AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’ve got that right,” piped up the young patron Lily was helping. “Tessa is smoking hot, and she knew just the right book for me when I wanted to start a metalworking hobby. She even asks about it whenever I come back. She’s a gem.”
Daniel wasn’t exactly thrilled to have commentary from the peanut gallery, but he was a man on a mission, and he couldn’t let it distract him. “I know. It was a mistake. And I don’t think I realized how much of a mistake until tonight. I—well, I need her back, Lily. Do you know where she might be?”
“Is she not answering her phone?”
Daniel sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Unfortunately, no.”
“Good girl. Know your worth.” Lily saw the look Daniel was giving her and rolled her eyes. “I mean, obviously, I will help you get her back, but I’m glad she isn’t making it easy for you.”
Okay, point taken.“I appreciate the candor, but my question still stands.”
Lily sighed and put the coffee pot down on the counter, a sad expression on her face. “If I were to venture a guess, I’d say that she’s probably getting her affairs in order before the big move back to Boston. After you broke that poor girl’s heart, she decided to take the job offer. It’s all over town. She’s leaving the day of the Harvest Festival.”
Daniel cursed. If he had actually come out of his bedroom just once in the past few days, he would have heard the news. This was going to be a bit more difficult than he imagined. He knew Tessa. She was stubborn through and through. But that wouldn’t stop him from taking a shot at getting her back.
He couldn’t go back to life before Tessa. He had to pull out all the stops to change his fate now. There was likely a decent chance that it still wouldn’t change anything, but he needed to do what he could. It would be one of his biggest regrets if he didn’t at leasttry. Tessa had taught him that—that despite the obstacles, you should at least give it your best so you aren’t regretting the fact later down the road.
He never imagined that it would one day apply to the two of them.
“I need to convince her to stay. I’ve seen how she has changed my life. How different I am around her. And I can’t go back to being old Daniel. I want to be who I am with her.” His voice was a bit ragged as he said it, desperation coming through with every word.
Lily seemed satisfied with his response. She gazed around at the crowd in the diner before her gaze swept back to him. “Well, if you’re looking for some help, you have the entire Harvest Festival planning committee here tonight.”
Daniel thought that over. He had never been a grand gesture kind of guy. He was always one for simpler things, but with the way things had gone, he figured that now was as good of a time as any to make the change. He nodded and leaned across the counter.
“Work your magic, Lily. I think I might have an idea, but I will need quite a few people to pull it off. I’m no good with talking. So what do you say you do the convincing.”
Lily’s eyes sparkled as she considered this prospect. She loved delegating almost as much as she loved a juicy bit of gossip, and this project would include both. “What exactly do you have in mind, my dear?”
Daniel ran through the plan he had been turning over in his head since the moment he heard of Tessa’s imminent departure. It wasn’t perfect, as he’d had little time to fine-tune it, but with a few suggestions from Lily, a grand plan emerged. They whispered like two kids at a sleepover, ironing out every possibility.
“I think we might have something here, Daniel, my boy.” Lily looked at him with pride. “You might just redeem yourself if you play your cards right.”
“That’s the idea,” Daniel replied. “I need to see to some things before the Harvest Festival, but can I count on you to enlist everyone’s help?”
“The bigger, the better, sweetie,” Lily smirked as she took off her diner apron. “Let me just make my rounds.” She threw a dish towel over her shoulder and walked over to a crowded table near the counter.
As Lily talked with the patrons, she would occasionally gesture to Daniel. The patrons would look him up and down and nod. Relief washed over him. He was a fixture in this town, and so was Lily. Most would be willing to throw in with them.
Daniel was always a bit of a control freak, and leaving someone else in charge of delegating was stressful, but it was necessary. There was too much to do and too little time. The stakes had never been higher for him.
He mused at the situation and how it so resembled the journey of a character in a book. The emotional stakes had been raised, and the clock was ticking. The story would leave him turning the pages with anticipation. He just hoped that this story would end with a “happily ever after,” like the romances that Tessa loved so much.
Chapter seventeen
BANGBANGBANG!
Tessa sat up in bed, startled, the early morning sleepiness leaving her swiftly. What on earth had that been? When the sound came again, she realized someone was pounding on the door to her room. Pippin was pacing in front of the door, whining.
“It’s okay, boy. Let me just make sure there’s not a fire,” she comforted. “There hadbetterbe a fire,” she added as she pulled her robe around her. Who on earth banged on someone’s bedroom door at—she checked her clock—seven in the morning?
“Okay, okay. I’m coming. Cool it,” she called, silently wishing there was a peephole installed in her door so she could prepare herself for whoever was seeking her out.
Throwing open the door with what she assumed was a considerably grumpy face, she blinked blearily to find that Patty and Lily were standing there, wringing their hands nervously. She saw no blood and no sign of fire, so her annoyance was growing. Surely, this could have waited until a more decent hour. She needed to be well-rested for her trip back to the city.
“Oh, Tessa, dear!” Patty reached out and gripped Tessa’s hands in hers. “We have a bit of a, well, a…situationdown at the Harvest Festival. We need you to follow us.”
Tessa stifled a yawn and rubbed at her head. “Could this have maybe waited until a more reasonable hour? I mean, what kind of Harvest Festival emergency are we talking about? Did Darius and his friends take baseball bats to the Jack O’ Lanterns again?”
