Chapter 26
twenty-six
ELLA
I wake up to a care package outside my door: ibuprofen, a variety of fall-flavored treats, and hot coffee from Once Upon a Brew.
Even without reading the attached note, I know it’s from Luke. I wonder if he slept at all. His schedule this time of year is grueling, but he still stayed up with me to get one step ahead of Charlotte.
It would be easy to blame it on his dedication to being a fake boyfriend, but it’s just who Luke is. When Gaby’s first boyfriend broke up with her, he stocked the freezer with her favorite ice cream and left a basket in front of her door with a fuzzy blanket, her favorite movie, chocolate, and caramel popcorn.
I pluck the typed out note off the box of baked goods: Rule five. Pumpkin flavored carbs are a guarantee to planning a perfect wedding. Load up.
Technically, that’s rule six, but he doesn’t know about my rule five. He’s making it hard to stick to that. Again.
Excitement bubbles up in my chest as I open the box labeled Czech Crumble Cottage and pluck a pumpkin filled kolache out of the box. I haven’t had the treat in years.
Outside of Texas, a lot of places get it wrong. More often than not, they’re confused with a sausage wrapped in a pastry crust. Really, they’re these cute round pastries filled with various fruits and sprinkled with posipka: a crumble mixture containing flour, butter and sugar. The result is nothing short of decadent.
“Ella, let me in right now!”
I haven’t even managed a response before Gaby stomps in.
“Good morning,” I mumble through a mouthful of pastry.
“Don’t ‘good morning’ me. And why are you leaving that door unlocked?”
Uh oh.
I swipe a napkin from the coffee carryout container and set my kolache on it. Gaby’s eyes widen, like the time she found a twenty-dollar bill on the park playground when we were ten.
“You and my brother are fake dating?”
Of course, Luke would have to loop his siblings in. I’m meeting Holly at the farm later this morning and they need a heads up for these shenanigans.
“He told you.”
“ You should have told me.”
I drop to the bench sitting in front of my bed. “You’re right. It’s just complicated.”
“Complicated because why?”
If Luke told her everything we talked about, she wouldn’t ask why it’s complicated.
“How long do you have?”
She glances at her watch. “Fifteen minutes.”
“Highlight reel then.” I nod. I guess we’re doing this.
Blinking away the last cobwebs of sleep, I shimmy my coffee out of its place and lift it to my lips. Caffeine doesn’t just give energy, it’s liquid courage.
Gaby plops down on my bed and gestures for me to talk.
There’s no easy starting place, which is the biggest reason I didn’t call her last night. In the depths of my exhaustion, there might’ve been something I forgot to include in this magical mayhem that’s spanned over a decade.
The last twenty-four hours have been nothing short of trying to wrangle loose ends in the middle of a gust front. Every time I try to get a handle on one strand, another piece whips away.
But then there’s the magic.
There’s Luke.
There’s an entire wedding hanging in the balance that needs me at my best.
Maybe you’ve been relying on the wrong people.
I take a deep breath and tell her about my original deal with Charlotte. Mostly. How she flipped the script on me after my last wedding. How emotional and exhausted I was in the moments before Holly saw me on my parents’ farm. There are other details we need to hash out later, but they can wait until tomorrow.
Her body is tense as she listens, absorbing the load I’m dropping in her lap. The more I talk, the more I realize this was a conversation we needed to have face to face. Not just because of the heaviness, but because she’s lending me strength to continue on even without realizing it. Her presence is enough.
We sit in a silence for a few minutes when I finish.
“She made a deal with the Gold family, didn’t she?”
“I honestly don’t know.”
“Gilded Vows.” She snorts. “She’s not even trying to hide it.”
She fumbles with the hem of her jeans. Quiet can be a good and bad thing with Gaby. She only looks soft. In truth, I’d never want to get on her bad side. There’s a ferocity that’s almost unhinged when it comes to people she loves or things she’s passionate about.
“Are you angry?”
She lifts her eyes and frowns. “At you? No. I’m a little hurt you didn’t tell me about all this sooner, but I can understand why. Mostly. I’m angry at Charlotte. I’m angry I didn’t know how bad it really was. I’m your best friend, Ella. How did my brother know more than I did?”
“He’s perceptive.” I shrug. Luke is a quiet observer. He excels in seeing between the lines and reacting accordingly. He’s strength in chaos.
But I also learned to keep the worst of it quiet. I donned a mask so impermeable that Luke was the only person who could ever see through pieces of it. Being fully transparent with my situation was too risky, which Charlotte proved in the end.
“I’ll save other questions for later, but I have a huge one that I just can’t let go.” She scoots forward and takes my hands. All the Jackson siblings are handsy, like touch somehow can convey all the words they can’t say.
Luke is excellent at this.
“I’ll try to give you an answer.”
“Why would you give up so much of your life for a farm? Ella. It’s just… I can’t fathom it. You told me you loved your job.”
“I did. I do. Being part of people’s love story has been incredible.”
“Stop throwing me silver linings, Ella. Be honest.”
Maybe it’s because I’m older, but sliding the old mask into place is much harder now. The weight of it is exhausting. Almost crushing. I want to rip it off and let the secrets I’ve carried alone spill onto the ground so they can see my jagged, broken mess. There’s nothing I want more than to expose Charlotte and what she’s truly capable of.
But it leaves me too vulnerable. It’s leaves them too vulnerable. And that’s terrifying.
Words from my conversation with Laila float back into my mind. It’s not that I don’t think I deserve love or to be happy.
I just don’t want to lose anything else.
Upsetting the balance has cost me a lot over the years, so if I have to keep everything as it is in order to keep it, that’s what I’ll do.
“I promised my dad, my parents, that I would take care of our home. Honor it. Cherish it. It’s been in our family since this town was founded. She took everything else from me. I couldn’t let her take that, too.”
It’s not the complete truth, but it’s enough. They don’t need to know how their farm played in Charlotte’s games. It was the least I could do to protect them, and I’d do it again.
I’m not sure they’d agree, though.
Before I know it, Gaby’s arms are around me, squeezing tight. Her chestnut locks spill down my arm, filling the air with a soft, rich scent that reminds me of roses.
“I don’t think I could walk away from everyone I love. Especially not for so long.”
“Maybe you could if you had the right motivation,” I say, my chin against her shoulder. “You never know.”
My parents’ farm was almost enough on its own. But from the moment Charlotte threatened Ever After Farms, it was an easy decision.
“Let’s hope I never find out.” She sniffles and pulls away, wiping at her eyes. “Luke knows all this?”
I duck my head. “Mostly.”
“No. If you are going to ask him to do this, you tell him everything . Even if he suspects, spell it out for him. He deserves that.” She holds up a hand when I open my mouth. “I know yesterday was a lot. I’m just saying—find a time.”
“He knows the basics.”
Gaby’s eyes search mine, and I feel the pinch of so much time lost between us. Technology is a sad replacement for in-person friendships. It’s missing the heart-to-heart connection I feel now.
“This feels so weird to say. Even more so to you. But Ella, please don’t hurt Luke.”
Of all the things I expected her to say, this one didn’t even make the list.
“I wouldn’t. Ever.”
“You wouldn’t on purpose. When you left—I should’ve known. He grieved for you. I thought it was something else. A bad breakup, something. I didn’t know that he was so aware of what you were dealing with.”
She’s the second person in a twelve-hour period to tell me that there was more to Luke than met the eye, and it’s heavy. My heart aches and the coffee is losing its magic. Was I really that blind?
“Also, I see what you’re doing over there. There’s not a single person here that can imagine what you went through in that house. And I’m sure Luke wasn’t exactly up front with his feelings. But I’m his sister, and I saw it. I know I’ve only mentioned his ex-wife here and there, but when she left, it tore him to pieces. Luke can’t withstand a third round.”
“Message received loud and clear,” I say. “You should know—I tried to take it back. When we were at dinner last night. I told him this was a terrible idea and he wouldn’t change his mind.”
“Sounds about right. He better not hurt you, either.”
A laugh spills out of me. “Not going to happen. He’s doing me a favor, and that’s it. ”
“I’m worried that you actually believe that,” she says, her mouth a firm line. “I have to get back for story time with a princess, but Ella. Please be careful. This whole thing feels like a minefield between feelings and your step-mother.”
“I didn’t know what to do. I need a checkmate.”
Gaby squeezes my hands again as she stands. “Then trust us to help you get one. Stop trying to figure out the moves on your own. Charlotte is playing on a whole different level than the rest of us.”
“You sound like your brother.”
“We’re a pretty smart bunch. I’ll see you later?”
“I’m meeting Holly at eleven.”
She surprises me by swooping in for another hug—one that practically crushes me and has me gasping for air.
“I love you so much, and I’m sorry I didn’t know. But I know now and you’re not alone. You’re staying here. You hear me? No more video chat book clubs.”
One more quick squeeze and she’s walking toward the door.
“If that’s all you want me here for, then.”
“And girls’ nights!” She says as she opens the door. “Should I pass along a message to my brother?”
“Tell him thank you for breakfast.”
Gaby stares for a solid five seconds before she makes a gagging nose. “You’re already making me sick.”
The door closes and I’m left in the quiet. It’s practically deafening.
I pick my kolache back up and finish it while I study my room. The white Austin stone centerpiece is opposite my bed, dominating the center of the wall to the ceiling. The scent of cinnamon is heavy in the air, probably from the broom leaning against the wall. There’s pumpkin colored candles on one end of the wood mantle, while seasonal decor fills the rest.
I suspect it’s all from little shops on the square. Maybe a long walk around downtown—I’ve got about two hours to kill—will buy me some time to clear my head before I call a rideshare to get to the farm. I found an app called MagicCarriage Rydes and can’t wait for an excuse to use it.
Either way, it’s rare I have time to slip on tourist shoes when I travel and something inside me craves the change in pace.
Maybe I’ve needed one for a while, and I wasn’t listening.
Before I get dressed, I make my bad. It’s part of my morning routine, and normalcy is unfamiliar right now. As I adjust my pillow, there’s a crinkle from beneath. It wouldn’t matter if twenty years had passed. An enchanted letter beneath my pillow isn’t a sound easily forgotten.
With shaking hands, I lift the edge to peek below and sure enough, there’s a piece of folded paper. There’s a giant L scrawled on the top half.
It’s my one yearly stab in the dark to see if this was all a hoax. After all this time, I should admit defeat. Maybe there was just a sliver in time we were supposed to talk.
Maybe this town has a different definition of soulmate—maybe the rumors got it wrong. Soulmates don’t have to be romantic. They can be a close friend. Two people connected by space and time.
I could use that friendship right now. Life has gotten a little crazy all of a sudden.
And it’s fine if you don’t want that.
But if you’re out there, I just want to know you’re okay.
- Patch
Once a year? He’s been writing once a year?
I could shove the letter back under my pillow and pretend I didn’t see it until I get back later, but I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it. Romance with my former penpal is the last thing on my mind. I’m already juggling a fake relationship while staying two steps ahead of my step-mother.
Friendship is something I can handle, though. Something I could also use.
Patch was always someone I didn’t share the burden of my real life with. I could be the version of Ella I wanted to be.
I look for my tote I took to dinner last night to retrieve a notebook and pen so I can scrawl a quick response. What do I even say?
After several attempts and scrapped letters in the trash can, I opt for quick and simple.
Good news! Not a hoax. I’m happy to disprove you twice now. Looks like the magic is still alive and well and connecting us.
I’m in town for the Diamond Jubilee, so it will be nice to catch up. Friendship would be lovely. I’m not in the market for romance right now. Sorry to make this so fast, but I have plans. I just wanted you to know that yes, I am okay.
And thank you for caring.
-L.
The bed-and-breakfast brims with people that are all getting up for the day, the noise level shifting to a quiet hum outside my door and beneath my feet. People flock here expecting magic to solve their problems and forget that sometimes, it’s the most ordinary places.
Like kindness in the middle of emotional turmoil.
Or fuzzy blankets in a truck cab.
Kolaches and coffee outside my door.
I make quick work of getting dressed and head out the door so I can drop off my letter in the enchanted mailbox. Maybe Laila is right. Or maybe it’s more than that.
The personality I adapted for Gilded Vows was a version of myself that doesn’t fit here. It only worked there because it had to. I need to reacquaint myself with who I was before I left.
Starting with PixieDust Picks, the local thrift shop.