love where this is going.”

“I’d just gotten out the Santa costume, and we were talking about me consulting in the future.” I didn’t remember the exact conversation because it was like everything had slowed down. All I could focus on was the steady beat of my heart and the promise in his eyes. “Next thing I knew, we were standing close, and he was touching my hair.”

I looked around the room to see if anyone was listening, but the only other diners were seated on the opposite side. “He leaned in as if he was going to kiss me. Then Wes opened the sliding barn door.”

Fiona’s expression fell. “Boo. I hate interruptions. Brothers can be so annoying.”

“I think it was a good thing. I went home to take a bath. Teddy stayed to talk to your brother. Then the next thing I knew, he was pounding on my door.”

Fiona’s eyes lit up. “I bet he pounds really hard too. A skill that comes with the job, if you know what I mean.”

I paused and considered my friend. “Since when did you start talking so dirty?”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, pound. That’s— I actually meant pounding on the door. But yeah, that works too.” A smile spread over her face. “I like where your mind is right now.”

“I don’t know about you sometimes.” I shook my head, then tried to remember where I was in this story. “I jumped out of the tub, thinking something was wrong.” Or that Rick had found me. But I left that detail to myself. “I pulled on my robe. You know, because I was wet and naked.”

“Was it a see-through one?” Fiona asked eagerly.

“Actually, it was silk. My hair was up in a bun. I probably looked like a mess.”

Fiona nodded eagerly. “A hot one though. I have a feeling he liked it.” Then she sighed. “And just so you know, I’m pretending that this is just some random guy, and not my brother. Otherwise, I’d never make it through this conversation.”

I shook my head. “I opened the door, and it was Teddy. I practically burned up at the look he gave me.”

“I bet you did.”

“You probably don’t want to know the details.” I was fairly sure my nipples had been visible through the material, and the robe had clung to my curves.

Her forehead wrinkled. “Only if you don’t say his name. I’m good with pretending your banging a random guy.”

“Wes said something to him about how he’s always taken care of everyone else, and he should have something for himself.”

Fiona waggled her brows. “Or someone.”

“Well, whatever he said, I’m grateful. Because Ted— I mean, he lost all sense of control that night. He gave into his desires, and it was amazing.” Like nothing I’d ever experienced with anyone else. Teddy unleashed was something to behold. And I was the one who got to experience it.

The waitress placed our drinks in front of us. “Your salads should be here shortly. Would you like to order?”

“Get the chicken sandwich on ciabatta. You’ll love it.”

I hadn’t even had a chance to look at the menu, so I said, “I’ll take that.”

“Make it two,” Fiona said with a smile. “Thanks. ”

Fiona sipped her iced tea, then said, “I love this story so much.”

My throat was dry from all the talking, so I did the same. “I’m glad my life is so entertaining to you.”

“I thought I fell in love when I was a teenager. When Aiden enlisted and walked away from me, I thought it was just young love, and I’d get over it. But I never shook the feeling that Aiden was different than the guys I dated. When I ran into him?—”

“You fell in love all over again.”

“Yeah, I mean I fought it a bit. He really hurt me when he left. He said some things?—”

“Sounds like you were both immature, and when you met again, it was the right time.”

Fiona’s gaze softened. “It was the right time, and we were in a good place. We still had some healing to do, but we did it together. My life is different than how I imagined, but I love living here with Aiden and running this inn.”

“I want a love like that. One that stands the test of time and whatever life throws at us.” Fiona’s love for Aiden had withstood life and a nasty breakup. There were heartache and hard feelings, but they worked through it.

“And you can have it, but you have to be open to it. Is that what’s happening between you and Teddy, or is it just a way to pass the time?” Fiona asked as the waitress set our salads in front of us.

“Everything looks delicious, Tess. Thank you.”

“Let me know if you need anything else.” Tess returned to the kitchen as we dug into our salads. It gave me a few seconds to think of a response. “He told me he loved me.”

Fiona paused and looked at me. “Did you say it back?”

“I did.” My throat tightened. Had I fallen too quickly, especially after the way my relationship with Rick turned out?

“That’s amazing. I’m so happy for you.” Fiona reached over to squeeze my hand. “We might be sisters one day. ”

“What if we’re moving too fast? It’s only been a couple of weeks. What do we really know about each other?” It didn’t sit well with me that I hadn’t told him about Rick. Teddy wasn’t a trusting person. I didn’t think he’d like that I’d kept something like this from him. Although, a part of me hoped it was over, and Rick had moved on.

Fiona lowered her fork. “Are you worried about Rick showing up?”

I winced, pushing the lettuce around my plate. “Kind of? It’s probably too much to hope for that he moved on and forgot all about me.”

“He showed up here not that long ago, and he was angry. I don’t think he’d forget about it that quickly. He might just be laying low and biding his time. Wanting to get you alone.”

A chill ran down my spine, causing me to shiver. “You think so?”

“Aiden’s concerned. Did you ever go to the authorities and get a restraining order?”

“I researched it online, and since we don’t live together, were never married, or share a child, I technically don’t qualify for a protective order.”

Fiona frowned. “That can’t be right. There should be some recourse if someone’s harassing you.”

“I think those are separate laws. But he’s only hit me that one time, and then confronted me here at work.” He’d grabbed my arm, but Aiden interrupted the altercation before it deteriorated.

“Once is too many times.”

I flushed. “I got out, remember? I left that first time.”

“You quit your job. Broke your lease early. Then lived with Cole to hide from him.” Fiona didn’t approve of me running.

“That’s not exactly what happened.” But at the time, it had felt like I was hiding. I refused to confide in Cole. I didn’t want him to worry about me, and I thought I had it under control. “He texted me once too, something about him finding me.”

“I don’t like this. You have to talk to someone. What does Teddy think?”

I sucked in a breath.

Fiona shook her head, her disappointment clear. “You didn’t tell him?”

“I will. I just haven’t gotten around to it. I was hoping that Rick was done with me, and it wouldn’t be an issue going forward.”

Fiona pursed her lips. “I don’t think these kinds of guys just go away.”

I chewed my lip, my appetite gone. “I didn’t mean to come here and talk about this. I was feeling so good about everything that’s happening with Teddy and on the farm.”

“You can’t ignore this and hope it will go away. You have to be prepared that Rick’s going to show up again, and next time, you might be alone.”

I nodded. “You’re right.”

“Talk to Teddy soon. I’m worried about you.”

“I’ll talk to him after the holidays. He’s having dinner with your family tonight, and then telling everyone about us on Christmas. I don’t want to mess things up before Christmas by telling Teddy about my past.”

“It’s up to you. But I’d want him to know. How can he protect you if he doesn’t know what’s going on?”

Fiona always had her family to count on. I didn’t. I suspected that was why I was more reluctant to ask for help. No one had ever been there for me. My brother had apologized for escaping to the Monroes, but the reality was that the damage had already been done. I learned quickly that the only one I could count on was me.

And a part of me didn’t want Teddy to look at me differently. To think I was somehow less than because I dated a man who could treat me like that.

Teddy respected me. He cherished me, and Rick made me feel anything but.

Our sandwiches arrived, and we moved our salads to the side. Suddenly, I was starving.

“Now, tell me everything that’s been happening on the farm. I can’t wait to hear more about your ideas. Then I’ll tell you what the guests are saying.”

“Oh, your guests are talking about the Calloway farm and not the Monroes?”

Fiona nodded. “Uh-huh.”

“But Monroe Farm is adjacent to your property. It makes more sense that they’d go there.”

Fiona shook her head. “The festival was the talk of the town. People are asking if you’ll host one again. Tell Dad my guests loved it, and they wrote about it in their guest books. Which got the next guests asking about it.”

“I love that so much.” I enjoyed coming up with new ideas and implementing them. But it was encouraging when marketing worked like it was supposed to, by word of mouth.

“I think your partnership with the farm will open other job opportunities.”

“I hope so. I don’t want to have to go back to a marketing firm where I’m working long hours and not making a lot of money.”

“Trust me. Word will get around.”

“How has the restaurant been for the inn? You said you’ve been getting more reservations.”

“It’s exactly what we needed. We have a restaurant, the bars, the movie theater, and the game room. Now we need to hire more staff since we’re booked.”

“I’m so happy for you.”

“Your business will take off. You’ll see. ”

I hoped she was right. Living in the cottage was only temporary. I couldn’t stay there forever. I’d have to find a new place to live and pick up more marketing jobs. “I’d better start advertising for more clients. I’ve been so wrapped up in the farm.”

I was a little worried that businesses wouldn’t be looking to hire anyone until the spring. I hoped that wasn’t true. I’d done work for Violet and Luna, but I needed to branch out more, get outside my friend circle.

That meant spending more time in town, where it was possible Rick would find me. I didn’t want to take the risk, but I couldn’t hide forever. I wanted to live my life in the open.