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“Meeting adjourned,” Jasper announced in a gleeful tone.
Before Paige could even gather her composure, she found herself surrounded by a group of residents. Old friends were grabbing her hand and patting her on the back, showering her with words of thanks and encouragement. Grace came up and gave her a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you, Paige. It was so brave of you to come here tonight and address the town.” Grace shuddered. “I’ve had to do it once or twice myself and can attest it isn’t easy.”
“I have to admit my knees were knocking,” Paige said with a chuckle. “I’m surprised no one heard it.”
Grace laughed along with her. “You’ve got spunk. I like that.”
“Spoken by a woman who has plenty to go around,” Boone said as he sidled up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. He placed a tender kiss on the side of her forehead that had Paige yearning for her own tall, dark and handsome Alaskan.
Hazel, Jasper and Myrtle joined her circle of supporters.
Myrtle stepped forward and reached for her hand. She patted it. “I appreciate y
our courage in coming back here, young lady. You have my full support. If there’s anything you need moving forward, please don’t hesitate to let me know.” She sent Paige a knowing look. “As the local historian, I know this town like the back of my hand.”
Paige smiled at Myrtle, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the crush of people. Most of them she knew, but there were a handful of young women who she suspected were in Alaska to find their other halves under Jasper’s Operation Love program. They were smiling and upbeat and positive about her plan.
Without any fanfare, Honor stepped forward and stood before Paige, her sweet face wet with tears. “Oh, Paige, I’ve missed you so,” Honor cried as she threw herself into Paige’s arms.
“I’ve missed you, too, sweetie,” Paige said as she hugged the young woman who had been like a sister to her. When everything had fallen apart for her in Love, Honor had been attending college out of state. They had never had a proper goodbye. Ashamed of her father’s actions, Paige had never had the courage to reach out to Honor. Since Cameron had severed all ties with her, she hadn’t felt right about dragging Honor into the whole mess.
When they pulled apart, Paige noticed Cameron standing nearby, his gaze trained on the two of them.
“Are you back for good?” Honor asked. There was such hope radiating from her eyes.
Back for good? It was a complicated question, one she didn’t have a ready answer for. She didn’t want to extinguish Honor’s joy, but she couldn’t give her false hope either. She had returned to Alaska for a specific purpose. Cameron was now aware of Emma’s existence and he was beginning to form a bond with her. Fulfilling her father’s dying wish was a bit trickier, but she was now one step closer to achieving it. If the town decided to proceed with the cannery project, Paige would relocate to Love for a period of time in order to support the project. She was hoping to be hired on to work as a consultant. At the moment everything was up in the air.
“To be honest, I’m not sure, honey,” Paige said, reaching for Honor’s hand and gripping it tightly. “If the cannery project doesn’t pan out, it might make sense for us to return to Seattle. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m here now. And I can’t wait for you to meet your niece.”
Honor let out a little squeal and began to gush about Emma. She told Paige about completing graduate school and her plans to work in wildlife conservation in Alaska. They made plans to have lunch one afternoon and to catch up on everything they had missed in each other’s lives.
Paige glanced in Cameron’s direction just in time to see his retreating figure as he quietly slipped out of the room. She felt a hitch in the region of her heart upon seeing him walk away from her. He was the only one with whom she really wanted to celebrate this moment. Although she appreciated every last gesture of support, Cameron’s presence was the one she craved. More and more she found herself relying on him like a lifeline the same way she had done in the past. Although her head knew he no longer belonged to her, it seemed her heart still hadn’t got the message.
* * *
It was still light outside when Cameron left the town hall building and headed back toward the Moose Café. His truck was parked out in the lot behind his establishment. As he walked along Jarvis Street, he paused to peer in shop windows. In many ways this downtown area was the heart and pulse of Love. Despite the financial slump, the wheels were still turning for the shop owners and proprietors. Not a single shop had closed its doors. The town had rallied from within and supported all the businesses so that no one went under. It had been extraordinary. No matter what problems Love faced, his hometown was remarkable.
He was wrangling with feelings way too complicated for him to even process at the moment. Paige had made him so proud tonight by speaking out on behalf of the cannery. She had been brave and honorable and very ambitious. He had almost stopped breathing when Honor had asked Paige about her long-term plans. After flying high on the heels of Paige’s rousing speech, his spirits had plummeted once he realized that Paige and Emma in all likelihood would not remain in Love. Suddenly the threat of them leaving hung over him like a dark cloud.
His life was better with them in it. Emma was a Prescott and he wanted her to live here in Alaska and be right in the thick of his big, spirited family. Maybe he was being selfish, but he wanted to be her father in every sense of the word. He still hadn’t spent much quality time with her, just snatches here and there. He wanted his daughter to play with his nephew, Aidan, and learn how to skate at Deer Run Lake. The thought of not seeing her on Christmas morning gutted him. It would be such a blessing to watch her rip open presents and sit next to her in the pew at church.
He was so tired of losing people in his life. His mother. His father. Ruby. Paige. He had already lost precious time with his daughter. It would be agonizing to say goodbye to his child. His mind was whirling with the details of the conversation he had overheard between Paige and Honor.
I don’t know what the future holds.
Before he knew it, he had reached the back lot. He stepped up into his truck and revved the engine, hoping to drown out his thoughts. Paige’s words burned in his ears. Had she come back only to leave again?
How could she even consider separating him from his daughter? Hadn’t she already done that for fourteen long months? Anger rose up inside him. He slammed his fist on the steering wheel. Resentment began to consume him. Knowing this wasn’t the way, Cameron lowered his head onto the steering wheel. It was this type of quick-burning fury that had got him into this situation in the first place. Two years ago he had chosen to believe the worst of Paige when he hadn’t had all the facts at his disposal. Now that she had made him aware of her trust fund, all of her actions made sense. For the first time he was forcing himself to look in the mirror and accept the role he had played in Paige leaving Love.
Lord, please help me. I don’t want this rage to consume me any longer. I’m so tired of feeling helpless against the things in my life that cause me strife and anxiety. I am trying to be a better man, one who is more focused on what’s ahead of me than what’s behind me. I want Emma to be proud to call me Daddy.
He began to take calming breaths. Within seconds the anger dissipated. “Thank You, Lord,” he whispered. Rage didn’t have any place in his world now. From this point forward his existence was all about a pint-size cutie who had wormed her way into his heart in record time. He needed to be the best man possible for her. A man driven by faith and not fear. And because of the all-consuming love he felt for Emma, he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that she stayed right here in Love where she belonged.
Chapter Eight
Even after Sophie’s return to work after her illness, Cameron still continued to ask Paige to fill in a few hours here and there at the Moose Café. Paige loved working at the café. Perhaps it was the customers. Most were kind and regaled her with funny stories about Love or bits of town gossip. Of course, every now and again she would run up against a customer who wanted to rant and rave about her father. She had learned to deal with those situations with grace and an open heart. If God wanted to use her as a vessel for forgiveness, she was willing to be His instrument. She loved the hustle and bustle of the place and the smell of coffee floating in the air. And she loved the fact that Cameron knew he could rely on her. It made her feel wanted and needed. It was her fervent hope that one of these days he would come to his senses and realize that she hadn’t been in collusion with her father. At least that way Emma would never pick up on any strained vibes between her parents.
Most days when she filled in, Fiona drove in with her so that Cameron could spend a little time with Emma. Cameron seemed to love those moments. Paige knew she had done the right thing in returning to Love when she watched the playful interaction between father and daughter. Somehow it eased the grieving process she was going through for her own father. Day by day the ache of loss was beginn
