Chapter 29

twenty-nine

ELLA

Coming home to Enchanted Hollow is almost like stepping back in time. There are a few clues that the world kept turning in my absence: new businesses, additions to the festival and the farm, the maturity of the trees within the boundaries of the town.

Then there are things that haven’t changed. The fairy godmothers still huddle at a table in the corner, no doubt looking for couples to match. They look like a bunch of grandmothers gossiping, but those of us that grew up here know differently. The presence of magical beings feels a little like a kiss on the forehead. The same groups of older men sit around a table in the corner of Once Upon a Brew — much like they’re sitting now in the community center — lamenting about technology and football games. The town itself still looks very much like I remember.

As we cross the threshold of the building, familiar faces laugh and the volume of conversation rivals the music pumping through speakers set up at the edges of the space.

The theme for Midnight in the Hollow changes annually. This year the theme is less ethereal than the masquerade, with bales of hay and cornstalks for decorations. Sort of a bougie farmer vibe. There are less fairy lights than I used when I was in charge, but there’s still a low light glow from the battery lit candles scattered throughout.

“I see you’re following my advice, after all.”

I startle as Sebastian Gold appears almost from nowhere. With his dark suit, he blends into the shadowed corners the low light creates.

“Hello is always a great way to start a conversation.” Luke curves a hand around the side of my waist and applies pressure, encouraging me to step in the opposite direction. When I’m on the other side of him, I realize he’s purposefully wedged himself between Sebastian and I.

His dark eyes follow the movement and he tips his chin up in authority.

“My apologies. It’s lovely to see you both here. Ella, you look beautiful, as always.”

“Thank you,” I murmur.

This event is a typically whole town affair, which is why I’m a little surprised to see Sebastian here. If memory serves me right, his family has always preferred to keep to the background. Even now, he looks like that’s where he’d prefer to be. The epitome of tall, dark and handsome.

“This isn’t your usual scene. What made you crawl out of your castle tonight?”

I tip my head to look at Luke. His tone is defensive and a little angry. Maybe unsettled? His grip on my waist tightens, like he’s concerned for me. Despite my limited interactions with Sebastian, I’ve never seen him as someone I should be afraid of.

“I love a good party. Especially this time of year.” The corner of his mouth lifts in a smile as he rolls his shoulders, clasping his hands in front of him.

“Business or pleasure?” I ask. Curiosity killed the act, but I can’t help myself.

There’s something alerting Luke and I want to be privy to at least part of that information.

“A little of both, I guess you could say.”

Sebastian belongs in the category of limited change. He may be poised, but he’s still evasive. Cagey. Always the enigma.

In my experience, this means he’s either hiding something, or he’s fronting for something. Could be both. Either way, I’m going to trudge ahead with caution because I don’t need more complications for this event.

I think Charlotte and fake dating the man beside me are plenty.

Sebastian—if the rumors are true about his family—is a walking neon sign for complications.

“It’s been a pleasure.” Luke practically coughs out the word as he moves to go further inside.

Sebastian isn’t getting the hint, or doesn’t care, because he shifts his attention back to me.

“How is it being back here? After all this time.”

“Eventful,” I answer. One-word answers seem safe until I can find out more.

“You’ve had quite the schedule. And your car?”

Small town gossip at its finest, I suppose. That’s a logical explanation.

“Leo is working on it.”

“Good to hear. Keep your wits about you. Things sometimes get a little topsy-turvy around here.” He winks, and an uneasy feeling slides over my skin.

“What does that?— ”

“Enjoy your evening, Gold.” Luke presses me forward with a finality that says the conversation is over.

“Tell Charlotte hello, would you?” he calls after us.

I try to turn around and head back toward Sebastian, only for Luke to snag me by my elbow.

“Don’t engage with him. He’s just trying to get a reaction.”

“How does he know Charlotte?”

“Birds of a feather, I guess,” he mumbles. “He thrives when he’s messing with your head.”

Questions bubble up in my chest. I want to ask what he means, especially because it sounds personal. But I think better of it.

It’s odd though. They didn’t exactly run in the same circles. Charlotte wasn’t wealthy until the move to Colorado, and Sebastian’s family is self-explanatory. We’ve never talked much, mostly for this reason.

Could she really have made a deal with the Golds?

What does that mean for me? For Luke?

Luke is quiet as we make our way across the room to find a table. I’m not offering much conversation either, but I’m trying to get out of my head.

There’s not a served meal, but there are plenty of fall samplings to enjoy and I need a place to set my bag. A server with a full tray of hors d’oeuvres stumbles in front of me, and Luke’s hand snakes around my waist to prevent us from crashing into each other. My back presses against his chest, warmth seeping through his shirt to my bare back.

“You okay?” His voice is gruff in my ear, but I can’t respond. My brain is physically melting from all this physical touch.

All I can do is nod and mumble out a ‘thank you’ that sounds more like gibberish .

“Can I get you anything? Drink? Food?” He pauses. “A dance?”

All the options sound amazing, but I don’t think I want him to let go of me just yet. I didn’t realize I was such a physical touch person. I’d always considered myself high ranking with acts of service or even words.

But not here, not with Luke.

“I wouldn’t mind a spin around the dance floor.”

His response is a crooked grin that makes the dimple in his cheek wink.

I may not survive this dance.

He holds a hand out for me to take before he pulls me close and I’d like to imagine there’s some woman in here, a little sad that she’s not the one dancing with him. A part of me has always wondered how my last time here might’ve looked in an alternate timeline. One where Luke escorted me and laughed with me all night long. Where we could’ve seen what came after the pumpkin patch.

Or one where my alarm didn’t shatter a magical evening and Patch and I got to reveal our true identities. I so desperately wanted it to be Luke.

Now I’m getting a glimpse of that.

My fingers test the boundaries first, curling around his neck, rubbing against the shorter hairs at the edge of his jacket. His hand tightens around the one he’s clasping as we slowly two-step around the dance floor, tingles dancing along my nerves.

“Are we going to talk about the list?”

My mouth goes dry. Maybe we should have opted to eat, drink, and be merry before we danced.

“It’s a silly list I threw together.”

“Stop telling me your feelings don’t matter and tell me about it instead.” Luke’s fingers draw a pattern on the bare skin of my back.

In the years after I lost my father, Luke and I somehow just clicked. I wish there was a simple explanation, like the town knew I needed a friend. But Luke is too kind and perceptive for that to be true. He saw through my quiet struggles to find normalcy. That still holds true, but now he’s gently pushing for me to open up.

Being vulnerable with him scares me. Knowing how much he hurt when I left means there’s potential to hurt him again. Especially when there are genuine feelings involved in this fake relationship. He hasn’t said that, but I can feel it.

There’s a lot of fallout on the line here.

“They’re just things I wanted to do. Someday. Maybe once I got away from her, and things were less complicated.”

Gaby knew about the list, but I don’t think she realized how real it was. She lived a perfectly normal teenage life while I sat by and dreamed about it.

“Did she ever let you do anything? Have anything?”

I glance up at him and wish I could give him an answer that would ease the pain in his eyes.

“Not really. I tried once. And then everything fell apart.”

His lips press together. “She punished you for going to the dance?”

Silence hangs between us as he patiently waits for me to say more. I take a deep breath, like I’m about to jump into the deep end of a pool.

“It’s more complicated than that.”

But is it? That’s exactly what she did. She changed her entire plans to make sure I knew who was in control, and she hasn’t let me forget it.

“After the wedding, after you get your farm?— ”

“ If I get my farm,” I say. I don’t trust Charlotte to keep it that simple.

“When you get your farm,” he repeats. “What comes next? What do you want to do?”

“Stay here. I’ve missed it so much.” I panic a little at how easily the words are coming out, but I don’t think I can stop them. “I feel like I belong here. People know me, they know my parents. There’s a history for me here, roots. I’m not invisible or just another event planner for Charlotte’s business.”

Oh Ella. Reel . It. In.

People often act like I’m too much. They ask something simple and, in my excitement, I can’t stop talking. Especially if I can relate to them — I want them to know they’re not alone. The Queen of Oversharing.

I over shared with my penpal and now I’m over sharing with Luke.

I duck my head, afraid to look him in the eye. Luke hasn’t ever judged me, but I don’t think I could bear it if he did now.

“So let’s work through that bucket list.”

“What?” I snap my eyes to his.

“We might as well get you caught up to the present. Let’s check off some of those things on your list.”

My cheeks heat. There are personal things on that list. Like ‘ kiss under the bleachers’ personal. Not that I’d mind that experience with Luke.

“You don’t have a bucket list?” I squeak out. “Everyone should have a bucket list.”

“Sure. But I’ve probably crossed a few things off mine.”

Intrigued, I study him. “Like what?”

“I met the Great Pumpkin once.”

“How dare you,” I whisper mockingly. “You’re not supposed to wait for him without me.”

“You weren’t here,” he whispers back .

For once, there’s nothing I can think of to say. Faintly, I realize I’m still pressed against him as we sway. I’m not even sure there’s still a slow song playing.

“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll be less—what did you call me?—cantankerous, if you will be brave and share your list with me.”

“I’m not sure those two things are of equal value.”

“The offer is on the table.” He spins us around and I tip my head back in a laugh. His hand moves between my shoulder blades and he brings me within kissing distance. “There’s my girl,” he whispers. “I love that sound.”

Bravery comes in many forms. It’s armor I strap on daily to give me strength to do the hard things, like smiling and planning with families when mine felt broken to pieces. It’s stepping back into a town full of ghosts and promises. It’s working next to the man I always wanted, but could never have.

I am brave.

But in this moment, with my heart ready to gallop right out of my chest, I realize what he’s asking of me will take an entirely different type of armor. Maybe it’s time I tried a new kind.

“You’ve got a deal.”